Show-Me Fishes

You Discover Fishes

A Mini Field Guide to Missouri’s Most Popular Fish

Well-Built for a Watery World

To move, a fish sweeps its tail from side to side. Smaller fins help the fish turn, move up and down, and come to a stop.

Fish have a “sixth sense.” A line of nerve endings, called the lateral line, runs down each side of a fish. It detects tiny waves in the water and alerts a fish to predators or prey moving nearby.

Most fish have scales that offer protection, like a coat of armor. Some fish, like catfish, have tough skin instead. Fish are also coated with mucus, aka “slime.” It helps a fish glide through water and protects a fish’s skin from germs.

Sounds travel better through water than air. Fish have bones in their heads called otoliths (oh-toe-lithz) that hear both sounds made in the water and on the shore.

Most fish are able to see quite well, but not in muddy or dark water. Fish that feed at night usually have a keen sense of smell to sniff out food.

Fish need oxygen just like people, but they breathe water instead of air. When water flows over a fish’s gills, these delicate organs absorb oxygen that’s dissolved in the water.

Rainbow Trout

Small black spots along sides; Tail fin definitely forked and spotted; Sleek, streamlined body with small scales; Pink or reddish horizontal stripe

Average Size: 8 to 15 inches

Where: Cold, clear streams

Best Bait: Flies, spinners, and dough balls

Fintastic Fact

Rainbow trout are native to streams in western North America. They were first brought to Missouri in 1882. Some rainbows are born in Missouri’s streams, but the majority are grown in hatcheries and stocked in cool, clean streams.

Brown Trout

Reddish-orange spots along sides; Tail fin square or slightly forked and without spots; Sleek, streamlined body with small scales

Average Size: 8 to 15 inches

Where: Cold, clear streams

Best Bait: Flies, spinners, and dough balls

Fintastic Fact

Brown trout originally come from Europe. They were first brought to Missouri in 1890. Because anglers love to catch them, the Conservation Department grows them in hatcheries and stocks them in cold, clear streams.

Largemouth Bass

Dorsal fins not well connected; Cheek and body scales are same size; Upper jaw goes beyond back of the eye; Dark horizontal stripe

Average Size: 10 to 20 inches

Where: Ponds, lakes, and warm, slow rivers

Best Bait: Plastic worms, spinners, and crankbaits

Fintastic Fact

The largemouth bass is America’s most popular fish. More people toss lures at these bucket-mouthed beauties than any other freshwater fish.

Blue Catfish

Forked tail fin; Smooth, scaleless skin; Upper jaw goes beyond lower jaw; Straight anal fin; Bluish-silver sides without spots; Barbels, aka “whiskers”

Average Size: 20 to 44 inches

Where: Large lakes and big rivers

Best Bait: Worms, shad, and stinky baits

Fintastic Fact

None of Missouri’s catfish can pack on pounds like a blue cat. These colossal catfish routinely crunch the scales at 40 pounds, and Missouri’s state record weighed 130 pounds!

Flathead Catfish

Square tail fin; Smooth, scaleless skin; Lower jaw goes beyond upper jaw; Round anal fin; Broad, flattened head; Barbels, aka “whiskers”

Average Size: 15 to 45 inches

Where: Large lakes or slow rivers

Best Bait: Worms, shad, and stinky baits

Fintastic Fact

A female flathead may lay more than 100,000 eggs each year. But it’s usually males who guard the eggs and fan them with their fins to provide oxygen and keep them clean.

Smallmouth Bass

Dorsal fins are connected; Cheek scales are much smaller than body scales; Upper jaw may reach eye but doesn’t go beyond it; Faint vertical bars

Average Size: 10 to 20 inches

Where: Cool, clear streams and large Ozark lakes

Best Bait: Crayfish lures, plastic tube jigs, and minnows

Fintastic Fact

Smallmouth bass love leftovers. They often follow turtles when the reptiles root around at the bottom of a stream. When the digging stirs up an insect or crayfish, the bass pounces!

Goggle-Eye

Dorsal fin has 12 spines; No notch between spiny and soft part of dorsal fin; Anal fin has 6 spines; Large mouth

Average Size: 9 to 11 inches

Where: Streams of the northern Ozarks

Best Bait: Crayfish lures, worms, and minnows

Fintastic Fact

What anglers call “goggle-eye” are, according to biologists, three different fish. Northern rock bass, shadow bass, and Ozark bass, aka goggle-eye, are so closely related they were once considered the same species.

Green Sunfish

Mouth much larger than bluegill’s; Usually has dark blotch at rear of dorsal fin; “Ear flap” with white or yellowish border; Rounded pectoral fin

Average Size: 6 to 8 inches

Where: Nearly any pond, lake, or stream

Best Bait: Small plastic jigs, poppers, and worms

Fintastic Fact

Green sunfish are the most widely distributed fish in Missouri. At least a few are found in every stream in the state that’s capable of supporting fish.

Bluegill

Dark blotch at rear of dorsal fin; All-black “ear flap”; Pointy pectoral fin; Tiny mouth

Average Size: 6 to 10 inches

Where: Ponds and lakes, stream pools, and backwaters of large rivers

Best Bait: Small plastic jigs, poppers, and worms

Fintastic Fact

In the spring, male bluegills become very colorful and fan out saucer-shaped nests in shallow water. Some males stay less colorful. They pretend to be females and sneak onto another male’s nest to try to steal his girlfriend.

Channel Catfish

Forked tail fin; Smooth, scaleless skin; Upper jaw goes beyond lower jaw; Round anal fin; Dark spots on sides; Barbels, aka “whiskers”

Average Size: 12 to 32 inches

Where: Ponds, lakes, and large streams

Best Bait: Worms, liver, and stinky baits

Fintastic Fact

Like most catfish, channel cats have sharp spines on their dorsal and pectoral fins that they raise like spears when threatened. When the spines pierce skin, they inject a painful, though not dangerous, venom.

Longear Sunfish

Blue-green back and sides; Dark blotch at rear of dorsal fin; Long “ear flap” with white border; Rounded pectoral fin; Yellowish-orange belly

Average Size: 5 to 6 inches

Where: Pools of clear Ozark streams

Best Bait: Small plastic jigs, poppers, and worms

Fintastic Fact

During spawning season, a male longear’s chin and belly turn bright orange. To get a girlfriend, 
a male rushes out to meet a female and then tilts his body sideways to show off his brilliant belly.

Crappie

White crappie: Dorsal fin has 6 spines; Silver sides with faint vertical bars; Anal fin almost as long as dorsal fin; has 6 spines

Black crappie: Dorsal fin has 7 or 8 spines; Silver sides with dark blotches; Anal fin almost as long as dorsal fin; has 6 spines

Average Size: 9 to 10 inches

Where: Open water near underwater cover in ponds and lakes

Best Bait: Marabou jigs, small plastic jigs, and minnows 

Fintastic Fact

Crappie is pronounced “crop-ee,” not the, uh, other way. Missouri has two species of crappie: white and black. White crappie handle murky water better than black crappie, which prefer clear water.

The Art of Letting Go

Sometimes, fishing rules require you to release a fish because it’s the wrong size or the wrong species. And sometimes, you’d rather fish for fun than for food. To keep the fish you free safe from harm, master the art of letting go.

Take the Right Tackle

• Choose artificial lures. Fish are more likely to swallow live bait and become deeply hooked, which can damage their organs.
• Carry a pair of needle-nose pliers to remove hooks from small-mouthed fish.
• Use pliers to pinch the barbs flat on your hooks. This makes removing them easier.

Land ’Em Quickly

• Set the hook as soon as you feel a bite. This makes it less likely the fish will swallow the hook.
• Reel in your catch as quickly as you can — but don’t jerk the lips off the little fella. Fighting a fish longer than necessary weakens its ability to survive.
• Keep a fish in the water when removing the hook or taking a photo. A fish’s odds of survival go down the longer it’s out of the water.

Handle Carefully

• Wet your hands before touching a fish. This protects its slimy skin, which guards the fish from germs.
• Be gentle. Squeezing a fish too hard can damage its organs.
• Keep your fingers away from a fish’s gills and eyes. It needs those to breathe and to see!
• If your catch is hooked deeply — in its gills or stomach — it’s best to simply leave the hook alone and cut the line.

Revive Tired Fish

• If the fish doesn’t have enough energy to swim away, hold its tail with one hand and cradle its belly with the other.
• Slowly move the fish back and forth below the surface so water flows over its gills.
• When the fish’s energy returns, release your grip so it can swim away.