NPS Photo The vast majority (about 95%) of fish species in North America are nongame fish, or species that are not typically pursued for sport or food. This includes fishes like minnows, darters, shiners, and dace. These species are often smaller, used as bait, and important to the ecosystems they inhabit. Game fish, or sport fish, are fish that are commonly pursued for sport or food. Freshwater game fish include fishes such as bass and trout. While some game fish are native to the waters they live in, many are non-native species that were introduced through stocking programs for sportfishing. Fishing is a popular year-round activity in Prince William Forest Park. It is important to monitor and protect fish and their habitats, so they can continue to thrive and be enjoyed by future generations of visitors. The fish listed below are just some of the many fish species that live in park waters. Game Species
Kevin Corser Redbreast sunfish (Lepomis auritus)The redbreast sunfish can grow to be over 8 inches long and live for about 8 years. Its body is iridescent blue, green and gold and, as its name suggests, it has a red-colored breast. The redbreast sunfish’s diet is made up of small fish, crayfish, and insects. It prefers to live and reproduce in warm pools that form in slow-moving streams. Males build the nests, which are often grouped together in colonies, and defend them until the young hatch. 
NPS Photo Green sunfish (Lepomis cyanellus)Green sunfish have been known to grow up to 10 inches long in Virginia and live for 10 years. They are olive green in color with wavy blue lines along their sides. Similarly to the redbreast sunfish, the green sunfish feeds on other small fish, crayfish, and insects. They are more tolerant of turbid (murky) water than other sunfish. Green sunfish are only native in the southwest part of Virginia and were introduced throughout the rest of the state. They are considered invasive in some environments.
NPS Photo Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus)The bluegill is a type of sunfish and a popular game fish throughout the United States. They typically grow to be about 6 to 9 inches in length. Bluegills are mostly dark green in color and get their name from their light blue chin and gill covers. They can often be distinguished from other sunfish by the fact that the black flap on their gill cover does not have a red spot. However, they have been known to hybridize with other species of sunfish, sometimes making identification tricky.
NPS Photo Pumpkinseed (Lepomis gibbosus)The pumpkinseed is a type of sunfish and have been known to grow up to 15 inches in length. Its body is dappled with orange, green, blue, and yellow spots. The pumpkinseed gets its name from its body shape, which resembles a squash seed. It prefers areas with plenty of cover like aquatic plants and logs and have special teeth that allow them to feed on snails.
NPS Photo Largemouth bass (Micropterus nigricans)The largemouth bass, or northern largemouth bass, is one of the most common and popular game fish in the United States. The species was introduced throughout most of Virginia and is only native to a small portion of the southeastern part of the state. Largemouth bass can live for up to 15 years and have been known to grow to as much as 16 pounds in Virginia. They are mostly dark green in color with cream-colored underbellies. Largemouth bass prefer slow-moving, clear waters, and feed on small fish, amphibians, insects, and crayfish.The largemouth bass was recently reclassified (renamed) from Micropterus salmoides to Micropterus nigricans when the largemouth bass and Florida bass were determined to be different species. Micropterus nigricans is now the correct scientific name for the largemouth bass, though you will still find some resources listing it as Micropterus salmoides. Nongame Species
NPS Photo Blacknose dace (Rhinichthys atratulus)The blacknose dace, also known as the Eastern blacknose dace, is the most abundant fish species at Prince William Forest Park. This species is easily identified by the long black stripe that runs down the side of its body from its nose to its tail. It typically reaches a length of 3 to 5 inches and feeds on insects, aquatic invertebrates, and algae.
NPS Photo American eel (Anguilla rostrata)The American eel is a type of ray-finned fish and the only freshwater eel species in North America. They can live in rivers and lakes for 20 years or more before migrating to the ocean to reproduce. Males can get up to 1.5 feet in length and females have been known to grow to four feet! Since the year 2000, fishing for American eels has been regulated throughout much of North America and efforts are being made to increase eel populations throughout their range.
NPS Photo Rosyside dace (Clinostomus funduloides)The rosyside dace are quite common and found throughout freshwater streams in Virginia. Characterized by their reddish sides and yellow-tinted fins, they typically grow to be 2 to 3 inches long and feed on algae, insects, and aquatic invertebrates. The rosyside dace is not tolerant of silty water, making them a good indicator species for healthy streams.
NPS Photo Fallfish (Semotilus corporalis)Fallfish are large, silver-sided minnows that can grow to be up to 10 inches long and live for over 10 years. Males build dome-like nest mounds by creating a pit in the stream bed with their mouths, then dropping pebbles in the pit one-by-one until a mound is formed. Fallfish are communal spawners, meaning they gather, release, and fertilize their eggs together.
NPS Photo Creek chub (Semotilus atromaculatus)Creek chubs are thick, medium-sized minnows that typically reach 3 to 8 inches in length. They have olive green and silver sides with a dark spot on the anterior base of the dorsal fin. Creek chubs prefer cool, shallow streams with gravel bottoms. Males dig a pit in the gravel substrate for females to lay their eggs in, then cover the pit with stones after spawning.
Evan Padua White sucker (Catostomus commersonii)The white sucker gets its name from its downward-facing mouth which it uses to suck prey from stream beds. They can grow up to 20 inches in length and are an important source of food for game fish such as largemouth bass. The white sucker is one of about 70 species of suckers found in North America and is common in Virginia streams. 
NPS Photo Cutlips minnow (Exoglossum maxillingua)The cutlips minnow is a small fish that typically grows to about 3 to 5 inches in length. It has an olive green and silver body with a whiteish underside and its lower jaw includes a bony plate that is used to break open the shells of mollusks. Cutlips minnows prefer living and nesting in streams with slower currents and plenty of logs, vegetation, and overhanging stream banks for cover. Its native range stretches from eastern Canada to southern Virginia. 
NPS Photo Tessellated darter (Etheostoma olmstedi)Tessellated darters belong to a family of freshwater fish that are characterized, in part, by having two dorsal fins. Adult tessellated darters are typically 2 to 3 inches long, are olive green to brown in color, and have numerous X-shaped spots along their sides. They rest on the bottoms of streams and “dart” quickly from place to place to feed or if they are disturbed. Once spawning occurs, males stay to guard the nests until they hatch.
NPS Photo Common shiner (Luxilus cornutus)Common shiners are a type of minnow that typically reach a length of 2 to 4 inches. Its body is mostly silver with an olive green spine and reddish fins. The common shiner prefers clear water streams and sometimes forms groups, or schools. 
NPS Photo Margined madtom (Noturus insignis)Although the margined madtom is a type of catfish, it is not a game species. They are very small and only grow to be about 6 inches in length. They have grayish-brown bodies, light brown fins with black edges, and prefer fast-flowing water. Similar to most other types of catfish, the margined madtom has whiskers, or barbels, that act as sensory receptors and help the fish find prey and potential mates in murky waters. The spines of margined madtoms are venomous and are painful if handled incorrectly. 
NPS Photo Swallowtail shiner (Notropis procne)The swallowtail shiner is a small freshwater fish that typically grows to be about 2 inches long. It has a silver body with a yellowish back, a light blue stripe down its side, and a black spot at the base of its tail fin. |
Last updated: September 21, 2026