Fish Identification
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Bass, Largemouth
The largemouth bass occurs in nearly all Arkansas waters. It has a deep gap between the spiny and softdorsal fins, and the upper jaw extends far behind the rear margin of the eye. The midside has a darkhorizontal stripe. One- to 3-pounders are common, and state waters have produced largemouths over 16pounds. They'll eat almost anything and are caught on a variety of natural and artificial baits.
Bass, Rock
The name "rock bass" actually describes three species of Arkansas sportfish --- the shadow bass,Ozark bass and rock bass. At one time all were considered a single species. These fish are foundprimarily in clear, cool, gravel-bottomed streams in the Ozark and Ouachita mountains. Like warmouths,they have red eyes and large mouths and usually weigh less than 1/2 pound, but rock bass have six,rather than three, anal fin spines. Color is typically greenish with brassy reflections and dark brownmottlings or spots.
Bass, Smallmouth
The smallmouth, often called "brownie" or "bronzeback", is found in cool Ouachita and Ozark mountain streams and in a few large impoundments like lakes Bull Shoals and Greers Ferry. It has a shallow notch between the dorsal fins, and the upper jaw doesn't extend behind the eye. The bronze-colored sides are either plain or have several separate dark, vertical bars. Arkansas smallmouths rarely exceed 6 pounds. Typical fish weigh a pound or less. Spinnerbaits, small plastic worms, minnow and crayfish imitations, and live baits (crawfish, minnow, salamanders and aquatic insect larvae) are good enticements.
Bass, Spotted
The spotted or "Kentucky" bass, a largemouth lookalike, is found primarily in streams and rockymountain reservoirs. The notch between the dorsal fins is shallow, and the upper jaw doesn't extendmuch, if any, behind the eye. It has a rough tooth patch on the tongue that's absent on largemouths, and there's a lengthwise row of dark spots below the dark midside stripe. Arkansas has yieldedstate-record-size "spots" nearing 8 pounds, but typical fish are around a pound. Spinnerbaits, jig andpork frog combinations, live crayfish and crayfish-imitation artificials are among the best baits.
Bass, Yellow
Yellow bass are found primarily in the natural lakes and large warm-water rivers of Arkansas' easternand southern lowlands. They are popular sportfish in some states, but most Arkansas anglers considerthem a small-sized nuisance, because they are aggressive bait-stealers and seldom weigh more than a quarter pound. The yellow bass most closely resembles the white bass, but there are not teeth on the tongue, and the golden-yellow sides have dark stripes sharply broken and offset above the front of the anal fin.
Bluegill
Bluegills are the most widely distributed, abundant and sought-after fish in this group. They're found innearly every body of water in Arkansas. Most bluegills weight 1/2 pound or less, with occasional fish up to 1 pound. They have a small mouth, a solid black ear flap, a dark spot at the base of the soft dorsal fin, and long, pointed pectoral fins. Colors vary, running from nearly black or purplish to dark brown, green or gold. Breeding males have a vivid blue head and throat and a bright-orange breast.
Bowfin
The bowfin is known to most Arkansas anglers as the "grinnel" or "cypress trout." Common in rivers, oxbows and bayous in eastern and southern Arkansas, this long, stout-bodied fish has a rounded tail, long dorsal fin and a large toothy mouth. There's a thin, bony plate between the lower jaws, and young bowfins and males have a prominent black spot on the upper part of the tail. Bowfins weigh up to 20 pounds and are caught using almost any standard bass bait from shiners to topwater plugs to plastic worms.
Bream, Hybrid
The hybrid bream is a hatchery cross between a male bluegill and a female green sunfish. The resulting fish exhibits characteristics of both parents. It's not quite as deep in the body as the bluegill but is deeper bodied than the green sunfish. The mouth is larger than the bluegill but smaller than the green sunfish. The color markings have no distinct patterns as do the parents, and hybrids may appear speckled or mottled. Hybrid bream are only stocked in selected lakes.
Bullhead - Black, Brown & Yellow
Bullheads seldom exceed 1-1/2 pounds, but they are common in many waters and popular with younganglers. They are short, chubby catfish with a slightly notched tail, and unlike the flathead cat, the lowerjaw doesn't stick out noticeably. The yellow bullhead, the most widely distributed species, has white oryellow chin barbels and prefers areas with little current in clear, rock-bottomed streams. The blackbullhead has gray or black chin barbels and is common in oxbow lakes and quiet, mud-bottomedstreams and backwaters. The brown bullhead, an uncommon Arkansas resident, has dark chin barbelslike the black bullhead but can be distinguished by examining the pectoral fin spines. On brownbullheads, these spines have well-developed teeth along the rear edge; teeth are absent or weaklydeveloped on the black bullhead's pectoral fin spines. Chicken liver and earthworms are the mostpopular bullhead baits.
Carp, Common
The common or "German" carp is a Eurasian native introduced in the U.S. in 1877. It occurs statewide inArkansas lakes and streams. This robust fish has large scales, a toothless mouth, thick lips cornered by a pair of barbels, and a long dorsal fin with a stout, saw-toothed spine. Color is typically greenish-goldfading to a yellowish-white belly. The fins are often red, yellow or orange tinted. Two to 10 pounders arefairly common with weights over 50 pounds reported. The Israeli carp (not pictured) is a strain of common carp with small patches of large scales randomly scattered over the leathery-skinned body. At one time it was stocked in Arkansas to help control aquatic plants.
Carp, Grass
Although common carp are considered unwanted nuisances in most waters, the grass carp or "whiteamur" has many good qualities. It is better table fare than the common carp and is valuable in controllingaquatic vegetation in public waters. This long, silvery, torpedo-shaped fish is native to Asia and wasintroduced to the U.S. in 1963 when the U.S. Bureau of Sport Fisheries brought 70 fish to the FishFarming Experiment Station in Stuttgart, Arkansas. It has a large tail and blunt head and weighs up to 60pounds. Natural spawning is unknown in the state, so hatchery fish are stocked where needed.