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Wyoming › Fishing › Game Fish Species Identification

Game Fish Species Identification

Cutthroat Trout

Illustration of a cutthroat trout showing dark spots with light halos along the body, highlighting key features used for fish species identification.
Illustration highlights identifying features of a cutthroat trout, including dark spots with light halos, helping anglers correctly identify trout species in Wyoming waters.

Black spotting is generally concentrated towards tail (except on the Snake River cutthroat which has a uniform distribution of fine black spots); few or no spots on head, red or orange slash under jaw; no white tips on fins.

Rainbow Trout

Illustration of a rainbow trout showing key identification features, including uniform black spots across the body and white tips on the fins.
Illustration displays common identification characteristics of a rainbow trout, highlighting even black spotting and white-tipped fins to help anglers distinguish the species in Wyoming waters.

Distinguished from cutthroat by the presence of white tips on fins. Distinguished from kokanee by 11 anal fin rays versus 13 to 15 for kokanee. Hybrids (cuttbow) may or may not have a red or orange slash on the lower jaw, but always have white tips on fins.

Brown Trout

Illustration of a brown trout showing identifying features, including black spots concentrated toward the tail and a red or orange slash near the jaw.
Illustration highlights key identification traits of a brown trout, such as dark spotting near the tail and a red or orange jaw slash, helping anglers correctly identify fish species in Wyoming waters.

Distinguished from cutthroat and rainbow by the general lack of spots on the tail and the light colored “halos” around the dark spots. May have some red or orange spots. Distinguished from brook trout by dark spots on a light background versus light spots on a dark background for brook trout.

Brook Trout

Illustration of a brook trout showing light spots on a dark background and red or pink spots with blue halos along the body, highlighting key identification features.
Illustration shows distinctive brook trout markings, including light spots on a dark body and red or pink spots with blue halos, helping anglers accurately identify the species in Wyoming waters.

Light spots on a dark background. Some red or pink spots with blue halos concentrated on lower half of body. Lower fins and tail have striking white border offset by black. Brook trout have a square tail.

Lake Trout

Illustration of a lake trout showing light spots on a dark background and a deeply forked tail fin, highlighting key identification features.
Illustration highlights important identification traits of a lake trout, including light-colored spots on a dark body and a deeply forked tail, helping anglers distinguish the species in Wyoming waters.

Light-colored spots on a dark background. Distinguished from brook trout by a deeply forked tail and absence of red or pink spots.

Tiger Trout

Illustration of a tiger trout showing a distinctive maze-like pattern across the body and orange-tinted fins, highlighting unique features used for fish identification.
Illustration displays the unique markings of a tiger trout, including its bold, maze-like body pattern and orange-hued fins, helping anglers easily identify this hybrid trout species in Wyoming waters.

The tiger trout is a sterile hybrid of a brown trout and a brook trout. It has a unique, light colored maze-like pattern on a dark background that resembles the stripes of a tiger. The tail is not deeply forked.

Splake

Illustration of a splake showing light-colored spots on a darker body and a forked tail, highlighting key identification features of this lake trout and brook trout hybrid.
Illustration shows identifying characteristics of a splake, a hybrid of lake trout and brook trout, including light spots on a darker body and a forked tail to help anglers correctly identify the species in Wyoming waters.

The splake is a cross between a male brook trout and female lake trout. It can exhibit characteristics of either. The key characteristic to distinguish from a brook trout or tiger trout is a forked tail.

Kokanee Salmon

Illustration of a kokanee salmon showing a streamlined silver body and 13 to 15 anal fin rays, highlighting key features used for fish identification.
Illustration highlights identifying characteristics of a kokanee salmon, including its slender body shape and distinct anal fin ray count, helping anglers correctly identify the species in Wyoming waters.

Brilliant red during fall spawning, silvery the remainder of the year. Kokanee have 13 to 15 rays in the anal fin while rainbow trout have 9 to 11.

Mountain Whitefish

Illustration of a whitefish showing an adipose fin and a small, pointed mouth, highlighting key features used for fish species identification.
Illustration highlights identifying characteristics of a whitefish, including the adipose fin and small pointed mouth, helping anglers distinguish whitefish species in Wyoming waters.

Distinguished from trout by larger scales; from grayling by the small, pointed mouth and smaller dorsal fin, and from suckers and chubs by the presence of the adipose fin.

Burbot

Illustration of a burbot showing a long, eel-like body and a continuous dorsal fin running along most of the back, highlighting key identification features.
Illustration highlights identifying traits of a burbot, including its elongated body and continuous fin, helping anglers correctly identify this freshwater species found in Wyoming waters.

Slender and elongated body. Large, double dorsal fin that is scarcely separated from the anal and caudal fins producing an almost continuous median fin around the back half of the body. Has a single barbel in center of lower jaw.

Black Bullhead

Illustration of a black bullhead showing a rounded body, slightly notched tail fin, and long whisker-like barbels used for species identification.
Illustration highlights identifying characteristics of a black bullhead, including its barbels, rounded body shape, and slightly notched tail fin, helping anglers correctly identify the species in Wyoming waters.

No scales on dark colored body and large barbels near mouth. Distinguished from channel catfish by lack of deeply forked tail; from stonecat by the lack of a fleshy ridge connecting the adipose and tail fins.

Walleye

Illustration of a walleye showing white-tipped fins and a dorsal fin that lacks black spots near the head, highlighting key identification features.
Illustration highlights identifying characteristics of a walleye, including white fin tips and the absence of black spots near the head on the dorsal fin, helping anglers correctly identify the species in Wyoming waters.

Large, silvery eye, large sharp teeth and anterior dorsal fin with spines. Distinguished from sauger by white marking on lower lobes of tail and anal fins, and a lack of black spots on the dorsal fin nearest the head.

Grayling

Illustration of an grayling showing a tall, sail-like dorsal fin and a slender, silver body, highlighting key features used for fish identification.
Illustration highlights identifying characteristics of an grayling, including its large dorsal fin and streamlined body, helping anglers correctly identify this unique species in Wyoming waters.

Distinguished from trout by the coarse scales and large dorsal fin. Distinguished from whitefish by the larger dorsal fin, large mouth, and spots on the sides.

Channel Catfish

Illustration of a channel catfish showing a deeply forked tail fin, smooth scaleless body, and long whisker-like barbels used for fish species identification.
Illustration highlights key identification features of a channel catfish, including its deeply forked tail, smooth body, and prominent barbels, helping anglers correctly identify the species in Wyoming waters.

No scales on body and large barbels near mouth. Often has black spots on sides. Distinguished from black bullhead by deeply forked tail.

Sauger

Illustration of a sauger showing dark, mottled coloration along the sides and black spots on the dorsal fin, highlighting key identification features.
Illustration highlights identifying characteristics of a sauger, a hybrid of walleye and sauger, including dark mottled sides and black spots on the dorsal fin to help anglers correctly identify the species in Wyoming waters.

Large, silvery eye, large sharp teeth and anterior dorsal fin with spines. Distinguished from walleye by black spots on dorsal fin and wider head.

Yellow Perch

Illustration of a yellow perch showing distinct dark vertical barring along the sides and a lower body that is yellow to yellow-orange, highlighting key identification features.
Illustration highlights identifying characteristics of a yellow perch, including bold dark bars and yellow-orange coloring on the lower body, helping anglers accurately identify the species in Wyoming waters.

Spiny and soft dorsal fins not connected. Back and sides crossed by several vertical bars that are regular in size and shape. Distinguished from walleye and sauger by lack of large prominent teeth and anal fin with 6-8 soft rays rather than 11-14.

Tiger Muskie

Illustration of a tiger muskie showing an elongated body with bold vertical striping along the sides, highlighting key identification features of this hybrid fish species.
Illustration highlights identifying characteristics of a tiger muskie, a hybrid of muskellunge and northern pike, including its long body and distinctive vertical stripes to help anglers correctly identify the species in Wyoming waters.

Coloration having irregular narrow vertical dark markings on a light background.

Largemouth Bass

Illustration of a largemouth bass showing nearly separated spiny and soft dorsal fins and a mouth that extends beyond the eye, highlighting key identification features.
Illustration highlights identifying characteristics of a largemouth bass, including its large mouth extending past the eye and the nearly separated dorsal fins, helping anglers correctly identify the species in Wyoming waters.

Body relatively slender. 3 anal fin spines. Dorsal spines usually 10. Distinguished from smallmouth bass by having larger mouth with upper jaw extending far behind middle of the eye and by having spiny and soft dorsal fins that are nearly separate.

Smallmouth Bass

Illustration of a smallmouth bass showing spiny and soft dorsal fins that are well connected and a mouth that does not extend past the eye, highlighting key identification features.
Illustration highlights identifying characteristics of a smallmouth bass, including connected dorsal fins and a smaller mouth that does not extend beyond the eye, helping anglers correctly identify the species in Wyoming waters.

Body relatively slender. 3 anal fin spines. Dorsal spines usually 10. Distinguished from largemouth bass by having smaller mouth, not extending much behind back of eye and by having spiny and soft dorsal fins that are well connected.

Bluegill

Illustration of a bluegill showing a dark “ear” spot on the gill plate and a small mouth that does not extend to the middle of the eye, highlighting key identification features.
Illustration highlights identifying characteristics of a bluegill, including the dark ear flap on the gill plate and a small mouth, helping anglers correctly identify the species in Wyoming waters.

Deep body with spiny and soft dorsal fins well connected. 2-3 anal fin spines. 10 dorsal spines. Soft dorsal fin with a black blotch near base of last few rays. Dark “ear” flap on gill plate. Distinguished from green sunfish by smaller mouth not extending to middle of eye.

Green Sunfish

Illustration of a green sunfish showing a dark “ear” spot on the gill plate and a mouth that extends to the middle of the eye, highlighting key identification features.
Illustration highlights identifying characteristics of a green sunfish, including the dark ear flap on the gill plate and a larger mouth that reaches the middle of the eye, helping anglers correctly identify the species in Wyoming waters.

Spiny and soft dorsal fins well connected. 2-3 anal fin spines. 10 dorsal spines. Dark ear flap on gill plate. Distinguished from bluegill by larger mouth with jaw extending to middle of eye.

Illustrations by Michelle LaGory. Tiger muskie illustration by Tim Knepp. Burbot, splake and tiger trout illustrations by Joseph Tomelleri.

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