Fish Identification

It is important to be able to identify the fish you are trying to catch. Sport fishing regulations are different for each species and you have to know the species to know which regulations apply.
Becoming familiar with the appearance of some of the game fish will help you learn to identify them.

Species	Habitat	Spawn	Facts	Information
Rainbow Trout (native)	Cold water streams, lakes, rivers	April-June	Adapts to many habitats.	Idaho's #1 game fish. Can be caught with a variety of methods, baits, lures and flies.
Steelhead (native)	Clearwater, Salmon and Snake rivers	April-June	Very closely related to rainbow trout, they are anadromous. They migrate to the ocean and back.	Popular fishery for both shore fishing and trolling from boats with plugs, flies and baits.
Cutthroat Trout (native)	Clean, cold streams, lakes and rivers.	April-June	Idaho State Fish.	Aggressive sport fish, responds well to lures, flies and baits.
Kokanee (native)	Large deep lakes and reservoirs	Sept. Dec.	During spawning, fish turns bright red with green head.	Trolling or hand-lining in deep waters with spinners.
Coho Salmon (native)	Clearwater and Snake rivers	Oct.-Nov.	Anadromous coho declared Extinct in Idaho in 1986, reintroduced to Clearwater River Drainage in late 1990s.	Reintroduction by Nez Perce Tribe in cooperation with Idaho Department of Fish and Game. More than 1800 adults returned to Idaho as of October 2005. There will be no season for coho unless production goals are met.
Chinook Salmon (native)	Clearwater, Salmon and Snake rivers; Large lakes.	Aug.-Nov.	Anadromous, they migrate to the ocean and back.	River chinook are considered a "threatened" species under the Endangered Species Act and can only be fished for under special conditions. Check rules and regulations. Lake chinook provide more opportunity and respond to trolling with plugs, jigs and bait.
Brown Trout (not native)	Mountain streams and rivers. Can tolerate warmer, less pristine environments.	Oct.-Nov.	Very aggressive and territorial.	Challenging to catch, but can be caught with baits, lures and flies.
Bull Trout (native)	Large deep lakes, mountain lakes, streams and rivers. Require very clean, undisturbed habitat.	Sept.-Oct.	Widespread in Idaho, but not abundant.	All bull trout harvest is closed statewide. They are listed as a "threatened" species. State of Montana bull trout identification test
Lake Trout (not native)	Large lakes.	Sept.-Nov.	Extremely sensitive to water temperature, good indicator for successful fishing.	Can be taken with flies, spinners or baits with spin or bait casting equipment. Most popular method is trolling with spoons or plugs and bait.
Brook Trout (not native)	Streams and lakes.	Sept.-Nov.	Can quickly overpopulate habitat.	Responds well to small spinners, as well as flies and bait.
Mountain Whitefish (native) Lake Whitefish (not native)	Rivers Lakes	Oct.-Dec.	Most abundant game fish in Idaho streams, they travel in schools.	Natural baits and nymph flies. Most popular as a winter fly, and insect larvae fishery.
Yellow Perch (not native)	Warmer reservoirs and lakes.	April-May	Perch are a schooling fish that reproduce rapidly and can overpopulate habitat.	Can provide nonstop action fishing once a school is located. Use baits. Ice fishing for perch is popular, use cut baits, maggots or eggs on lures or jigs.
Walleye (not native)	Only three reservoirs in Southern Idaho.	April-June	Feed at night and go deep by day. Very light sensitive.	Fish at night, or near bottom during the day with jigs, spinners, spoons or baits.
Bullhead (not native)	Warm water, shallow lakes, ponds, rivers and sloughs.	Spring	Feed at night or near the bottom during the day.	Best fishing at night on bottom with cut bait or worms.
Catfish (not native) Channel and Flathead	Warm water rivers or lakes	June-July	Like dark secluded areas, undercut banks, logs, rocks, etc.	Best fishing at night, use cut bait, worms or stinkbaits.
Bass (not native) Largemouth and Smallmouth	Warm water, still water in lakes.	May-July	Found in vegetation or near structure. Found near rocky outcroppings.	Most popular game fish in U.S. but grows slow in Idaho's northern climate. Use plugs, jigs, crankbaits, plastic or real worms.
Bluegill (not native)	Warm water, shallow lakes or ponds.	May-July	Good for urban fisheries.	easy to catch on jigs, lures and baits.
Crappie (not native)	Warm water, lakes and reservoirs.	May-June	Grow rapidly, populations tend to cycle.	Great early summer fishery on variety of baits, jigs, and lures. Best on lightweight gear as their bite is soft.
Northern Pike (not native)	Lakes	April-May	Very predatory on other fish species and wetland species such as frogs, mice, young ducks, etc.	Fish in shallows with middle to surface lures. Use steel leader as they have very sharp teeth that will cut monofilament line.
White Sturgeon (native)	Kootenai, Salmon and Snake rivers.	May-June	Largest fish in North American. Can live over 100 years and grow to excess of 1500 pounds.	Catch and release fishing only. Use heavy equipment with cut bait.