Fish in Alabama

Strange Fish You Cannot Identify - Let us help you identify your freshwater catch; you may be helping us too!

Alabama Freshwater Game Fish - The legal listing of game fish in Alabama.

Identifying Characteristics of Some Fish - Links to 8-1/2" X 11" PDFs showing key Alabama fish and their identifying characteristics.

Some Alabama Sport Fish - An 8-1/2" X 11" poster of some of Alabama's common Sport fish.

Identification Games - Links to Freshwater and Saltwater Fish Identification Games

Black Bass - Black bass in Alabama: largemouth bass, redeye or Coosa bass, shoal bass, smallmouth bass and spotted bass.

Striped Basses - Information about and identifying characteristics of the temperate basses: striped bass, white bass, yellow bass and the striped/white hybrid.

Bream (Sunfish) - Although bluegill are the most wide spread fish in Alabama, many different sunfish species (bream) can be found in Alabama.

Crappie - Two types of crappie live in Alabama.

Trout - Trout and trout fishing in Alabama.

Perch (Walleye, Sauger and Yellow Perch) - Sauger, walleye and yellow perch have needle-like teeth, bite well when the waters are cold, and make excellent table fare.

Pikes - In the pike family, only the redfin pickerel and chain pickerel are native to Alabama.

Commercial Fish Designated - Alabama Fish Designated Commercial or Non-game Fish

Catfish - Information about catfish in Alabama.

Carp - Carp and carp fishing in Alabama.

Drum - Only the freshwater drum is found throughout Alabama; spotted seatrout and red drum are coastal fish species.

Lefteye Flounder - The southern flounder is a coastal sport and commercial fish that has been found as far upstream as Coffeeville Lock and Dam and Claiborne Lock and Dam.

Mullet - The wide ranging striped mullet is a coastal species that is often found in inland waters.

Freshwater Eel - North America's only catadromous species, the American eels is most often found in the Coastal Plain.

Bowfin - The bowfin, along with gar species, can gulp air making this a common fish in swampy areas; beware of its teeth.

Gar - Three types of gar live in Alabama: alligator gar on the Coastal Plain and longnose gar and spotted gar throughout Alabama.

Paddlefish - Also known as a spoonbill catfish, paddlefish are a prehistoric fish that is represented by only two species worldwide.

Sturgeon - Called scaly cats because of their hard scutes and barbels, sturgeon are a primitive, often very large, fish that have cartilage; but they do not have bones.

Needlefish - Atlantic needlefish are slender surface-dwelling fish generally found in coastal areas.

Shad and Other Herring - Shad are an important food source for piscivorous fish.

Fish Rarely Seen by Anglers - Rare fish that are not normally caught on hook and line in Alabama

Fish ID PowerPoint - Large PowerPoint file with tips on identifying fish of interest to anglers.

Prohibited Fish - Fish Prohibited from Possession in Alabama

Books - Books about Alabama fishes.

Filleting Bream with a Fillet Knife

Recipes - General recipes for cooking fish.