Thrilling freshwater fish

July 2020

Tiger Trout

Before 2020, I had never caught a Tiger Trout.  The Tiger Trout is a hybrid species between a Brown Trout and a Brook Trout.  They are exclusively stocked fish from hatcheries and are exceedingly rare in nature.  Hatcheries mate Brown Trout eggs with Brook Trout milt to create Tiger Trout.  These are known to be sterile, so they do not reproduce in the wild.

White Perch

Seldom reaching more than 12 inches in length, white perch are the smallest members of New York State’s true bass. They are easily told apart from other true bass because white perch have no dark stripes and no patches of teeth on their tongues. Like striped bass, white perch can live in both fresh and saltwater. Although white perch prefer brackish waters, they also live in rivers, lakes and reservoirs. They often occur in large schools in turbid shallow areas. They are rapidly expanding their range in the state and can be found in the Hudson River and its tributaries south of Troy, small lakes east of the Hudson, fresh and brackish waters of Long Island, the Seneca River and Mohawk River systems, Oneida and Chautauqua Lakes, and in Lake Erie, Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River.

White perch are prolific breeders. Schools of spawning white perch crowd into tributary streams or along gravelly shoal areas in lakes and large rivers to deposit their eggs. The tiny eggs sink to the bottom and attach to vegetation and rocks. Young perch eat plankton and insects while older perch feed mostly on fish. White perch are tasty fish  with white, flaky flesh. At one time, they were an important commercial species in New York. Today, their large numbers and catchability make them popular panfish.  Although small, they can put up a good fight when hooked. White perch are especially easy to catch in the spring during spawning. They can be caught by still fishing with worms or grubs, or by casting small flies or lures. Best catches are taken at dusk or after dark.

Yellow Perch

Yellow perch are important panfish in New York State. They are relatively easy to catch and are often one of the first fish caught by youngsters and beginners.  While yellow perch are found throughout the State in a variety of habitats, they prefer shallow, weedy protected sections of rivers, lakes, and ponds. Ranging in length from six to 12 inches, yellow perch are easily distinguished from other perch by the five to nine black vertical bars on their yellow sides. Yellow perch spawn in April or May. Adults migrate into shallow weedy sections and randomly release long strings (up to seven feet) of transparent eggs. The egg masses eventually adhere to submerged vegetation, where they remain until hatching. Yellow perch are most active in the morning and evening. They eat a variety of organisms, including aquatic insects, crayfish, and fish. Yellow perch are very tasty and are popular year-round, especially with ice fishermen. When handling the fish, care should be taken to avoid their sharp spines and sharp gill plates.

Rock Bass

Rock bass are found in many waters across the State. They are most abundant in rocky and gravelly shallow water areas in lakes and ponds, and the lower, warm reaches of streams. Rock bass are abundant in most of New York State’s large rivers. Often, they occur in the same areas as smallmouth bass and compete with the bass for food. Rock bass are small to medium sized sunfish, reaching six to ten inches in length. They are brownish in color with several dark bars or blotches mottling their sides. Their bright  red eyes have earned them the nickname “redeyes” among many New York State anglers.

Rock bass have similar feeding habits to other sunfish, eating mostly aquatic insects, crayfish, and small fishes. Spawning occurs from mid-May to mid-June, usually after black bass, but before other sunfish. Nests are built in a variety of bottom types, including gravel, mud, and in vegetation. Like the black basses, rock bass also keep their  nests well separated.

Rock bass are popular with many New York State anglers. They generally occur in groups and readily bite live bait, small spinners, plugs, and poppers. Since rock bass are often found with smallmouth bass, bass anglers sometimes consider them a nuisance.

Smallmouth Bass

Smallmouth bass are one of New York State’s most important gamefish. They are famous for their fighting ability when hooked and have the reputation for being, inch-for-inch, the best sporting fish around. Smallmouths are probably the most cold water adapted species of sunfish. They prefer cool, clear water areas of lakes and flowing streams with a gravelly or rocky bottom and moderate vegetation. Adult smallmouths are usually found near the protection of rocks or near submerged logs.

Smallmouth bass closely resemble their cousins, the largemouths, in appearance but can be identified by looking at their mouths and body color markings. The upper jaws of smallmouths do not reach beyond the rear edge of the eye, as do the largemouths, and there are a series of eight to 11 thin vertical dark bars on the smallmouth’s sides, rather than the often pronounced dark horizontal stripe typical of largemouths. Smallmouths are opportunistic predators, eating whatever live prey is available. The bulk of their diet consists of insects, crayfish, and other fish, but they will occasionally eat tadpoles and frogs. Early morning and evening are their most active feeding times.

Spawning takes place from late May to early July. Males usually build the nests on sandy, gravel, or rocky bottom areas near the protective cover of rocks, logs or dense  vegetation. Unlike other members of the sunfish family, smallmouths usually build their nests many feet apart from each other. Smallmouth bass may require more effort to catch than other sunfish, but it is worth it. When hooking a smallmouth, anglers are often rewarded with a series of leaps and runs that add to the excitement of the catch. Two effective methods for catching smallmouths are still fishing with crayfish, minnows or frogs, and casting live bait, spinners and plugs.

Largemouth Bass

Largemouth bass are another major sportfish in New York State. While they are not the spectacular fighters their cousins the smallmouth are, largemouths can be just as challenging and exciting to land because of the habitat they prefer. Largemouths thrive best in warm, shallow, well-vegetated areas of ponds and sluggish streams. They are rather solitary fish, preferring to stay among dense aquatic vegetation or close to submerged cover, such as stumps, logs, or dock pilings. The largemouth bass is the largest member of the sunfish family and has been known to reach weights in excess of ten pounds. It closely resembles the smallmouth, but differs by its long upper jaw which extends well beyond the eye, and its pronounced wide, solid black lateral band. In addition, the largemouth is more of a dark green color than the smallmouth.

Largemouth bass are primarily fish-eating predators. They lie in wait in the cover of weeds and ambush prey as it swims by. Crayfish, frogs, and small animals, such as mice, are also eaten by this large sunfish. Like smallmouths, largemouths are also late spring to midsummer spawners. Largemouth nests are less elaborate than smallmouth nests. Nests are built near protective cover in a variety of bottom types and are usually located far apart from each other.

Largemouth bass are a popular gamefish with New York anglers. They can be taken in weedy, stumpy areas by still fishing or casting with live bait or a wide variety of lures, including plastic worms and surface plugs. Since largemouths can thrive in small, warmer waters where other game species do not, they play an important role in fishery management by providing a highly desirable fishery in these waters.

Pumpkinseed

Of all the sunfish in New York State, the pumpkinseed is the favorite of children. It is one of the most catchable of all freshwater species, occurring in large numbers in shallow water close to shore and readily biting small pieces of bait. Pumpkinseeds are the most abundant and widespread species of sunfish in New York State. They live in a wide range of habitats from small lakes and ponds to shallow, weedy bays of larger lakes and quiet waters of slow moving streams.

Pumpkinseeds are a small- to medium-sized fish, averaging four to eight inches in length. They are one of the most colorful warmwater fish, with a bronze to red-orange belly and irregular, wavy interconnecting blue-green lines over a golden brown to olive background. Although often confused with bluegills, they can be recognized by the pale margin surrounding a bright scarlet spot on the rear portion of their gill flaps and the wavy emerald or blue streaks on the sides of the their heads. In addition, pumpkinseeds have long, pointed pectoral fins and no spot on the soft portion of their dorsal fins.

Pumpkinseeds have similar feeding habits to other true sunfish. They eat a wide variety of prey, including insects, crustaceans, and small fishes. Spawning takes place from May until August. Like bluegills, pumpkinseeds construct their nests close to shore in colonies. Nests are usually found in areas of submerged vegetation in six to 12 inches of water.  Pumpkinseeds provide hours of fishing fun for all anglers. They are strong fighters and have sweet-tasting fillets. Pumpkinseeds often provide good sport when other fish are not biting.

Chain Pickerel

The chain pickerel is widely distributed in lakes and rivers south of the Adirondacks and east of the Genesee River. A modest-sized fish, it averages one to two pounds in weight and 15 to 20 inches in length. Its fully scaled cheeks and gill covers distinguish it from the northern pike and muskellunge, while its large size and distinct chain link marks on its sides differentiate it from other pickerels. The chain pickerel is green to bronze in color, with eight sensory pores on the undersurface of the lower jaw and a conspicuous dark bar beneath each eye, which extends straight down or slightly forward.

Pickerel prefer quiet waters with heavy weed growth. They are among the first fishes to spawn after ice-out in spring (April-May). Mature adults migrate into swampy or marshy backwater areas to spread their adhesive eggs. Early spawning increases the young chain pickerels’ chances of survival, because they are large enough to feed on the newly hatched young of other species.

Chain pickerel are favored game fish, especially when one is ice fishing. On light tackle, they are capable of explosive runs which test an angler’s ability. Their meat is delicious, but quite bony. To eliminate problems with bones, the fillets can be ground and formed into fish patties.

Brook Trout

The brook or speckled trout is New York’s official State fish. A native of the State, it is the smallest, and to many people, the most attractive trout occurring in the State. It has a dark olive green background with light wavy markings on the back, and tan or red spots on the sides. Its lower fins are striking, with bright white edging separated from the mostly red fin by a black line.

Once widespread throughout the state, brook trout were found in remote wilderness settings in the Adirondacks and in small streams on Long Island. Over the years, many populations have been lost due to habitat destruction and introduction of competing fish species. DEC and Cornell University scientists have identified strains of brook trout that have not been genetically altered by interbreeding with hatchery-reared fish. These rare, or heritage, strains are a priceless link to New York State’s original fauna and DEC is working to preserve them.

Brook trout generally live in small- to moderate-sized streams, lakes, and ponds, wherever cool (below 72 degrees Fahrenheit), clean water is available. They are relatively short lived, seldom living longer than five years. Although some brook trout can weight more than eight pounds, fish weighing more than two pounds are uncommon.

Brookies are highly popular game fish. Often associated with an Adirondack wilderness experience, anglers enjoy the pristine surroundings of brook trout water almost as  much as catching these delicious fish. Speckled trout are relatively easy to catch and are frequently taken on flies, small artificial lures, and worms.

Brown Trout

The brown trout has long been a popular game fish all over the world. Brought over from Europe in the 1880s, brown trout can be found in waters all across New York State.   Its ability to tolerate warmer water than either of New York State’s native trout has allowed this species to do well in waters otherwise not able to support trout.

Brown trout are primarily found in streams, but also live in ponds and lakes. As the name implies, brown trout are brown in color with black and often red spots on the sides. However, in large bodies of water, fish tend to be silvery with scattered black spots.  Brown trout are generally faster growing and longer lived than brook trout. Fish more than ten pounds are fairly common, but in streams they seldom grow larger than two pounds. Many anglers enjoy fishing for brown trout because they are relatively wary and a challenge to catch. Brown trout can withstand heavy fishing pressure better than other New York trout.

Rainbow Trout

Natives of the Pacific Coast, rainbow trout were introduced into New York waters in the 1870s. Like brown trout, rainbows are more tolerant of warm water than the native trout and are found throughout the State. In New York, there are two types of rainbows. The first, simply called rainbow, is found mostly in medium to large streams or small to medium size lakes. The second, called steelhead, is only found in lakes Champlain, Ontario and Erie and their tributaries. This anadromous (spawn in streams but live most of life at sea) fish uses these large lakes as their sea.

Rainbow trout are often very colorful fish. They have gray-blue to greenish backs and light colored sides with dark spots. Rainbows get their name from the pink or red band often present on their sides. During spawning, this band turns a deep red. Like other trout, adult rainbows tend to be more silvery when living in large lakes like the Great Lakes.

Quite variable in size, mature rainbow trout may weigh one or two pounds in streams and more than 15 pounds in the Great Lakes. Whether the fish is small or large, fishing for rainbow trout is a popular pastime for many New York anglers. Not quite as wary as brown trout, rainbows often put up spectacular fights when hooked, frequently making a series of acrobatic jumps.

Bluegill

Bluegills are generally found in slow moving or standing water where there is plenty of vegetation or other shelter. They are a pretty fish, green to brown on their backs and upper sides shading into brown, orange, or pink with traces of vertical bars along their bottom sides. The breast is yellow to copper-orange, and the sides of their heads have metallic blue and green overtones. The large, square-shaped, blue black gill flap and conspicuous dark blotch on the back of the soft-rayed portion of their dorsal fins distinguishes bluegills from their close relatives, the pumpkinseed. Bluegills average four to ten inches in length.

Like other true sunfish, the bluegill eats mostly insects and crustaceans. But unlike its cousins, the bluegill will also consume some plant material.

Bluegills spawn from May to July. Nests are usually built close to shore in firm sand or mud in two and one-half feet of water. Bluegills often nest in colonies with nests sometimes right next to each other. Some male bluegills have been known to raise two or three broods during one spawning season.

Bluegills fight hard when hooked, providing good sport for anglers. They bite just about any bait, artificial fly, or small lure dropped in the water. Because of these qualities, they are frequently stocked in farm ponds and other impoundments.