Fresh Water Fishing In Vermont

                 

WARMWATER SPECIES

         
WALLEYE   The walleye (Stizostedion vitreum) is a member of the perch family which includes yellow perch, walleye, and sauger in Vermont. Walleye are usually an olive-brown, golden-brown, or yellow color. The top of the head and the back are darker than the sides, and the belly is yellow-white or milk-whitu. Cheeks are scaleless, or only slightly scaled. The eye is large and silvery. Walleye have a long, narrow, forked tail that has a white patch on the tip of the lower lobe. There are two dorsal fins that are clearly separate. The first dorsal fin is spined and has a large black blotch at the base of the back end. The first dorsal is dusky-colored and spotless, which differentiates it from saugers which have spotted first dorsals.   fish 
               

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YELLOW PERCH   Yellow perch (Perca flavescens) are schooling fish that are commonly found in most of Vermont's waters. Although the color varies somewhat from fish to fish, identifying perch is usually easy. The upper surfaces of perch are bright green, olive, or golden brown. This color extends over the flanks in 6 to 8 vertical bars. The sides to below the pectoral fins are yellow-green to yellow, and the belly and chin are gray to milk-white. The eye varies from yellow to green. The dorsal fin and tail are also yellow to green, lower fins are opaque yellow to silver-white, and pectoral fins are amber and transparent. Spawning males in spring are more intensely colored and lower fins turn a bright orange. Stizostedion vitreu Percaflavescens   fish 
               

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NORTHERN PIKE   Northern pike (Esox lucius) must be differentiated from the other members of the pike family, muskellunge and chain pickerel. Look at the color patterns, but notice the scalation on the cheek and gill cover. The upper half of the gill cover and the full cheek are scaled on northern pike. The upper half of a northern ranges in color from dark, brilliant green, through olive-green to almost brown. Flanks are lighter, and the belly is milk-white. In pike over 15 inches there are 7 to 9 irregular longitudinal rows of yellow to whitish bean-shaped spots. The upper fins and tail are green to yellow, or sometimes orange to pale red, and blotched with large, irregular black markings. The eyes are large, high, and bright yellow.   fish 
               

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CHAIN PICKEREL   The chain pickerel (Esoxniger) is the only member of the pike family that has fully-scaled cheeks and gill covers. The background color of a pickerel ranges from bright green, olive-green, to nearly brown. The flanks are predominantly marked by yellow-green to yellow areas broken by dark interconnected ~ markings resembling the links of a chain. The belly is a creamy white color. Tails are somewhat marbled with dark patches. Pupils of the eyes are yellow. Esox niger   fish 
               

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SMALLMOUTH BASS   Coloration varies considerably in smallmouth (Micropterus dolomieui) and largemouth bass, therefore the best identification characteristic is the length of the upper jaw. In smallmouth bass, with the mouth closed, the upper jaw terminates just under the eye. In largemouths, the jaw extends well past the eye. The upper surfaces of the back and head are brown, golden-brown, olive or green. The sides are lighter, tending toward a more golden color. There are 8 to 15 pronounced to vague thin vertical bars on the flanks. The belly is a milky-white color. There is usually a series of mask-like, thin, dark bars radiating back from a red or orange eye.    fish
               

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LARGEMOUTH BASS   The upper jaw in largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) extends well past the eye when the mouth is closed, while the smallmouth jaw terminates just below the eye. This characteristic is the most reliable for differentiating largemouth and smallmouth bass. The upper surfaces of largemouth bass are bright green to olive, the sides are a lighter green or golden-green, and the belly is milk-white to yellow. There is a pronounced wide, solid, black band on the flanks of largemouth bass. The eye is brownish. Micro pterus   fish 
               

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PUMPKINSEED   The brightly-colored pumpkinseed (Lepoinis gibbosus) is a representative of the group of fish known as "panfish." Interest in fishing for this group, which includes pumpkinseed, rock bass, bluegill, sunfish, and crappies, has risen in recent years. Probably because these fish are tasty, hence the name panfish, and because they're just plain fun to catch for young and old anglers alike. chure prepared by the Vermont Fish & Wildhfe Department with assistance from other departments in the Agency of Natural Resources and the Highway Department   fish 
               

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