Minnow and Non-Game Fish Identification


NAME: Blackchin Shiner
DESCRIPTION :
  • Short, wide body
  • Triangle-shaped head
  • Fins are see-through
  • Silvery colour with a zigzag stripe down the side
  • The stripe goes all the way to the chin, giving the fish it's name
  • Usually 2.5 inches long


    NAME: Blacknose Dace
    DESCRIPTION :
  • Thick, long body
  • Triangular, wide head
  • Dark coloured with speckles on sides
  • Olive-green to dark brown back
  • Silvery white belly
  • About 2.5 inches long
  • Live in cool, clear streams


    NAME: Blacknose Shiner
    DESCRIPTION :
  • Short, wide body
  • Bulging tummy
  • Triangle-shaped head
  • See-through fins
  • Silvery colour with a yellow shine
  • Scales on their back are easy to see
  • A dark band goes around it's tummy and across it's nose
  • About 2.5 inches long


    NAME: Bluntnose Minnow
    DESCRIPTION :
  • Round, long body
  • Wide head, rounded nose
  • Olive green to brown colour on its back and silvery sides and belly
  • Fins have a green or yellow shine
  • Scales are outlined, and there are spots on some of the fins
  • Usually 2.5 inches long


    NAME: Brassy Minnow
    DESCRIPTION :
  • Thin body
  • Wide, triangular head, nose hangs over the mouth a little
  • Olive green to brown coloured back, brassy shine, white belly
  • Usually 2.5 inches long


    NAME: Brook Stickleback
    DESCRIPTION :
  • About 2 inches (51 mm) long
  • Kind of skinny
  • Has a weird shaped head with large eyes and a jutting out jaw
  • Has 4 to 7 short spines on the back
  • Adults are olive-green to dark, soft olive-like black with light sports on sides or wavy vertical lines.
  • Found in cool, clear waters


    NAME: Brown Bullhead
    DESCRIPTION :
  • Very large, rounded body
  • Large, wide head
  • Small eye
  • Pair of nostrils widely separated
  • Usually 8-14 inches long
  • Top of the body ranges from yellow-brown, olive, grey to almost blue-black
  • Sides are a lighter colour than the back and have brown blotches
  • White to yellow belly


    NAME: Central Mudminnow
    DESCRIPTION :
  • Almost round around the middle
  • Large eyes with black pupils
  • Lower jaw sticks out slightly
  • Dark olive-green, brown, to brown-black colour on top, sides are spotted dark brown, belly is yellow or white
  • Length ranges from 2-4 inches


    NAME: Common Shiner
    DESCRIPTION :
  • Rounded, triangle-shaped head
  • Big eyes
  • Breeding male fish have bumps on the top of their nose and head
  • Silvery colour with bronze spots, back is green with a purple or blue stripe
  • Breeding males have pink or red coloured fins
  • Average of 2.5 to 4 inches long


    NAME: Creek Chub
    DESCRIPTION :
  • Thick body
  • Wide, heavy head
  • Large mouth
  • About 4 inches long
  • Olive to olive-green coloured back, silvery sides and belly
  • Sides often have a violet or purple shine
  • Can be found in lakes, streams and rivers
  • Prefer clear water


    NAME: Deepwater Sculpin
    DESCRIPTION :
  • Body stretched out, average length 2-3 inches (51-76mm)
  • Eyes on top of head, close together and small eyes
  • Overall colour is Grey-Brown when caught fresh
  • Back of fish has 7 thin, dark, saddle-like marks
  • Glacial relic


    NAME: Emerald Shiner
    DESCRIPTION :
  • Long, thin body
  • Big eyes
  • Small mouth
  • Silvery colour with a green shine, might be dark blue if it's been handled
  • Usually 2 to 3 inches long


    NAME: Fathead Minnow
    DESCRIPTION :
  • Short body
  • Wide body, sticking out belly
  • Triangular shaped head, with a nose that sticks out slightly past the upper lip
  • Dark olive green or brown colour on its back, silvery or brassy coloured sides, with a white belly
  • About 2 inches long


    NAME: Finescale Dace
    DESCRIPTION :
  • Short, wide body
  • Large head
  • Dark brown back
  • Olive green or gold stripe down the side
  • About 3 inches in length
  • Found in bog ponds, streams and lakes


    NAME: Golden Shiner
    DESCRIPTION :
  • Triangle-shaped head
  • Big eyes
  • Golden colour with a green to brown coloured back
  • Yellow fins
  • Average of 3 to 5 inches long
  • Likes shallow, weedy and calm water


    NAME: Hornyhead Chub
    DESCRIPTION :
  • Wide and triangular head
  • Olive-brown colour, silvery on sides, creamy white on bottom
  • Found in shallow water with gravel or pebble
  • Average length 3.5mm


    NAME: Iowa Darter
    DESCRIPTION :
  • Has a short slender body, about 2 inches (51 mm)
  • A low, stretched head with teeth and large eyes
  • Is dark brown or olive-brown on back and sides, with a yellowish or creamy white belly
  • Strange spots fins and tail, and on the back there are 8 saddle-shaped dark marks with short, dark vertical bars on the sides
  • Found mostly in lakes


    NAME: Johnny Darter
    DESCRIPTION :
  • Slender, long body about 2.3 inches (58 mm)
  • Rounded head with medium eyes and has teeth
  • The body colour is pale grown or straw coloured, sometimes yellowish or even with a green tint.
  • On the back there are 6 saddle-like darker markings, with small brown or dark brown spots between the markings.
  • Along the sides there are 7 to 12 dark m, x or w shaped marks
  • Found in lakes.


    NAME: Lake Chub
    DESCRIPTION :
  • Long, fat body, about 4 inches (102 mm), with a short head
  • The back may be pale olive to olive-brown, brown, dark brown, or almost black, becoming leaden silvery on the sides and silvery white below.
  • Lower sides and belly are sprinkled with dark spots.
  • Found in most freshwater bodies


    NAME: Longnose Sucker
    DESCRIPTION :
  • Long, cylindrical, torpedo-shaped body, almost round in the middle, usually 14 inches (305-356 mm)
  • Long head, small eyes
  • The back, upper sides, and head to below the eyes are dark olive with brassy reflections, or greyt o almost black. The lower sides and belly are bream to white in colour.
  • Found in freshwater bodies


    NAME: Mottled Sculpin
    DESCRIPTION :
  • Average length 3 inches, eyes on top of head
  • Large eyes, overall coloration light to dark brown
  • Two, maybe three dark saddle-like marks on sides
  • Most fins marked with pigment, chin speckled
  • Found deep in streams and lakes.


    NAME: Northern Redbelly Dace
    DESCRIPTION :
  • Long, skinny body
  • Small mouth, almost S-shaped when looked at from the side
  • Olive to dark brown coloured back
  • Bottom can be silvery, cream, yellow or red, with a black stripe down the side
  • About 2 inches long
  • Found in boggy lakes, creeks, and ponds


    NAME: Pearl Dace
    DESCRIPTION :
  • Long, skinny body
  • Small eye, rounded nose
  • Dark coloured back, sometimes even black, silvery sides, with a silver-grey to white belly
  • Many speckles
  • Males have rich orange-red colouring from late fall until midsummer
  • About 3.5 inches long
  • Found in cool bog ponds, creeks and lakes


    NAME: Pumkinseed
    DESCRIPTION :
  • Very compressed body like a disc
  • Usually 7-9 inches in length, back is humped
  • Head, body and upper sides golden brown to olive
  • Lower sides of fish have wavy interconnecting blue-green lines
  • The common sunfish in Ontario


    NAME: Rock Bass
    DESCRIPTION :
  • Head rather large, mostly scaled body
  • Brush-like teeth very fine, dorsal fins look joined
  • Top and upper sides of fish are golden brown or olive in colour
  • Eye color usually red or bright orange


    NAME: Sand Shiner
    DESCRIPTION :
  • Long, thin body
  • Silvery colour, has some yellow stripes
  • Scales really noticeable
  • Likes shallow, sandy water with not much plants
  • Usually 2 to 3 inches long


    NAME: Spottail Shiner
    DESCRIPTION :
  • Wide body
  • Rounded nose, hangs over the mouth
  • Silvery colour with yellow shine
  • Pale green or olive
  • Clear fins with a black spot at the base of it's tail
  • 2.5 to 3 inches


    NAME: Spotfin Shiner
    DESCRIPTION :
  • Pointed head
  • Silvery colour, breeding males have a blue shine
  • Lower fins yellow in colour
  • Black stripes on the dorsal fin
  • Average of 3 inches long
  • Found often in wide rivers


    NAME: White Sucker
    DESCRIPTION :
  • Torpedo-shaped fish
  • Round body
  • Head is rounded on top, with a small eye
  • This fish has a fleshy, overhanging upper lip
  • Colour of back is grey, coppery brown, to almost black
  • Lower sides and belly are cream to white
  • Young fish have three large black spots on the sides of the body
  • Range from 12-20 inches long

    Game Fish Identification




    NAME: Brook Trout
    DESCRIPTION :
  • Longer body
  • Large head
  • Large mouth
  • Olive-green to dark brown (almost black) back
  • Sides are lighter, and the belly is silvery white
  • On the top of the head and back there are light green or cream coloured wavy lines that turn into spots on the sides
  • Body length ranges from 10-12 inches


    NAME: Burbot
    DESCRIPTION :
  • Long body, around 15 inches or 381 mm long
  • Main body is as thick as it is in height, with a thin tail
  • Triangular head with small eyes and no teeth
  • Has a 2 tubes or barbels coming out of each nostril and one off the chin
  • Has long fins on the back and stomach
  • Are yellow to light brown, or tan, and become darker up North
  • Found in lakes


    NAME: Muskellunge
    DESCRIPTION :
  • One of Canada's largest freshwater fish, can be as long as 6 feet and 100 pounds, but normally only 28 to 48 inches and weights 5 to 36 pounds.
  • A long, moderately skinny body, with a long head with big eyes
  • The back, head, and upper sides are iridescent green-gold to light brown
  • The flanks range from green through green-gold to brownish, to grey or very silvery. There are dark markings along the fish, vertical bars and blotches.


    NAME: Rainbow Trout
    DESCRIPTION :
  • Long body
  • Rounded nose
  • Some males have an long, turned up lower jaw
  • Large mouth
  • Rainbow trout found in streams are darker than those found in lakes
  • Darker on top than sides


    NAME: Rainbow Smelt
    DESCRIPTION :
  • Long, skinny body
  • About 7-8 inches long
  • Long head, large eyes, long pointed nose, large mouth
  • Lower jaw sticks out farther than the top jaw
  • Mainly silver in colour, with pale green on back
  • Purple, blue and pink shiny sides
  • Fins are clear


    NAME: Round Whitefish
    DESCRIPTION :
  • Slender, long body
  • Range from 8-12 inches in length
  • Very round through entire body
  • Short head, small mouth
  • Adults are almost all silver in colour, with a brown or bronze colour with at bit of green on the back
  • Young are silvery, but have rows of black spots on the sides


    NAME: Samllmouth Bass
    DESCRIPTION :
  • Big and strong fish, large head, long snout
  • Lower jaw slightly longer than upper, moderately forked caudal fin
  • Colour varieas with size, head has dark bars which radiate from eyes
  • Found in many types of water from clear, vergetated waters tostained or turbid waters


    NAME: Walleye
    DESCRIPTION :
  • Long, and not so skinny, about 13-20 inches (330-508 mm)
  • The head comes to a gradual point with large eyes, and sharp teeth
  • Is olive-brown, to golden brown, to yellow in colour.
  • The dorsal surface of head and back are darker, sides are paler, often with golden flecks on scales.


    NAME: Yellow Perch
    DESCRIPTION :
  • Body is stretched out, and oval rather than tubular
  • Dorsal surface of back and head bright green to olive
  • Eyes are yellow to green, the colour of the back extending down sides in about seven decreasing bars

    Pictures and information summarized from:
    Scott, W.B., and E.J. Crossman.1973. Freshwater Fishes of Canada. Bulletin 184. Fishenes Research Board of Canada, Ottawa, ON.

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