| Below, you will find a listing with illustrations and descriptions of select Nevada game fish. Most fish illustrations below are by Ron Pittard courtesy of Windsor Nature Discovery, copyright Windsor Nature Discovery, 2002. This information is also available as an insert in the Nevada Fishing Regulations. |
Click to view a PDF document of photos of common NV fish. |
Rainbow Trout
Body usually olive to greenish-blue on the back; belly white to silver; sides usually show prominent red or pink streak. Fish from lakes sometimes lose all color and appear silvery. Irregular spots on back, sides, head, dorsal fin and tail. No teeth on back of tongue. Native to the Columbia River drainage of northeastern Nevada, but stocked extensively from hatcheries throughout Nevada. Nevada's most abundant game fish species occurring in 295 streams statewide and in a large number of lakes and reservoirs. |
Brook Trout (Char)
Color ranges from olive, blue-gray or black on the back to white on the belly. Belly and lower fins brilliant orange in spawning males. Upper body and dorsal fin have mottled or worm-like markings. Red spots, with or without bluish rings around them. The most distinguishing marks are the white and then black strip along the fore edge of the lower fins. Tail square or slightly forked. Occurs in about 278 mountain streams in Nevada where it frequents cooler water. Found in Ruby Mountain alpine lakes and other coldwater lakes. |
Cutthroat Trout
Body color is highly variable with three subspecies in Nevada. Back may be steel gray to olive-green. Sides may be yellow-brown with red or pink along the belly. Slash marks on either side of the throat beneath the lower jaw may be yellow, crimson-red or orange. Fins uniform color with no white tips. Scattered spots are usually round and black, more closely grouped towards the tail. Teeth on back of tongue. May hybridize with rainbow. Native to the Humboldt, Snake and Bonneville basins of Nevada. Currently occurs in 112 streams and a smaller number of lakes where it is well known for its large size. |
Brown Trout
Back brown or olive with large black spots. Sides light brown to yellowish, with numerous black and red-orange spots, surrounded by light blue rings. Few if any spots on tail. Tail square, not forked. Brown occur widely in central and eastern Nevada streams and occur in about 73 streams statewide. Also found in some lakes and reservoirs. Spooky and difficult to catch. |
Lake Trout or Mackinaw
Not as highly colored as other trout. Dark gray or gray-green above, belly light gray or white. Light gray irregular shaped spots or lines on back, sides, dorsal fin and tail. No white edging appears on lowe fins as in brook trout. Tail deeply forked. Currently found in Lake Tahoe, Nevada-California, and Liberty and Echo Lakes in Elko County. |
Bull Trout (Char)
The bull trout is normally olive-green to light green along the back and sides and appears somewhat washed out. Back with pale yellow spots and sides with orange and red spots: fins fringed with yellow organ; pectoral, pelvic, and anal fins with white margins. This fish is native to only the Jarbidge River system of northern Elko County and occurs in tributaries associated with the two forks of that stream system. |
Mountain Whitefish
Back and fins are light brown and the sides and belly are silver and white. There are no spots. Tail deeply forked and body is deep and round. Mouth small with no teeth. Large fleshy adipose fin. Scales large and rough. The whitefish occurs in a number of larger streams in western and northeastern Nevada. |
Kokanee Salmon
Back greenish-blue with faint speckling. The sides and belly
are silvery and scales slip easily when dangling. No distinct
spotting on dorsal fin or tail as in the rainbow. Anal fin rays
generally number 14 to 16. During spawning in the fall, skin
becomes leathery and turns dark red to bright scarlet and the
head turns dusky green. Occurs in Lake Tahoe. |
Spawning Male Kokanee Salmon
During the spawning period male kokanee turn a bright red on
the back with reddish to olive colored sides. The spawning habits
of kokanee are like other true salmon and all adult fish die
after spawning which occurs in their third or fourth year. Female
kokanee turn a lighter red in color and retain a body shape
similar to a trout, while the male develops a large hooked snout
with many irregular teeth, a hump back and a musky green head. |
Bullhead
No scales. Tail only slightly forked, with rounded lobes. Adults
are blackish, dark olive or dark brown. Belly is yellow, greenish-white
or white. Chin barbels are entirely black. The pectoral fin
spine is smooth. Found in farm ponds and reservoirs throughout
Nevada. |
Channel Catfish
No scales, tail deeply forked with pointed lobes. Body pale bluish-olive above and bluish-white below. Spots vary from a few to many over much of the body and may not occur on large fish. Barbels extend from the chin and upper jaw. Both dorsal and pectoral fins have strong, sharp spines. Larger fish may be distinguished from the white catfish by the longer black barbels and more streamlined body form. Tail more deeply forked and head thinner and less rounded than white catfish. White on belly only to forward edge of anal fin. Found in warm water streams and reservoirs in northwestern and southern Nevada. |
White Catfish
Bluish to grayish above and white below. Tail deeply forked. No scales. No spots. Barbels extend from the chin and upper jaw. Both dorsal and pectoral fins have strong, sharp spines. White catfish have shorter barbels on the upper jaw than channel catfish, and barbels on lower jaw are whiter. Head is more rounded and white on bell extends to rear of anal fin. Found in Lahontan and Willow Creek reservoirs and the Humboldt River with channel catfish. |
Northern Pike
Color variable depending upon water from which it is taken. Usually bluish-green to gray on back with irregular rows of light yellow or gold spots. Snout broad and shaped like a duck bill. Bold long and slender with the dorsal and anal fins well back towards the tail. Found in a few eastern Nevada reservoirs including Bassett and Comins lakes and Jakes Reservoir. |
Largemouth Black Bass
Dark green on back and sides, silvery below. Belly is greenish-white. A broad dark band on the sides which consists of irregular patches touching together. Dorsal fin with 9 to 10 sharp spines, nearly separated from the soft rays by a deep notch. Upper jaw when closed extends at least to the rear edge of the eye in adults, usually beyond. Abundant in lakes and reservoirs throughout Nevada. |
Smallmouth Black Bass
Dark olive to brown on back, sides bronze, belly white. Five dark vertical bands on sides. Eyes reddish. Dorsal fin with 9 or 10 sharp spines without a deep notch separating them from the soft rays. Upper jaw when closed does not extend beyond the rear edge of the eye. Found in only a few waters in Nevada such as the Humboldt River, Dry Creek Reservoir, South Fork Reservoir, Wildhorse Reservoir, all in Elko County, Rye Patch, Carson River, Lahontan,S.F. Owyhee River, S.F. Humboldt River, Shoshone Creek, Lake Mead and Wall Canyon reservoirs. |
White Bass
Dark gray to black on the back, with bright silvery sides and white belly. The sides have dark stripes or lines (about 5 are above the lateral line). There are 13 or 14 rays in the dorsal fin, and 11 to 13 in the anal fin. Body strongly compressed from side to side, forehead is dished and snout is slightly turned up. Found in Lahontan Reservoir, Rye Patch Reservoir and Washoe Lake. |
Striped Bass
Body olive-green above, shading through silvery on sides to white on belly with brassy reflection. There are 7 to 8 longitudinal dark stripes following the scale rows. A spiny dorsal fin is barely separated from a soft dorsal fin. The tail is forked and the body is cylindrical in shape. Striped bass occur in only a few of the larger lakes in Nevada including Lake Mead and Lake Mohave. The fish can become very large with some specimens larger than 50 pounds. |
Crappie
Silver-olive with numerous black or dark green splotches on
the sides. Forehead is dished and the snout is turned up.
Five or more anal spines and seven or eight dorsal spines.
Base of the dorsal fin is about the same length as the base
of the anal fin. Body compressed from side to side. Found
in warmwater lakes and reservoirs throughout Nevada. |
Bluegill
Very colorful. Light to dark blue on bright purple. In breeding season, the breast of males is red. Gill covers often blue with a black spot on the rear of the "ear flap." Faint vertical bard on the sides. Dorsal fin has 10 spines followed without interruption by 10 or 12 rays. The mouth is small and when closed, barely reaches the front of the eye. Body deep for its length and compressed from side to side. Found in small farm ponds throughout northwestern and southern Nevada. |
Green Sunfish
Each scale is flecked with yellow or emerald green. Back and sides olive-green, and lower belly yellowish-copper or brassy. Body is short, stocky and deeply compressed from side to side. The gill cover has a broad, light margin, and it often has a black spot on the rear flap. The gill cover bone is stiff all the way to the margin which is different from most other sunfish. |
Redear Sunfish
Deep-bodied, olive colored, with darker spots and flecks of red, and occasionally vertical bars along the sides. The hind end of the gill flap is black with a white border and has a red spot on the tip (hence its name). The chest color is yellowish to cream colored.The mouth is small and when closed barely reaches only to the front margin of the eye. The pectoral fins are long and more pointed than those of other sunfish; the first dorsal fin contains 10 sharp spines, followed by 10 to 12 rays. Found in a few ponds of southern Nevada and Lake Mead. |
Yellow Perch
Rich yellow to brassy-green with 6 to 8 dark vertical bars on the sides. Dark green back. No "canine" teeth. The bell is whitish. The dorsal fin has two sections, the front one contains 12 to 14 sharp spines and the rear 12 to 13 soft rays. |
Sacramento Perch
Color blackish above, with about seven vertical bars irregular in form and position. This is not a true perch, but a sunfish. |
Wiper
A hybrid bass produced by crossing a female white bass with a male striped bass. Hybrids closely resemble both striped bass and white bass making identification difficult, particularly for young fish. When comparing adult fish, the hybrid has a deep body and an arched back similar to the white bass. Wipers can often be distinguished by broken or irregular stripes on the front half of body and straight lines on the rear half of body. A mid-body break in line pattern occasionally occurs. In other parts of the country the wiper is known as the sunshine bass, palmetto bass or whiterock bass. |
Walleye
Prominent "canine" teeth distinguish this big perch from its smaller family member, the yellow perch. Color is brassy-olive buff sometimes shading to yellowish sides and white beneath. No distinct bars on the sides, but rather an overall mottling of black or brown. Large dark blotches at rear base of dorsal fin, and the lower lobe of the tail fin is white tipped. The tail is moderately forked. Found in a few western Nevada waters including Lahontan and Rye Patch reservoirs, the Humboldt River below Rye Patch Reservoir, and Chimney Reservoir. |
Quality game fish charts, by Windsor Nature Discovery, are available in size 24" x 36". Visit www.nature-discovery.com for more information. 
