Matching Up the Fish, the Water, and the Offering

Almost every sizable body of water, providing it isn’t too polluted, will have some fish in it. Whether the fish have been stocked there, or appear through natural reproduction, there’s a good chance more than one species is present.

The following table lists a few common species of fish and provides typical habitats for them, as well as bait, lures, and flies that often trigger them to bite. Of course, these fish can be found in other habitats and will hit other offerings in addition to those listed.

Fish	Water	Offering
Freshwater Fish
Bluegill	Ponds, lakes, and reservoirs	Worms, crickets, and small spinners
Largemouth bass	Ponds, lakes, and reservoirs	Spinnerbaits, crankbaits, and soft plastics
Smallmouth bass	Streams and rivers	Jigs, crankbaits, and topwaters
Channel catfish	Ponds, reservoirs, and rivers	Nightcrawlers and cutbait
Crappie	Ponds, reservoirs, and lakes	Minnows, spinners, and jigs
Northern pike	Cooler lakes and rivers	Spoons, crankbaits, and spinners
Rainbow trout	Cooler streams and deep lakes	Flies and spinners
Walleye	Cooler rivers and lakes	Jigs, crankbaits, and nightcrawlers
Saltwater Fish
Summer flounder	Bays, harbors, and estuaries	Jigs, shrimp, and cutbait
Red drum	Shallow bays, flats, and estuaries	Crankbaits, jigs, and cutbait
Weakfish	Shallow bays and marshes	Shrimp, jigs, and spoons
Bluefish	Bays, warm estuaries, and beaches	Spoons, crankbaits, and jigs
Snook	Warm lagoons, mangrove swamps, and estuaries	Crankbaits, livebait, and topwaters
Tarpon	Estuaries and mangrove bays	Livebait, spoons, and crankbaits
Yellowtail snapper	Coral reefs	Cutbait and squid
Goliath grouper	Rocky ledges, reefs, and wrecks	Livebait, cutbait, and squid

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