Species:
Striped Bass: (Morone saxatilis) 
Description: Non-native. Introduced in 1959. Body has six to nine black horizontal stripes on silvery-white sides. Dorsal fins are distinctly separate, unlike yellow bass, which are joined at the base. Pelvic fins in large adults, white with anal fin edged in white. Lower jaw protrudes beyond upper jaw. Generally two patches of teeth on tongue. 2nd anal spine distinctly shorter than the 3rd. Tail is slightly forked. Length: 10 to 56 inches. Weight: 1 to over 59 pounds.
Location and Habitat: Found throughout the Colorado River between Lake Powell and the Mexican border and more recently in Lake Pleasant. Prefer open, clear water. Spawn in spring over shallow, rocky areas in a lake or in the fast moving waters below dams.
Food: Opportunistic feeders on dead or live fish, but prefer threadfin shad. Like white bass and yellow bass, striped bass move and feed in schools.
Angling: Stripers can be caught on shad, anchovies, "cut" bait, spoons, plugs, jigs, crank baits, and streamer flies.
Table Quality: The meat is white, firm, flaky and excellent eating.
Smallmouth Bass : (Micropterus dolomieui> 
Description: Non-native. Introduced in 1921. Smallmouth bass most often are bronze to brownish green in color, with dark vertical bars on sides. In contrast to the Largemouth bass, the upper jaw does not extend beyond rear margin of eye. Eye reddish in color. Shallow notch in dorsal fin. Soft dorsal fin has 13 to 15 rays. Length: 12 to 22 inches. Weight 8 ounces to 7 pounds.
Location and Habitat
They are abundant in the Verde River, Black River, Apache Lake and to some degree in Roosevelt Reservoir and Lake Powell. They prefer rocky habitats in streams and lakes with clear waters.
Food: Shad and crayfish are consumed in lakes; and crayfish and minnows in streams. In streams, smallmouth can be very aggressive when hellgrammites and terrestrial insects are available.
Angling: Effective lures for smallmouth, are those that resemble minnows, plastic worms and streamer flies. Live baits include minnows, hellgrammites and crayfish. One of the best smallmouth fisheries in the State is the Black River.
Table Quality: The meat is similar to largemouth bass, mild tasting, white, flaky and low in oil content.
Largemouth Bass : (Micropterus salmoides) 
Description: Non-native. Introduced in 1897. Very large mouth with upper jaw of adults extending beyond rear margin of eye. Dark olive-green on the back with green sides shading to white belly. Dark horizontal band on each side. Deep notch in dorsal fin. Soft dorsal fin usually has 12 to 13 rays. Length: 10 to 28 inches. Weight: 8 ounces to over 15 pounds.
Location and Habitat: Found in the Colorado, Gila, lower Salt and lower Verde Rivers and their associated reservoirs. A warm water fish that prefers clear water with structure and cover. Generally, bass move to deep water during the day and return to the shallows to feed at night. Bass spawn from March through June.
Food: Bass are carnivorous, eating anything that moves. Their main diet is fish, such as, sunfish and shad. They will also take crayfish and aquatic insects when other foods are hard to find.
Angling: Largemouth bass are caught on a variety of baits, both natural and artificial. Depending on the time of the year, bass can be caught in shallow water with a surface lure or deep with jigs or plastic worms. An angler should think structure when bass fishing. Bass concentrate around submerged trees, aquatic vegetation and underwater drop-offs.
Table Quality: The meat is mild tasting, white, flaky, firm and low in oil content.
Walleye: (Stizostedion vitreum) 
Description: Non-native. Introduced in 1957. Back is yellow-olive with a brassy cast. Sides brassy-yellow with dark mottling. Belly is white. Dark spot at rear of spiny dorsal fin. Anal fin and lower lobe of tail fin are white. Eyes are opaque-silver in color. Moderate canine-like teeth. Length: 12 to 29 inches. Weight: 10 oz. to over 12 pounds.
Location and Habitat: Found in Lake Powell, Saguaro Lake, Canyon Lake, Apache Lake, Lake Mary, Show Low Lake and Fool’s Hollow Lake. Bottom oriented fish, due to their sensitivity to light, preferring to stay in deep water during the day, moving to shallow waters during the night. Spawn in spring, in relatively shallow water, over clean gravel or rocky bottoms.
Food: Walleye prefer fish but will eat crayfish and worms. In Arizona, their main diet is threadfin shad.
Angling: Because of light-sensitive eyes, walleyes feed more actively early in the morning, late in the evening, or at night. Effective lures and baits include, minnows, night crawlers, jigs, spinners and minnow imitating plugs. Fishing with minnows is unlawful in Lake Powell, Lake Mary, Show Low Lake and Fool’s Hollow Lake.
Table Quality: Considered one of the finest tasting fish available. The meat is white, flaky and has a very mild flavor.
Black Crappie: (Pomoxis nigromaculatus) 
Description: Non-native. Introduced in 1905. Head and back heavily and irregularly spotted with black blotches on a silver-olive background; Tail, dorsal and anal fins are spotted. Seven or eight spines on dorsal fin. Body is compressed or flat. Length: 6 to 12 inches. Weight: 3 oz. to over 4 pounds.
Location and Habitat: Black crappie are far more abundant than white crappie and are found in most of Arizona’s major warm water reservoirs. Black crappie (and White crappie) are attracted to submerged brush and trees and generally travel in schools. Spawning is often in open water, typically over mud, sand or gravel bottoms. Males guard the nest, and young after the eggs hatch. Generally mature in second or third year of life, rarely live more than 6 to 7 years.
Food: Insect and plankton eaters until they reach four or five inches switching to a fish diet. In Arizona, threadfin shad are their main diet.
Angling: Effective bait and lures are minnows, small jigs, silver spoons, spinners and flies fished along shorelines around submerged brush piles and fallen trees.
Table Quality: The meat is white, fine textured and tasty.
Channel Catfish: (Ictalurus punctatus) 
Description: Non-native. Introduced in 1903. Scattered black spots on a silver or gray colored back and sides with a white belly. Few spots on large adults. Smooth, scaleless skin. 8 barbless or ‘whiskers’. Short base on small adipose fin . Deeply forked tail. Anal fin has 24 to 30 rays and is slightly rounded. Length 10 to 39 inches. Weight: 12 ounces to over 15 pounds.
Location and Habitat: Found in most warm water lakes and rivers. Inhabit deeper stretches of rivers and streams with moderate current. Spawns from April through early June.
Food: Channel catfish will eat almost anything, dead or alive although, they prefer minnows, crayfish, and aquatic insects.
Angling: Effective baits are waterdogs, liver, blood bait, shad, shrimp, anchovies, homemade stink baits, hot dogs, minnows and worms. Contrary to myth, the "whiskers" are harmless to touch and used only to smell, taste and feel as it forages for food. However, the dorsal fin and pectoral fins have a sharp spine which can inflict a painful wound.
Table Quality: The meat is white, firm, tender and sweet and is considered very good eating.
Bluegill: (Lepomis macrochirus) 
Description: Non-native. Introduced in 1932. The bluegill has blue coloring on the chin, a solid black opercle flap, a small mouth and a dark spot at the rear of the dorsal fin. The body is very compressed or flat and has from five to nine dark vertical bars on the sides. Length: 4 to 13 inches. Weight: 3 ounces to over 3 pounds.
Location and Habitat: Bluegill are found in most reservoirs or ponds below 4,000 feet elevation and rarely occur in streams and rivers. They are prone to stunting and large populations of tiny bluegill are common.
Food: Insects are the favored food but bluegill will take worms, snails and small fish.
Angling: Bluegill will eat anything they can get into their mouth. Worms are an anglers favorite bait, but bluegill will take, small poppers, flies, small spinners and jigs. Bluegill are gregarious, so when you catch one, there are usually more in the same place.
Table Quality: The meat is white, flaky, firm and sweet. Many consider the bluegill to be one of the finest tasting freshwater fish available.
