Guides

Each guide answers one question completely, using checks you can make in seconds on the water.

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  Bluegill, Pumpkinseed or Redear? The Ear Flap Tells You

  The flap behind the gill cover — its colour, its edge and whether it is stiff — separates the common sunfishes faster than body colour ever will.

  3 min read

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  Brook, Brown or Rainbow? Trout Identification That Works

  Light spots on a dark body means brook trout. Dark spots on a light body means brown or rainbow — and the tail separates those two.

  3 min read

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  Channel, Blue or Flathead? Three Catfish, Three Checks

  The anal fin settles channel from blue — count the rays and look at its shape. Flathead is a different animal entirely, and the jaw shows it.

  3 min read

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  Northern Pike or Muskellunge? Look at the Cheek and Count the Pores

  Pike have light markings on dark; muskie have dark markings on light. When markings fail, cheek scaling and the pore count under the jaw settle it.

  3 min read

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  Black Crappie or White Crappie? Count the Dorsal Spines

  Black crappie have seven or eight dorsal spines, white crappie five or six. Colour and pattern both fail; the spine count does not.

  3 min read

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  Counting Fin Rays and Spines: The Skill That Settles Most Fish IDs

  Colour changes, counts do not. Learning to separate spines from soft rays and count them turns most freshwater identifications into arithmetic.

  4 min read

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  Largemouth, Smallmouth or Spotted? Three Checks

  The three black bass share water and often share a limit — but not always. Jaw length, stripe direction and a rough patch on the tongue separate all three in seconds.

  3 min read

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  Walleye or Sauger? Look at the Tail and the Dorsal Fin

  Two features separate them, both on the fins, and both visible in a second. They frequently carry different limits and they hybridise, which complicates things further.

  3 min read