NatureCompass: WVPD: Natural History: Fish:

Warm Water Species

Walleye

• Color is usually olive or golden brown or yellow with belly yellow-white ' scaleless or slightly scaled cheeks
  
  
• Eye: large, silvery
  
  
• Two separate dorsal fins; forward one spined, spotless, with dark blotch at base in back
  
  
• White patch on lower tip of tail
  
  
• Belongs to the perch family
  
  
• Length: 13-20"

Chain Pickerel

• Color ranges from bright to olive-green to brown, and color is in patches except for the creamy white underbelly
  
  
• Dark chain-like markings over a yellow-green background along its sides
  
  
• Fully-scaled cheeks and gill covers
  
  
• Long body and long, toothed snout
  
  
• One dorsal fin near tail
  
  
• A member of the pike family
  
  
• Length: 15-18"

Northern Pike

• Differentiated from chain pickerel by having fully scaled cheek, and scales on only the top half of the gill cover
  
  
• Color ranges from dark brilliant green to almost brown, and body covered with whitish bean-shaped spots
  
  
• Length: 18-30"

Bass

Large mouth

• Color: variations of green with white to yellow belly
  
  
• Eye: brownish
  
  
• Solid, wide black band on flanks
  
  
• Upper jaw extends back past the eye
  
  
• Length: 8-15"

Small mouth

• Color: variations of green with milky-white underside
  
  
• Eye: thin vertical bars along sides
  
  
• Upper jaw ends even with the eye

Text/maps: Winooski Valley Park District Top Web site: Nature Compass LLC - Some rights reserved A Nature of Place Project WVPD Web site Due to changes in river conditions, use of the information in this guide (which is based on 1993 data) is at the sole risk of the user.