Fish Identification
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Paddlefish
The paddlefish or "spoonbill catfish" has a long paddle-shaped snout distinguishing it from all otherArkansas fish. Sometimes exceeding 100 pounds, this large smooth-skinned fish has declined innumbers due to dwindling habitat and is now found primarily in the Arkansas, Mississippi and lowerWhite rivers. It has a large toothless mouth and feeds predominately on microscopic plants and animalsfiltered through many fine gill-rakers. Those taken by sport anglers are usually caught by blind snaggingin dam tailwaters. Paddlefish eggs are processed and sold as caviar, and the quality of Arkansaspaddlefish caviar is said to equal that of world-renowned caviar from the Soviet Union.
Pickerel, Chain
The chain pickerel has a long, slender body and a black, chainlike pattern on its sides. Like the grasspickerel, it's often call "jackfish" and is easily recognized by the duck-billed shape of the snout. Body color ranges from bronze to green, and the mouth is full of needlelike teeth. Most weigh 2 to 3 pounds, with occasional individuals up to 7. Chain pickerels are found in many streams and lakes in eastern and southern Arkansas, including the lower Ouachita, Saline and White rivers, Champagnolle Creek, and lakes Barnett, Conway, Enterprise, Grampus, Grand, Harris Brake, Overcup, Tri-County, Wallace, White Oak and Ouachita.
Sauger
The sauger is among Arkansas' most neglected sportfish, perhaps because the best fishing for thisspecies is from December through February when few people are fishing. Saugers resemble walleyes but seldom exceed 1-1/2 pounds. They have round black spots on the spiny dorsal fin and distinct, dark saddles on both sides of the body, both of which are lacking in walleyes. The best sauger fishing isaround rock dikes and riprapped banks below dams on the Arkansas River. Lakes Dardanelle and Ozark on the Arkansas River are two of the best hotspots, but saugers also inhibit the Black, lower White, Current, Eleven Point, Little Red, Spring and Strawberry rivers. Small jigs, live minnows andjig/minnow combinations are among the best baits.
Sturgeon, Shovelnose
Sturgeons, like paddlefish, are primitive fish harvested for meat and to supply eggs to the caviar industry. Lake and pallid sturgeons (not pictured) are extremely rare in Arkansas. The shovelnose sturgeon is common in the state's large rivers, especially the Arkansas, lower White and Red rivers. This unusual fish has a broad, flat head with four barbels on the underside of the long, space-shaped snout. The body is brown to gray in color and is covered with rows of bony plates. The shovelnose sturgeon is rarely caught by sportfishermen, but an annual average of 32,000 pounds was taken commercially from 1980 to 1985.
Sunfish, Green
Green sunfish thrive in areas where few other sunfish can live. They are equally at home in silty, sluggish,mud-bottomed hideouts and clear, cool mountain streams. Most weight less than 1/2 pound. They haveheavy lips, a large mouth, a short rounded pectoral fin and a short, black, light-edged ear flap. Body coloris typically bluish green with emerald and yellow reflections. The cheeks have prominent blue streaks,and the dorsal fin has a heavy dark blotch. Breeding males have broad whitish or orange fringes on thedorsal, tail and anal fins.
Sunfish, Orangespotted
Arkansas also has several other small, less common sunfish sometimes caught by anglers. Theorangespotted sunfish is a brightly colored sunfish found primarily in turbid, mud-bottomed lowland streams, oxbow lakes and small creeks. It is seldom sought since it doesn't exceed four inches in length.The spotted sunfish is also small, rarely over six inches long, but is occasionally caught in lowlandstreams and oxbow lakes and a few upland streams. The dollar sunfish and bantam sunfish are alsoseen occasionally by Arkansas anglers, but neither grows much bigger than three inches long.
Sunfish, Spotted
Arkansas also has several other small, less common sunfish sometimes caught by anglers. Theorangespotted sunfish is a brightly colored sunfish found primarily in turbid, mud-bottomed lowlandstreams, oxbow lakes and small creeks. It is seldom sought since it doesn't exceed four inches in length.The spotted sunfish is also small, rarely over six inches long, but is occasionally caught in lowlandstreams and oxbow lakes and a few upland streams. The dollar sunfish and bantam sunfish are alsoseen occasionally by Arkansas anglers, but neither grows much bigger than three inches long.