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Features: These fish are light silvery-white, dark on top, and have up to 8 dark, broken stripes running along the sides of their bodies. They are typically less than 10 lbs but can grow to 22 lbs. They have two dorsal fins, the front one with eight or nine spines and the rear one with one spine and 13 or 14 soft rays. Habitat: Hybrid bass were originally stocked in Tenmile Lakes on the south coast and in Ana Reservoir in Lake County. They have since been introduced into Thompson Reservoir, also in Lake County. The only established population is…

Features: Tiger trout are a hybrid between a female brown trout and a male brook trout. They are greenish yellow to brown with dark patches along their sides creating a maze-like pattern. Their belly is yellowish orange and the tail fin is square. Habitat: These sterile fish have been introduced to Diamond and Fish lakes to help combat several invasive bait fish species. Since they do not reproduce, tiger trout are catch-and-release only. Techniques: Tiger trout will go for flies, spoons, spinners and bait. Because tiger trout are piscivorous (they eat other fish), fishing a minnow imitation can be effective.

Features: When in the ocean chum salmon are bluish green on their backs. Their tails lack spots but tend to have silver streaks like the coho. Their lower jaw will be dark at the gum line and white or pink both inside and outside of the gum line. Once in freshwater, chums become dark green to brown with red to purple marks going vertically down their sides. Habitat: Like other salmon species, chum spend most of their lives at sea and return to their natal streams to spawn. Most spawning runs are over a short distance. Adults are strong swimmers…

Features: Common carp are deep-bodied, heavy-looking fish with short heads and forked tails. They have large (really large) scales ranging from grey to bronze. Two barbels hang from each side of the upper lip of their subterminal (near the bottom of the head) mouth. This distinguishes them from goldfish that have no barbels. The dorsal fin is elongated. Habitat: Though tolerant of most conditions, common carp prefer large bodies of slow moving or standing water with soft sediments like mud or sand, and good growths of aquatic vegetation. They’re omnivorous bottom feeders that prefer aquatic insects, worms, mollusks and zooplankton…

Features: Color varies, but walleye are generally dark olive-brown on top grading to almost white below. Walleye have two well-separated dorsal fins; the first fin has a large black spot at its rear base. The opaque eyes, giving the fish its common name, and canine teeth are other prominent features. Habitat: Walleye are found in the Columbia, Willamette and Snake rivers. In the Willamette River, the walleye fishery is generally limited to the section downstream from Willamette Falls at Oregon City, although a few have been documented as far upstream as Dexter Dam. Walleye prefer large, clean and cold or…

Features: Largemouth bass are greenish on the back and sides with a white belly and usually a dark horizontal stripe along the side. They are distinguished from their close cousin, the smallmouth, by a large mouth with the upper jaw extending behind the eye. Largemouth bass in Oregon can exceed 25 inches in length and a weight of 12 pounds. Habitats: Their preferred habitats are shallow ponds and lakes, or the backwater sloughs of rivers where aquatic plants or submerged logs and brush provide abundant cover. Largemouth bass begin life feeding on zooplankton (tiny crustaceans), but soon switch to insects…

Features: Like all cutthroat trout, this species boasts bright red streaks on either side of its “throat.” You can tell it’s a westslope cutthroat by its spot pattern – the majority of the black spots are found on the back end of the fish with rather few ahead of the dorsal fin. Habitat: While westslope cutthroat trout was once the most widely distributed cutthroat in North America, its home in Oregon has always been limited to the John Day Basin. During the cooler months of summer you can find them in places like Strawberry Creek and upper Canyon Creek. As…

Features: Channel catfish are pale bluish-olive above and bluish-white below with a deeply forked tail, dorsal and pectoral spines, and an adipose fin. Like all other catfish, channel catfish have “whiskers” or barbels extending from the chin and upper jaw. Young fish have a varying number of small black spots over much of the body, while older fish may be partially or entirely without spots. Maximum size in Oregon approaches 40 pounds, but most are less than 10 pounds. Habitat: Channel catfish in western Oregon are limited to the Columbia River, lower Willamette River, and a few ponds in the…

Features: Black crappie are silvery in color with numerous black or dark green blotches and no distinct vertical bars. This results in a darker overall color than seen in white crappie. The forehead is dished, but not as much as in the white crappie. The dorsal fin usually has seven or eight spines and its length is equal to or greater than the distance between the dorsal fin and eye. Habitat: Black crappie do best in clear waters of medium-sized lakes, reservoirs and large slow moving streams. They are less tolerant of flowing and muddy water than white crappie and…

Features: White crappie are often confused with black crappie. White crappie have silvery bodies with blackish-green mottling forming narrow vertical bars on the sides. The forehead is more dished than in the black crappie. The dorsal fin has five or six spines and its length is less than the distance between the dorsal fin and eye. Habitat: White crappie do best in larger lakes and reservoirs and are more tolerant of turbidity and less dependent on aquatic vegetation than black crappie. They congregate around pilings, sunken logs, underwater brush, weed beds and rocks. White crappie begin life feeding primarily on…

Features: Steelhead are rainbow or redband trout ( O. mykiss) that migrate to the ocean during their first or second year, returning one to three years later to spawn. While in the ocean, steelhead are silvery in color and typically grow significantly larger than their siblings who never leave fresh water. Once back in fresh water, they usually turn dark-olive in color, with silvery-white undersides, heavily speckled bodies and a pink to red stripe running along their sides. Habitat: Summer-run steelhead return to freshwater between May and October and require several months to mature and spawn. Winter-run steelhead return to…

Features: These blue-green, silvery or light brown fish are a schooling fish and an important food source for larger fishes, sea birds and marine mammals. Habitat: Anchovy are frequently offshore, but can be caught inshore in harbors and large estuaries during spawning. Technique: Anchovy are usually targeted in bays with multiple-hook herring jigs.

Features: Coastal rainbow trout are often residualized steelhead that spend their entire life cycle in fresh water, never migrating to sea. They are a silvery color with black spots on their backs and fins, and a pink band running down their sides. Often their gill covers are pink as well. The pelvic anal, and dorsal fins have a white edge to them. Habitat: They can be found in cold rivers, creeks, and inland lakes. However, they require streams with clean gravel, complex habitat, and cool temperatures for spawning and rearing. Techniques: Trout in stillwaters tend to be on the move…

Features: Usually greenish to brown with darker mottling, but most fish have bright red blotches on their sides. They tend to have dark bars or blotches on their fins, and the inside of their mouths are bluish. Habitat: Their habitat is subtidal algal beds and rocky reefs from the Bering Sea to southern California. Technique: Try fishing for rock greenlings from the shore as they are often captured in shallow, rocky areas. These fish have small mouths, so try a #4 or #6 hook to catch these daytime feeders.

Features: The lake trout is not particularly colorful – usually gray with large pale spots – and can be distinguished from other trout by its deeply-forked tail. Lake trout, despite the common name, is not actually a trout but a member of the closely related char group. They can reach weights of 20 pounds. Habitat: These aggressive, fish-eating char are popular sport fish found in deep, cold water with plenty of oxygen and proper spawning areas. There also must be abundant forage fishes for them to eat. Techniques: Many anglers target lake trout in the spring, when they hang out…

Features: They are aptly named for their color pattern and appetite. They have dark stripes running vertically down their sides, which vary in color from greenish-grey to a blush hue. They can grow in excess of 4-feet long and 30 pounds. Habitat: These fish were released in Phillips Reservoir near Baker City to help control the runaway yellow perch population that was harming the rainbow trout fishery. Technique: This is a catch-and-release fishery. Tiger muskie have a reputation for being elusive and difficult to catch. Anglers who target these fish will want a strong rod and line, a reel with…

Features: While their coloration can be variable, bull trout are generally gray infused with green. The body is covered with small white or pale yellow spots. Some spots along the side may be deep orange to red. The leading edges of the fins along their bellies are white. Bull trout, despite the common name, is not actually a trout but a member of the closely related char group. Habitat: Bull trout require cold, clean water to survive and are typically found in the headwaters of Oregon rivers. Spawning occurs in the fall when water temperatures drop below 50F. Techniques: Anglers…