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Pennsylvania
37 species
Pennsylvania
37 species
🐟
Freshwater Fish
Brook Trout
🦅
State Bird
Ruffed Grouse
🌸
State Flower
Mountain Laurel
🦌
State Mammal
White-tailed Deer
Largemouth Bass
Regulated✓ Harvestable
Peak: May, Jun
Secondary: Sep, Oct
🌡️ Temp: 60-80°F
🏞️ Habitat: lakes, ponds, rivers
Warmwater lakes & reservoirs
Smallmouth Bass
Regulated✓ Harvestable
Peak: May, Jun
Secondary: Sep
🌡️ Temp: 55-75°F
🏞️ Habitat: rivers, lakes
Rivers & streams statewide - premier species
Spotted Bass
Regulated✓ Harvestable
Peak: May, Jun
🌡️ Temp: 60-75°F
🏞️ Habitat: rivers
Limited range - Ohio River drainage
Walleye
Regulated✓ Harvestable
Peak: Apr, May
Secondary: Oct
🌡️ Temp: 50-68°F
🏞️ Habitat: lakes, rivers, lake-erie
Lake Erie & large reservoirs
Northern Pike
Regulated✓ Harvestable
Peak: Mar, Apr
Secondary: Oct
🌡️ Temp: 40-65°F
🏞️ Habitat: lakes, rivers
Northwestern PA & Lake Erie
Muskellunge
RegulatedPeak: Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov
🌡️ Temp: 55-75°F
🏞️ Habitat: rivers, reservoirs
Trophy fish - catch and release encouraged
Yellow Perch
Regulated✓ Harvestable
Peak: May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep
🌡️ Temp: 50-75°F
🏞️ Habitat: lakes, lake-erie
Lake Erie - excellent eating
Channel Catfish
Regulated✓ Harvestable
Peak: Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep
🌡️ Temp: 70-85°F
🏞️ Habitat: rivers, lakes
Large rivers & reservoirs
Flathead Catfish
Regulated✓ Harvestable
Peak: Jun, Jul, Aug
🌡️ Temp: 70-85°F
🏞️ Habitat: rivers
Susquehanna, Allegheny, Ohio systems
Brook Trout
Regulated✓ Harvestable
Peak: Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep
🌡️ Temp: 45-65°F
🏞️ Habitat: streams, mountain-headwaters
State fish - native Appalachian headwaters
Brown Trout
Regulated✓ Harvestable
Peak: Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct
🌡️ Temp: 50-70°F
🏞️ Habitat: streams, rivers, lakes
Statewide - stocked & wild populations
Rainbow Trout
Regulated✓ Harvestable
Peak: Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct
🌡️ Temp: 50-68°F
🏞️ Habitat: streams, rivers, lakes
Heavily stocked statewide
Lake Trout
Regulated✓ Harvestable
Peak: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
🌡️ Temp: 40-55°F
🏞️ Habitat: lake-erie, deep-reservoirs
Lake Erie - deep summer
Pumpkinseed
Peak: Jun, Jul, Aug
🌡️ Temp: 65-80°F
🏞️ Habitat: ponds, lakes
Common panfish
Bluegill
✓ Harvestable
Peak: Jun, Jul, Aug
🌡️ Temp: 65-80°F
🏞️ Habitat: ponds, lakes
Popular panfish
Black Crappie
Regulated✓ Harvestable
Peak: Apr, May
Secondary: Oct
🌡️ Temp: 55-75°F
🏞️ Habitat: lakes, rivers
Spring spawn peak
White Crappie
Regulated✓ Harvestable
Peak: Apr, May
Secondary: Oct
🌡️ Temp: 55-75°F
🏞️ Habitat: lakes, rivers
Less common than black crappie
Freshwater Drum
Peak: May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep
🌡️ Temp: 60-80°F
🏞️ Habitat: rivers, lake-erie
Large rivers & Lake Erie
White Perch
✓ Harvestable
Peak: May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep
🌡️ Temp: 55-75°F
🏞️ Habitat: rivers, lakes
Common in reservoirs
Rock Bass
✓ Harvestable
Peak: May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep
🌡️ Temp: 60-75°F
🏞️ Habitat: streams, rivers
Rocky streams & rivers
Bowfin
Peak: May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep
🌡️ Temp: 60-80°F
🏞️ Habitat: swamps, backwaters
Native predator - prehistoric
American Eel
RegulatedPeak: May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct
🌡️ Temp: 55-80°F
🏞️ Habitat: rivers, lake-erie
Catadromous - Delaware & Susquehanna
Common Carp
Peak: May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep
🌡️ Temp: 60-80°F
🏞️ Habitat: rivers, lakes
Widespread invasive
Grass Carp
⚠️ InvasivePeak: May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep
🌡️ Temp: 60-85°F
🏞️ Habitat: lakes, reservoirs
Aquatic vegetation control - sterile only
Silver Carp
⚠️ InvasivePeak: May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep
🌡️ Temp: 60-85°F
🏞️ Habitat: rivers
⚠️ Ohio River basin watch - report immediately
Bighead Carp
⚠️ InvasivePeak: May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep
🌡️ Temp: 60-85°F
🏞️ Habitat: rivers
⚠️ Ohio River basin watch - report immediately
Goldfish
Peak: May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep
🌡️ Temp: 60-80°F
🏞️ Habitat: ponds, lakes
Aquarium release - remove if caught
Round Goby
⚠️ InvasivePeak: Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct
🌡️ Temp: 50-75°F
🏞️ Habitat: lake-erie, tributaries
Lake Erie invasive - do not release
Rusty Crayfish
⚠️ InvasivePeak: May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct
🌡️ Temp: 55-75°F
🏞️ Habitat: streams, rivers, lakes
⚠️ Ecosystem threat - displace native crayfish
Minnows (group)
Peak: Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct
🌡️ Temp: 50-75°F
🏞️ Habitat: streams, rivers, lakes
Essential forage base
Shiners (group)
Peak: Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct
🌡️ Temp: 50-75°F
🏞️ Habitat: streams, rivers, lakes
Popular live bait
Darters (group)
Peak: Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct
🌡️ Temp: 50-70°F
🏞️ Habitat: streams, rivers
Benthic forage - indicator species
Suckers (group)
Peak: Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct
🌡️ Temp: 50-75°F
🏞️ Habitat: streams, rivers
Spring spawning runs
Chubs (group)
Peak: Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct
🌡️ Temp: 50-75°F
🏞️ Habitat: streams, rivers
River forage - diverse species
Gizzard Shad
Peak: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
🌡️ Temp: 60-80°F
🏞️ Habitat: reservoirs, rivers
Critical baitfish - reservoirs statewide
Threadfin Shad
Peak: May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct
🌡️ Temp: 65-85°F
🏞️ Habitat: reservoirs
Warm-water baitfish - southern reservoirs
Emerald Shiner
Peak: Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct
🌡️ Temp: 50-75°F
🏞️ Habitat: lake-erie, large-rivers
Lake Erie staple - critical forage
