Background Information
Background Information
General Characteristics
General Characteristics
A fish is a cold-blooded vertebrate (animal with a backbone) that lives in water, moves using fins, gets oxygen from the water with its gills, and usually is covered by scales. Cold blooded means the fish’s body temperature changes as the water temperature changes.
Fish have many of the same senses as people, but they are different in some ways. Understanding how fish senses work makes catching fish much easier. Your choice of baits or lures, as well as how you present them, should be based on where your targeted species lives, what it eats, when it eats, and how it eats.
Fish often are described in terms of characteristics of their body shape, mouth, fins, and even scales. Knowing key characteristics of different kinds of fish will help you identify them.
Fish Senses
Fish Senses
Vision
Many fish, especially those that live in clear waters and are active during the day, have well-developed sight. Many also have color vision, but they are near-sighted – they cannot see faraway objects. The eyes of a fish can move independently of each other and often are located on the sides of the head. This means that a fish has a very broad field of vision; the only place a fish can’t see is a narrow area directly behind the tail. Fish that live in turbid (murky) waters and/or are active at night generally are more dependent on other senses.
Hearing
Fish have ears under their skin. They have good hearing, detecting low frequency sounds that humans cannot. Besides their ears, fish also have a sensory structure called the lateral line found along the sides of their bodies. It detects vibrations in the water, allowing fish to differentiate between movements of smaller and larger fish. Predators can sense distress vibrations of an injured fish with their lateral lines; this is one reason a bait fish suspended on the surface attracts game fish.
Taste and Smell
All fish have at least two nostrils (many have four) on their snout. These detect “odors” in the water. Fish also have taste buds that can detect sweet, sour, salty, and bitter. These are found on the lips and snout as well as in the mouth and throat. Fish that feed in murky waters, near the bottom, or at night usually rely more on these senses. Bullheads have over 100,000 taste buds on their bodies.
Fish Anatomy
Fish Anatomy
For definitions of different structures, visit the Glossary.
Species Descriptions (coming soon)
Species Descriptions (coming soon)
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