Freshwater fishing is one of the easiest ways to spend time with joy and excitement. It will increase the inner knowledge in kids or adults and also you can explore the beauty of water.
Knowing about fish and species can open up the mind and you will realize how mysterious the world and its creature are. There are more than 10,000 fish species all over the world and some of them live in freshwater.
Freshwater can be cold, warm, or iced so fish species would be different. Before going fishing, you should learn about those species so you can easily differ which fish you have already caught. This article will guide to learn about freshwater fish and their habitat.

Categories of Freshwater
Freshwater is categorized into three different types such as warm water, cool water, and cold water. Water temperature depends on different places and weather. Different categories of freshwater contain different fish species.
Cold Water Fish Species
Most of the cold water fish are pet fish and they tend to be small in size rather than warm water fish. Sunset variatus platy, rainbow shiner, hillstream loach, Endler’s livebearer, and many more are cold water fish and you can decorate your aquarium with them.
There are also some species like walleye, northern pike, rainbow trout and yellow perch are lives in the ice. This type of fish moves very little so if you know how to fish in the ice, you do not need to use such tactics.
Warm Water Fish Species
Warm water fish can also live in cool water and they can survive the most. catfish, crappies, bass, bluegill, and many more are warm-water fish species. Fish are highly active in warm water so it is recommended to go fishing in warm water for best results.
Cool Water Fish Species
Cool water fish are known as game fish species. northern pike, yellow perch, Muskellunge, etc are cool water fish species. This type of fish can survive in warm water.
Popular Freshwater Fish and Species
Brown Trout
The fish is also named Brownie, Lochleven Trout, European Brown Trout, etc. it is medium in size and the body has dark spots like a cheetah.
The fin color is brown or sometimes colorless and it also looks like salmon fish. Some brown trout has red or orange spots to their body.
Neon Tetra
The neon tetra is a popular aquarium fish that lives in the freshwater. You can say it is a beginner fish because they will come to you easily.
It is a very peaceful fish and always lives in a group, their body is a bright color with red and blue stripes so you can see them in the water easily. The fish will increase the beauty of your aquarium and it does not require much care.
Freshwater Eels
Most of the freshwater eels are seen in Europe. Some are longfin eel and some are small fin. Their skin is very slippery which is looks like a snakeskin. They went to the ocean when the time is breeding. But another time, they live in freshwater.
Bluegill Bully
Bluegill bully is small in size and the body has dark spots with a larger head. Their habitat is very similar to torrent fish. they live in rivers and streams where the water is clear. Most of the bully is about 50 to 70 mm in length and their main food is mayfly larvae.
Carps
It is one of the known fish in freshwater and very popular for every angler. They can be medium or large in size. Most of them have no teeth so their main food is plants and algae. They love to lives in warm and weedy waters so summer is the best time to catch them.
Perch
Perch is another popular fish species that has red fins and most of them are live in lakes. They are also medium and large in size and the body has dark bands.

They do not fight much when you catch them, so most of the anglers say they are boring. Carp eats inga, crayfish, and other types of small fish from the lakes.
Freshwater Aquarium Fish Names
- Catfish
- Cyprinids
- Angelfish
- Labyrinth fish
- Loaches and related Cypriniformes
- Rainbowfish
- Cory catfish
- Guppies
- Mollies
- Betta fish
- Zebra danio
- Gourami
- Goldfish
- Red cherry shrimp
- Tiger barb, cherry barb
- platies etc.
What is the Best Eating Freshwater Fish?
Fishing in freshwater means not only decorating the aquarium but also eating. There is much freshwater fish you and your kids will love to eat because they are very tasty. Especially the walleye and steelhead fishing has gained popularity for their tastes.

They are very healthy and it is a very exciting thing to eat that fish which you catch it6 in your hand. Some best eating freshwater fish are
- Salmon
- Coho Salmon
- Walleye
- Steelhead
- Yellow Perch
- Catfish
- Crappie
- Trout
- Bass etc.
Colorful Freshwater Fish
Some freshwater fish has the most colorful body that can attract you and leaves you surprised every time you see them. Your aquarium will look like a rainbow when they play in the water. Some colorful fishes are
- Discus: they are small and round in shape with a red dotted body. The body has also an array of patterns, so they are very popular for aquarium fish.
- Gourami: they almost look like discus but small in size and not that much round like them. They are extremely colorful and the tails are red and blue. The body has also red or orange dotted marks along with its scales.
- Endler’s livebearer: they are very small in size with varieties of color in their body. They do not tend to lives in groups and they can run very fast so it is difficult to catch them.
- Fantail guppy: they are also very colorful with large fin rather than body. The fins can be yellow or green and some of them are love to lives with groups.
- Cherry burb: this is a very unique fish and they can change their color during spawning. They are normally silver or white but they can turn red when needed. They love to swim and hide all over the room so you can say it is a playful fish.
- Rubin read peacock cichlid: the fish is bright and silver color and they almost look like blue hap. Their scale color is violet or silver and their habitat is the same as blue hap.
Leave a Reply