Blind Fish

The species of fish prized by anglers varies with geography and tradition. Some fish are sought for their value as food, while others are pursued for their fighting abilities, or for the difficulty of successfully enticing the fish to bite the hook.

Big-game fish are saltwater bony fish such as tuna, tarpon, grouper and billfish (sailfish, marlin and swordfish).

In North America, many anglers fish for common snook, redfish, salmon, trout, bass, pike and muskellunge, walleye and catfish of several species.

The smallest fish routinely sought by anglers are called panfish, because they typically can fit as a whole into a normal cooking pan. Examples are crappies, perch, rock bass, bluegills and other sunfish (Centrarchidae). Panfish are often sought by younger anglers, at least partly due to the relative ease with which they can be caught.

In the United Kingdom, "game fish" refers specifically to salmonids (other than grayling) – that is, salmon, trout and char. Other freshwater fish are called coarse fish or rough fish.