Fish Spotter's Guide

STAR LAKE FISH SPOTTER’S GUIDE On the following pages, we have included an expanded identification guide for fish commonly found in Star Lake. It is not meant to be all-inclusive. Pictures are not to scale. Visual characteristics have been included that will help to differentiate between similar fish. Below is a quick reference to fish anatomy to help identify descriptive characteristics and terms that are used in the fish spotter’s guide.

	Rock Bass 6-10” long Flat, deep body shape Brownish w/ several dark bars or blotches on sides 5 spines on anal fin Bright red eyes
	Pumpkinseed 4-8” long; flat, deep body Golden brown w/ red-orange belly and blue/green lines Edge of gill flap has pale border around bright red spot 3 spines on anal fin No dark coloring at back of dorsal fin
	Yellow Perch 6-12” long Yellow-orange to yellow-green 5-9 vertical black bars on side
	Brown Bullhead 4-14” long Broad, flat head w/dark barbells (whiskers) around face 3 sharp spines: 2 on pectoral fins; 1 on dorsal fin—be careful handling them!
	Largemouth Bass 10 scale rows eye to gill 7 scale rows stripe to top Deep notch, 12-13 rays on rounded dorsal fin Dark stripe on side Upper jaw behind eye
	Smallmouth Bass 17 scale rows eye to gill 11 scale rows stripe to top Shallow notch, 13-15 rays on rounded dorsal fin Dark vertical stripes/bars Upper jaw in front of eye
	White Sucker 6-20” long Large, fleshy lips with underslung mouth Has appearance and features of large minnows
	Great Northern Pike Can be 25-36”; over 40 lbs. Dark green/brown with light bean-shaped spots No scales on lower half of gill covers 8-12 pores under lower jaw Gold markings both sides of head
	Lake Trout 15-34”, up to 30 lbs. Light spots on darker olive, green, or almost black back Deeply forked tail with white spots on tail, sides, dorsal fins Red-orange fins/tail Bronze/white belly Teeth on both jaws
	Rainbow Trout 8-20”, up to 25 lbs. Silvery/olive back w/dark spots on head, back, dorsal/adipose fin, tail Pink line on sides w/large spots Forked, spotted tail 9-12 rays on anal fin White mouth
	Atlantic Salmon 12-30” long Dark back, dorsal/adipose fins, tail Silvery with few dark spots on sides/often x-shaped Slightly forked, pointed tail w/no spots Fewer than 13 rays on anal fin
	Rainbow Smelt 4-12’ long Slivery pale green back with white underside Sides are iridescent purple, blue and pink with a silvery stripe Deeply forked read tailfin

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