Identification:
Flanks and belly silvery, back bluish-green. Black spots on back, head, and tail are small in size. Most rainbows have a pink or red side stripe.

History:
The native trout of the western slope of the Sierra Nevada, rainbows can be found from the edge of the Central Valley to high mountain lakes. This trout is most active in water temperatures of 55 to 65 degrees F. A variety of insects and small fish make up the bulk of the rainbow trout's diet. The most active feeding period for this trout is at sunrise and near dusk. At the lower elevations, anglers will find spring and fall the best seasons for rainbow trout fishing.

Identification:
White or silver belly with yellow flanks. Back is dark to olive-brown. Only trout in California with both red and black spots. No distinct side stripe.

History:
First introduced in California in 1894, brown trout have become abundant throughout the state. They feed on insects, crayfish, and other fish, including their own young. Because they grow quickly and are naturally wary, this trout can become quite large. Brown trout prefer water temperatures between 45 and 65 degrees F. In the warm months of the year they stay in the cooler, deeper areas of lakes and rivers. Brown trout are very competitive and tend to crowd out other fish, including other trout. The meat of this trout is often pink and is excellent eating.

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Identification:
Back, sides, and belly yellow-red, large black spots over entire body except head. Bottom of gills have two distinct red stripes on each side.

History:
This cutthroat sub-species, native to the Truckee, Carson, and Walker River systems, is classified by the California Department of Fish and Game as a threatened species. Lahontan cutthroat prefer cold water lakes and rivers and feed on insects and smaller fish. Like other trout, cutthroats bite best in the early morning and evening hours. Although now uncommon, Lahontan cutthroat were at one time fished commercially in Lake Tahoe and Pyramid Lake, Nevada.

Identification:
To seperate trout from salmon, count the number of rays in the anal fin near the tail. Trout have 9 to 12 rays (rarely 13). Salmon occasionally have 12 usually 13 or more.
Chinook (also known as King salmon) have a dark coloring on the crown of the gums around the teeth of the lower jaw. There are usually large, angular black spots on the back and spots on both lobes of the tail.
Coho (also known as Silver salmon) have a whitish coloring around the teeth on the lower gums, with the rest of the mouth lining being darker. There are usually spots on the back and upper lobe of the tail, but none on the lower lobe.

History:
The salmon is at the heart of Pacific Northwest Native American culture and also a key industry of the region's whites; its ability to return, after swimming thousands of miles in the open Pacific, to the stream in which it hatched made it seem supernatural to Native Americans; whites saw in the same ability economic opportunity for the fishing industry.

Coho and chinook salmon feed on a variety of insects, cladocerans, and small fish. Salmon eventually stop feeding as they migrate to stream spawning grounds.

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Identification:
Upper jaw extends past the rear margin of the eye. Back is dark green with silver-green sides and belly. Single dark side-stripe (latteral line).

History:
Introduced into California in 1874 from their native Mississippi River system, largemouth bass have become common in most warm water lakes and rivers in the state. Largemouth bass are mainly fish eaters, although they will feed on crayfish and frogs. Active at water temperatures above 50 degrees F, largemouth bite best when the water warms up to above 60 degrees F. Adult bass tend to establish a home area with a rock or submerged tree or shrub at the center.

Identification:
Upper jaw does not extend beyond rear edge of eye. Sides and back are green to dark olive-brown with white belly and faint, light-colored side stripe (latteral line).

History:
Similar in appearance to the largemouth bass, smallmouth is even native to the same area, the Mississippi River system. This bass prefers slightly cooler water than the largemouth, so they tend to concentrate near the upper end of most lakes. Young smallmouth bass feed on insects, while adult smallmouth usually eat other types of fish or even their own kind. Smallmouth bass are not as solitary as largemouth and will group together in a favored area.

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Identification:
Irregular lateral stripe is similar to, but more broken than largemouth bass. When mouth is closed, jaw does not extend beyond the back margin of the eye. Spots on scales form "rows" of stripes on the whitish belly area.

History

Identification:
Silvery body with 6 to 8 black horizontal lines from the rear of the gills to the tail. Streamlined body.

History:
Introduced into the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta from the East Coast of the U.S. in 1879, striped bass are now found from the Mexican border to southern British Columbia. When planted in lakes, striped bass must be replanted to maintain satisfactory fishing. Striped bass bite best as the water cools in the fall. Since this bass needs moving water to spawn, they concentrate near inflowing streams and rivers during the spring spawn. Striped bass feed mostly on smaller fish, although they will eat other forms of aquatic life.

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Identification:
Dark blue or blackish spot on gill cover. Small mouth with small sharp teeth. Dark green back and sides with iridescent purple sheen. Many adult bluegill have a dark spot at base or dorsal fin.

History:
Originally introduced into California waters in 1908, bluegill have become a favorite of many anglers. Although considered by most to be a warm water fish, bluegill populations exist in lakes as high as 5,000 feet in the Sierra Nevada. Bluegill feed on insects and small fish, with the most active feeding occurring in mid-afternoon and shortly after dusk. Even in large lakes, this sunfish stays within a small area for its entire life. Because bluegill reproduce rapidly and in large numbers, they can quickly overcrowd their habitat. For this reason, heavy fishing is desirable.

Identification:
Silvery-white, with dark green or black mottling in the form of vertical bars on sides. Mouth large, with transparent sides when extended.

History:
White crappie are common in warm water lakes and rivers throughout the state. They are a schooling fish, and the schools tend to stay within one area. Schools remain near logs or boulders during the day and may move out to open water in the evening. White crappie feed on minute aquatic life as well as on insects and fish. This fish, like many warm water species, become inactive in the fall when water temperatures cool. Although usually small in size, crappie, when hooked, fight hard and are good eating.

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Identification:
Silvery-white, with black mottling on sides. Similar to white crappie, except the black crappie lacks the vertical bar pattern in the side mottling.

History:
Black crappie may be found in most large, clear lakes in California. They prefer lakes with large areas of aquatic vegetation. Black crappie, lilke white crappie, congregate in schools around large submerged objects during the day and venture into open water at dusk and dawn. This crappie feeds upon insects and fish as well as minute forms of water life. Black crappie are most active when the water temperature is between 55 and 70 degrees F.

Indentification:
Strong resemblance to crappie, although they are somewhat huskier. Colors range from black and darker greens thru a purplish-red hue.

History:
The Sacramento Perch is really not a perch at all. It's actually a sunfish that was once native to most of what is now known as the Sacramento\San Joaquin delta, and disbursed all the way up to Clear Lake. Sacramento Perch are usually caught on accident by anglers fishing for bass or crappie. They tend to occupy weedy shorelines in depths to twenty feet or so, and feed on insects, small crustaceans, as well as small minnows. Some lakes you may come across this fiesty fish are: Crowley Lake, Clear Lake, and also Lake Almanor in Plumas County.

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Identification:
Sides and back are gray, with white belly. Head large with long dark barbels. Forked tail with rounded tips.

History:
Originally native to the coastal river systems of the eastern United States, white catfish were planted near Stockton in 1874. From this one introduction, white catfish have spread throughout the state. This catfish is most common in slow-moving rivers and in lakes with mud bottoms. White catfish feed mostly on the bottom where they eat other fish and aquatic insects. They prefer warm water and only spawn in water above 70 degrees F. White catfish feed most actively at dusk and through the night.

Identification:
Bluish-gold sides with white belly. Small dark spots on sides with deeply forked tail. Head is small in relation to body.

History:
Originally found in the Mississippi River system, channel catfish were successfully introduced into California waters in the 1940s. Although this catfish does well in many muddy, dirt bottom lakes, it prefers a clear warm water lake with a sandy bottom. Channel catfish grow and bite best when the water temperature is above 70 degrees but will tolerate lower temperatures. They feed on insects, fish, and small amounts of plant material. Like other catfish, channel cats feed most actively at dusk and at night.

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Identification:
Back is dark olive-brown, silvery sides and belly. Young have dark spot at base of tail. Slender body.

History:
This large native minnow has fooled many anglers after taking a lure or bait intended for bass or trout. Because this fish looks like a slender trout, the angler thinks he has hooked a big one - until the fish is in the net. Although considered by many as too bony to eat, squawfish were an important part of the diet of California Indians and early settlers.

Identification:
Body gold-green with large scales. Two barbels hang from the rear of the upper lip.