Identifying Fish Species

June 15, 2023

Question: I’m a new angler and can’t tell fish species apart. Does CDFW offer a guide that I can print or buy?

Answer: CDFW’s Marine Region has a comprehensive Fish and Shellfish Identification web page ( https://wildlife.ca.gov/Fishing/Ocean/Fish-ID ) which includes species identification information for many common recreational species. Additional information can be found on the Marine Species Portal ( https://marinespecies.wildlife.ca.gov/ ) which offers species information and data on habitat types and food sources.

For freshwater (inland) fish in California, there’s plenty of great information on CDFW’s Inland Sport Fishing web page ( https://wildlife.ca.gov/Fishing/Inland ). We suggest looking up lakes or areas where you’ll be fishing ahead of time to determine which species occur there. You can then study up on those species before heading out to fish. This approach will help you choose proper tackle and assist in correctly identifying species once you catch them.

UC Davis’ California Fish Website ( https://calfish.ucdavis.edu/species/ ) is another valuable resource with information on various native and non-native species found in California’s bodies of freshwater.
In addition to the options above, there are quite a few apps you can download to a smartphone to help you identify species while in the field.

For additional resources for new anglers and hunters visit CDFW’s R3 web page ( https://wildlife.ca.gov/R3 ).