Rainbow Trout
Perhaps the most common trout species worldwide, rainbows have been introduced widely throughout the states as a sport fish from the West, but are also widely cultured as a food fish due to their rapid growth and mild flavor.
Brown Trout
Brown trout were introduced to Virginia from Europe in the late 19th century as a sport fish. They are known for their voracious feeding habits but are also known ironically for their guile and elusiveness.
Brook Trout
The Brook trout is Virginia’s state fish and the only native trout species. Wild brookies are most common in cold upland streams, where they grow slowly and do not reach nearly the size of either rainbows or browns, rarely exceeding one pound.
Mountain Redbelly Dace
Named for the red belly of the breeding males, this species is relatively common often forming large shoals or “schools” in the pools of clear Virginia streams.
Snubnose Darter
Snubnose darters are named for their unusually blunt snout. This darter is relatively common in the Tennessee drainage and may have many subpopulations throughout their range.
White Sucker
As its name suggests, this species is a bottom dweller using its soft fleshy mouth to suck up small invertebrates from the substrate.
Shortnose Sturgeon
Sturgeon have prowled Virginia waters for millions of years. These prehistoric leviathans thrived throughout the Bay and its tributaries until the arrival of colonists, but they now teeter on the brink of extinction. There are two sturgeon species native to Virginia, the shortnose sturgeon Acipenser brevirostrum and the much larger Atlantic sturgeon Acipenser oxyrhynchus.
Rock Bass
Rock bass are almost exclusively a riverine species, common only in cool streams and rivers of the Eastern foothills of Virginia. They are also reclusive, hiding along the vegetated banks or amongst boulders, staring down prey with its fiery red eyes.
Smallmouth Bass
Unlike its close relative the largemouth, smallmouths are native to Virginia and have a much more northern range extending into the Great Lakes. Smallies as they are called by fishermen are notoriously strong fighters, and are pound-for-pound one for the strongest freshwater fish.
Striped Bass
The striped bass is one of the iconic species of the Chesapeake Bay. It is a large predatory species that is intimately tied to many other species in the Bay’s ecosystem such as the blue crab and menhaden – and especially humans. As a powerful adversary and an excellent food fish, striped bass are highly […]
Yellow Perch
The yellow perch is member of a large and diverse family of fishes that includes over 40 Virginia species from small benthic darters, to nocturnal and elusive walleye and sauger. Highly coveted as a food fish, yellow perch have a short but intense local commercial fishery during their early spring spawning runs as they migrate […]
Bullhead Catfish
Bullheads do not get very large but are common enough to make them familiar with most bait fisherman. Juveniles form large pods and move in kinetic ball through the shallows, vacuuming up any edible material in their path.
