Global Fishing League

Fish species identification guide

Global Fishing League identifies 297 fish species from a single photograph. This guide adds written identification pages for 124 of them, each giving the field marks that name the fish, the look-alikes it is commonly mistaken for and the single tell that separates them, where it holds, and the conditions it feeds in.

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The app identifies 297 species from a photograph — the full list is further down this page. These written guides go deeper on the 124 that anglers most often need to tell apart by eye.

Most identification mistakes come down to one mark that nobody checked: the jaw that runs past the eye, the count of dorsal spines, the tooth patch on the tongue, the way the lateral line drops. Each entry below leads with the mark that settles it, then names the fish it is being confused with.

We publish no size or bag limits. Those are set by your state agency, differ by water body, and change between seasons — a number that is a season out of date is worse than no number at all.

Freshwater

Bass, panfish, pike, catfish, trout, salmon and the primitive fish of the big river systems.

Saltwater

Inshore drum, snook and flats species, the coastal mackerels, and the reef and blue-water fish.

Both fresh and salt

Species that move between the two — sea-run salmonids, estuarine bass and the fish of brackish tidal rivers.

The pairs people mix up

Some mistakes are common enough — and costly enough, because the two fish are rarely under the same limit — to be worth their own page. Each of these takes the single check that settles it, then puts every field mark side by side.

Every species the app identifies

All 297 of them, from a single photograph, with the scientific name returned alongside the common one. Names in gold have a written identification guide on this site; the rest are identified in the app.

  • African Pompano
  • Alabama Bassalso called spotted bass, Coosa bass, alabama spotted bass
  • Alewife
  • Alligator Gar
  • Almaco Jackalso called almaco, silver rudderfish, kahala
  • Amberjack
  • American Eel
  • American Gizzard Shad
  • American Paddlefish
  • American Shad
  • Arctic Char
  • Arctic Grayling
  • Atlantic Bonitoalso called bonito, boston mackerel, katonkel
  • Atlantic Bumper
  • Atlantic Chub Mackerel
  • Atlantic Codalso called cod, codfish, scrod
  • Atlantic Croakeralso called croaker, hardhead, golden croaker
  • Atlantic Herring
  • Atlantic Mackerel
  • Atlantic Menhaden
  • Atlantic Moonfish
  • Atlantic Sharpnose Shark
  • Atlantic Spadefishalso called spadefish, angelfish, white angel
  • Atlantic Thread Herring
  • Atlantic Tripletail
  • Banded Rudderfish
  • Barracudaalso called great barracuda, cuda
  • Barred Sand Bassalso called sand bass, barred bass, sandy
  • Barred Surfperchalso called barred perch, surfperch
  • Bay Whiff
  • Bigeye Scad
  • Bigeye Trevally
  • Bighead Carpalso called Asian carp, noble fish
  • Bigmouth Buffaloalso called gourdhead, redmouth buffalo
  • Black Bullhead Catfish
  • Black Crappiealso called calico bass, speckled perch, specks
  • Black Drumalso called drum, puppy drum, oyster cracker
  • Black Grouperalso called marbled rockfish, cherna
  • Black Redhorse
  • Black Rockfishalso called black bass, black snapper, sea bass
  • Black Sea Bassalso called sea bass, humpback, knotty head
  • Blackbelly Rosefish
  • Blackfin Snapper
  • Blackfin Tunaalso called blackfin, deep bodied tunny
  • Blacknose Dace
  • Blacktail Redhorse
  • Blacktip Shark
  • Blue Catfishalso called blue cat, hump-back blue, chucklehead
  • Blue Marlin
  • Blue Rockfishalso called blues, blue bass, reef perch
  • Blue Runneralso called hardtail, hardtail jack, runner
  • Blue Sucker
  • Blue Tilapia
  • Blueback Shad
  • Bluefin Tuna
  • Bluefishalso called blues, chopper, snapper blue, tailor
  • Bluegillalso called bream, brim, sunfish, copperbelly
  • Bluestriped Grunt
  • Bocaccio Rockfish
  • Bonefishalso called grey ghost, banana fish, macabi
  • Bonnethead
  • Bowfinalso called mudfish, dogfish, grinnel, choupique
  • Bronze Whaler Sharkalso called Copper Shark
  • Brook Troutalso called brookie, speckled trout, squaretail
  • Brown Bullhead Catfishalso called brown bullhead, mudcat, horned pout
  • Brown Troutalso called brownie, German brown, sea trout
  • Bull Shark
  • Burbotalso called eelpout, lawyer, ling, freshwater cod
  • Cabezon
  • California Corbina
  • California Halibutalso called cal hali, flattie
  • California Lizardfish
  • California Sheephead
  • Chain Pickerelalso called jack, southern pike
  • Channel Catfishalso called channel cat, spotted cat, fiddler
  • Chinook Salmonalso called king salmon, king, spring salmon, tyee
  • Chum Salmonalso called dog salmon, keta, calico salmon
  • Cigar Minnow
  • Clearnose Skate
  • Cobiaalso called ling, lemonfish, crab eater, brown bomber
  • Coho Salmonalso called silver salmon, silver, hooknose
  • Common Carpalso called carp, mirror carp, leather carp
  • Coney Grouper
  • Copper Rockfish
  • Crappiealso called papermouth, speckled perch, sac-a-lait, calico bass
  • Creek Chub
  • Crevalle Jackalso called jack crevalle, common jack, toro
  • Cubera Snapperalso called cuban snapper, Cuban dog snapper
  • Cunneralso called bergall, chogset, blue perch
  • Cutthroat Troutalso called cutt, native trout
  • Dog Snapper
  • Dollar Sunfish
  • Dusky Shark
  • Fallfish
  • Flathead Catfishalso called yellow cat, mud cat, shovelhead, appaloosa
  • Florida Gar
  • Flying Gurnard
  • French Grunt
  • Freshwater Drumalso called sheepshead, gaspergou, gou, croaker
  • Frigate Mackerel
  • Gafftopsail Catfish
  • Gag Grouperalso called gag, grey grouper, charcoal belly
  • Giant Kingfishalso called Giant Trevally
  • Golden Redhorse
  • Golden Shiner
  • Golden Trout
  • Goldeye
  • Goliath Grouper
  • Grass Carpalso called white amur, grassy
  • Grass Pickerel
  • Gray Triggerfishalso called triggerfish, trigger, leatherjacket
  • Graysby
  • Greater Redhorse
  • Green Jobfish
  • Green Sunfishalso called green perch, rubbertail
  • Guadalupe Bass
  • Gulf Flounder
  • Gulf Kingfish
  • Haddockalso called scrod haddock
  • Hairy Blenny
  • Halfmoon
  • Hardhead Catfish
  • Hogfishalso called hog snapper, capitaine
  • Horn Shark
  • Horse-eye Jackalso called horse-eye, big-eye jack, goggle-eye jack
  • Hybrid Striped Bassalso called wiper, whiterock bass, sunshine bass
  • Inshore Lizardfish
  • Irish Mojarra
  • Jacksmelt
  • Kanadi Kingfish
  • Kelp Bassalso called calico bass, kelp calico, bull bass
  • Kelp Greenling
  • King Mackerelalso called kingfish, king, smoker
  • Ladyfishalso called skipjack, ten-pounder, poor man's tarpon
  • Lake Troutalso called laker, mackinaw, togue, grey trout
  • Lake Whitefish
  • Lane Snapperalso called candy snapper, spot snapper
  • Largemouth Bassalso called black bass, bucketmouth, green trout
  • Largescale Sucker
  • Leather Jack
  • Lemon Shark
  • Leopard Shark
  • Lesser Amberjack
  • Lingcodalso called ling, buffalo cod
  • Little Tunnyalso called false albacore, albie, fat albert, bonita
  • Longear Sunfishalso called longear, cherry gill, creek perch
  • Longnose Garalso called needlenose gar, billy gar
  • Longnose Sucker
  • Lookdown
  • Mahi-Mahialso called dolphinfish, dorado, dolphin
  • Mahogany Snapper
  • Mangrove Snapperalso called gray snapper, mango, black snapper
  • Manybar Goatfish
  • Mayan Cichlid
  • Menhaden
  • Milkfish
  • Mooneye
  • Mountain Whitefish
  • Muskellungealso called musky, muskie, fish of ten thousand casts
  • Mutton Snapperalso called mutton, muttonfish
  • Nassau Grouperalso called hamlet, cherna criolla
  • Needlefishalso called houndfish, gar, sea gar
  • Northern Hog Sucker
  • Northern Kingfish
  • Northern Pikealso called pike, jack, gator, hammerhandle
  • Northern Puffer
  • Northern Sea Robin
  • Nurse Shark
  • Ocean Triggerfish
  • Oilfish
  • Opah
  • Opaleye
  • Orange Filefish
  • Oscar
  • Oyster Toadfish
  • Pacific Barracuda
  • Pacific Bonito
  • Pacific Halibutalso called halibut, barn door, chicken halibut
  • Pacific Herring
  • Pacific Jack Mackerel
  • Pacific Sanddab
  • Palometa
  • Peacock Bass
  • Permitalso called great pompano
  • Pigfish
  • Pile Surfperch
  • Pinfishalso called sailors choice, pin perch, bream
  • Pink Salmonalso called humpy, humpback salmon
  • Pollockalso called pollack, coalfish, Boston bluefish
  • Pomfret
  • Pompanoalso called Florida pompano, common pompano
  • Porkfish
  • Puddingwife Wrasse
  • Pumpkinseed Sunfishalso called pumpkinseed, common sunfish, sunny
  • Queen Snapper
  • Ragged Tooth Sharkalso called Sand Tiger Shark
  • Rainbow Runner
  • Rainbow Smelt
  • Rainbow Troutalso called redband trout, bow
  • Red Drumalso called redfish, channel bass, spottail bass, puppy drum, bull red
  • Red Grouperalso called Rock cod, cherna americana
  • Red Hind
  • Red Porgy
  • Red Snapperalso called American red snapper, sow snapper
  • Redbreast Sunfishalso called redbreast, robin, yellowbelly sunfish
  • Redear Sunfishalso called shellcracker, chinquapin
  • Redeye Bass
  • Redside Shiner
  • Redtail Surfperchalso called redtail, porgie
  • Rock Bassalso called redeye, goggle-eye
  • Rock Hind
  • Rock Sole
  • Rough Triggerfish
  • Round Goby
  • Sacramento Sucker
  • Sailfish
  • Sailor's Choice Grunt
  • Sand Weakfishalso called sand seatrout, white trout, sand trout
  • Sandbar Shark
  • Sauger
  • Scamp Grouper
  • Schoolmaster Snapper
  • Scrawled Filefish
  • Scupalso called porgy, paugie, sea bream
  • Sea Mullet
  • Shadow Bass
  • Sheepsheadalso called convict fish, bay snapper
  • Sheepshead Porgy
  • Shiner Surfperch
  • Shoal Bassalso called shoalie, Flint River smallmouth
  • Shorthead Redhorse
  • Silk Snapper
  • Silver Carpalso called jumping carp, flying carp, Asian carp
  • Silver Jenny
  • Silver Perch
  • Skipjack Tunaalso called skipjack, arctic bonito, oceanic bonito
  • Slimy Sculpin
  • Slippery Dick
  • Smallmouth Bassalso called bronzeback, brown bass, smallie
  • Smoothhound Shark
  • Snookalso called common snook, linesider, robalo
  • Snowy Grouper
  • Sockeye Salmonalso called red salmon, blueback, kokanee when landlocked
  • Southern Flounder
  • Southern Kingfish
  • Spanish Hogfish
  • Spanish Mackerelalso called spanish, spanish mack
  • Speckled Hind
  • Speckled Trout
  • Spinner Shark
  • Spot Croakeralso called spot, Norfolk spot, flat croaker
  • Spottail Seabream
  • Spotted Bassalso called Kentucky bass, spot
  • Spotted Gar
  • Spotted Sand Bass
  • Spotted Sea Troutalso called speckled trout, speck, spotted weakfish
  • Spotted Sucker
  • Spotted Sunfish
  • Spotted Tilapia
  • Squirrelfish
  • Stonecat
  • Striped Bassalso called striper, rockfish, linesider
  • Striped Killifish
  • Striped Marlin
  • Striped Mojarra
  • Summer Flounderalso called fluke, doormat, northern fluke
  • Tarponalso called silver king, sabalo, poon
  • Tautogalso called blackfish, tog, whitechin
  • Tiger Shark
  • Tilefish
  • Tomtate
  • Vermilion Snapperalso called beeliner, mingo
  • Wahooalso called ono, peto
  • Walleyealso called yellow pickerel, walleyed pike
  • Walleye Surfperch
  • Warmouthalso called goggle-eye, rock bass, mud bass, stumpknocker
  • Weakfishalso called gray trout, tiderunner, squeteague
  • White Bassalso called sand bass, silver bass
  • White Catfish
  • White Croaker
  • White Grunt
  • White Marlin
  • White Perch
  • White Seabass
  • White Sturgeon
  • White Sucker
  • Xantic Sargo
  • Yellow Bullhead Catfishalso called yellow bullhead, butter cat, creek cat
  • Yellow Perchalso called ringed perch, lake perch, jack perch
  • Yellowfin Croaker
  • Yellowfin Grouper
  • Yellowfin Mojarra
  • Yellowfin Tunaalso called ahi, allison tuna, yellowfin
  • Yellowhead Wrasse
  • Yellowtail Kingfishalso called California yellowtail, yellowtail, forktail, kingfish
  • Yellowtail Rockfish
  • Yellowtail Snapperalso called flag, tail, rabirubia

Or let the app do it

Photograph the fish and Global Fishing League names the species and returns the scientific name with it, then files the catch alongside the tide, pressure, water temperature and the rest of the conditions it came from. See everything that gets recorded.

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