3491 State Route 235
Fairborn Ohio, 45324-9416
(937) 318-5757
Copyright © 2008 - 2010 Rainbow Lakes, Inc. All rights reserved.
Rainbow Lakes has many different fish species throughout our numerous fishing lakes to challange you.
Channel Catfish, Blue Catfish, Flathead Catfish, Yellow Bullhead Catfish, Brown Bullhead Catfish, Common Carp, Buffalo Carp, Grass Carp, Sturgeon, Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, White Crappie, Black Crappie, Bluegill, Trout, Yellow Perch, White Bass, Rock Bass, Red Ears, Pumpkinseeds, War Mouths, Green sunfish, Redbreast sunfish, Longear sunfish.
Below you will find information on some of the most popular ones.
The Channel Catfish (Ictalurus Punctatus)
Ohio Record: 37.65 Lb
IGFA World Record: 58Lb - 0oz
Common Names: Channel Cat, Spotted Cat, Silver Cat, River Cat, Squeaker Cat
Channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus, is North America's most numerous catfish species. It is the official fish of Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, and Tennessee, and is informally referred to as a "channel cat". In the United States they are the most fished catfish species with approximately 8 million anglers targeting them per year. The popularity of channel catfish for food has contributed to the rapid growth of aquaculture of this species in the United States.
Channel catfish are well distributed throughout the eastern United States, southern Canada, and parts of northern Mexico. They thrive in small rivers, large rivers, reservoirs, natural lakes, and ponds. In Canada, the species is largely, though not exclusively, limited to the Great Lakes watershed from Lake Nipigon southward.
Channel catfish possess very keen senses of smell and taste. At the pits of their nostrils (nares) are very sensitive odor sensing organs with a very high concentration of olfactory receptors. In channel catfish these organs are sensitive enough to detect several amino acids at about 1 part per 100 million in water. In addition channel catfish have taste buds distributed over the surface of their entire body. These taste buds are especially concentrated on the channel catfish's 4 pairs of barbels (whiskers) surrounding the mouth—about 25 buds per square millimeter. This combination of exceptional senses of taste and smell allows the channel catfish to find food in dark, stained, or muddy water with relative ease.
Channel catfish are omnivores and can be caught using a variety of natural and prepared baits including crickets, nightcrawlers, minnows, shad, crawfish, frogs, bullheads, sunfish, and suckers. Catfish have even been known to take Ivory Soap as bait. Another method of catching catfish is using stinkbaits, which are prepared baits made of things such as dead fish, crawfish, garlic, blood, meat, cheese, dough, and even Kool-Aid powder. Sometimes these stinkbaits are prepared into a doughball and mashed onto a hook, other times they are smeared in special tubes meant to hold these baits, and fished slowly on the bottom. Grocery store baits such as chicken livers, shrimp, dog food and bubble gum will also catch plenty of channel cats.
A member of the Ictalurus genus of American catfishes, channel catfish have a top-end size of approximately 40-50 pounds (18–23 kg). The world record channel catfish weighed 58 pounds and was taken from the Santee-Cooper Reservoir in South Carolina, July 7, 1964. Realistically, a channel catfish over 20 pounds (9 kg) is a spectacular specimen, and most catfish anglers view a 10 pound (4.5 kg) fish as a very admirable catch.
The Blue Catfish (Ictalurus Furcatus)
Ohio Record: 96.0 Lb
IGFA World Record: 124Lb - 0oz
Common Names: Blue Cat, Hump-back Blue, Forktail Cat, Great Blue Cat, Silver Cat
The blue catfish, Ictalurus furcatus, is one of the largest species of North American catfish. Blue catfish are distributed primarily in the Mississippi River drainage including the Missouri, Ohio, Tennessee, and Arkansas rivers. These large catfish have also been introduced in a number of reservoirs and rivers, notably the Santee Cooper lakes of Lake Marion and Lake Moultrie in South Carolina and the James River in Virginia also in Powerton Lake in Pekin Illinois. The current angling world record is 124 pounds and was caught by Tim Pruitt on May 22, 2005, in the Mississippi River.
Blue catfish are opportunistic predators and will eat any species of fish they can catch, along with crayfish, freshwater mussels, frogs, and other readily available aquatic food sources (some blue catfish have reportedly attacked scuba divers.) Catching their prey becomes all the more easy if it is already wounded or dead, and blue cats are noted for feeding beneath marauding schools of striped bass in open water in reservoirs or feeding on wounded baitfish that have been washed through dam spillways or power generation turbines.
Due to their opportunistic nature, blue catfish will usually take advantage of readily accessible food in a variety of situations, which from the angler's perspective makes cut up or dead baits, and even stinkbaits an excellent choice to target these fish. Blue cats will also respond well to live baits, with live river herring and shad usually a top choice followed by large shiner minnows, sunfish, suckers, and carp. All of the above baits can be used as fresh cut baits with good success and freshwater drum also work well in this capacity. Generally a fairly large piece of cut bait (4-12 inches long) on a fairly large hook (3/0 to 9/0) is a good choice in rivers or reservoirs where large blue cats (50 pounds and up) are a possibility. Depending on current conditions sinkers ranging from 1/2 to 6 or 8 oz. may be required with 1-2 oz. a good choice for many situations. To catch large blue catfish in rivers the more current the better usually, although fishing along current edges and breaks is often a good option. Blue catfish tend to favor deeper water in larger rivers and reservoirs, but will make feeding and spawning forays into relatively shallow water.
The Flathead Catfish (Pylodictis Olivaris)
Ohio Record: 76 .5 Lb
IGFA World Record: 123Lb - 0oz
Common Names: Flathead Catfish, Shovelhead Catfish, Mud Cat, Yellow Cat
The closest living relative of the flathead is the widemouth blindcat, Satan eurystomus. Flatheads grow to a length of 155 cm (61 in) and may weigh up to 56 kg (120 lb). Their maximum recorded lifespan is 20 years. Males are mature from 16 cm (6.3 in) and 4 years of age while females mature from 18 cm (7.1 in) and 5 years of age, but may mature as late as 10 years. The world angling record flathead catfish was caught May 14, 1998 from Elk City Reservoir, Kansas and weighed 123 lb 9 oz (56.0 kg).
Inhabiting deep pools, lakes,and large slow-moving rivers, flathead catfish are popular among anglers; their flesh is widely regarded as the tastiest of the catfishes. Their size also make the flatheads effective subjects of public aquaria. Like most catfish, flatheads are benthic feeders and prefer live prey. They are voracious carnivores and feed primarily on other fish, insects, annelid worms and crustaceans.
Sport fishing for flathead catfish using either rod and reel or bare hands ( noodling ) can be an exciting pastime. Anglers target this species in a variety of waterways including small rivers (barely large enough for a canoe), large rivers (such as the Missouri, Mississippi, Ohio, and Colorado Rivers), and reservoirs. A common element of flathead catfish location is submerged wood cover such as logs and rootwads which often collect at bends in rivers. A good flathead spot usually also includes relatively deep water compared to the rest of a particular section of river, a moderate amount of current, and access to plentiful baitfish such as river herring, shad, carp, drum, panfish, or suckers.
Anglers targeting large flathead catfish usually use stout tackle such as medium-heavy or heavy action rods from 6–10 feet (1.8–3.0 m) in length with large line-capacity reels and line ranging from 20–80 pounds-force (89–360 N) test breaking strength. Generally large live baits are preferred such as river
herring
,
shad
,
sunfish
(such as
bluegill
),
suckers
,
carp
,
goldfish
,
drum
, and
bullheads
ranging from 5–12 inches (13–30 cm) in length. Sometimes nearly as much time and effort is spent catching baitfish ahead of time as is spent fishing for flatheads. While not as numerous as other catfish species, catching a large flathead catfish (over 20 pounds) usually makes the effort worthwhile to an avid catfisher. Flathead catfishing often takes place at night either from a boat or from shore once a catfisher has identified a likely looking flathead spot.
Spawning occurs in late June and early July, the nests made in areas with submerged logs and other debris. The males, who also build the nests, fiercely and tirelessly defend and fan the clutch. The size of the clutch varies proportionately to the size of the female; an average of 2,640 eggs per kilogram of fish are laid.
The fry frequent shallow areas with rocky and sandy substrates where they feed on insects and worms such as annelids and polychaetes. Young flatheads are also cannibalistic, a fact which has largely precluded their presence in aquaculture
The Yellow Bullhead Catfish (Ameiurus Natalis)
Ohio Record: 4.25 Lb
IGFA World Record: 6Lb - 6oz
Common Names: Bullhead Catfish,
butter cat, yellow cat, creek cat, white-whiskered bullhead, greaser, polliwog, chucklehead cat
The yellow bullhead, (Ameiurus natalis) is a species of bullhead catfish . Yellow bullhead are typically yellow-olive to slatey-black on the back and sometimes mottled depending on habitat. The sides are lighter and more yellowish while the underside of the head and body are bright yellow, yellow white, or bright white. The rear edge of its caudal fin may be rounded or nearly straight. The yellow bullhead is distinguished from the brown bullhead and black bullhead by its white barbels.
The yellow bullhead is a voracious scavenger typically feeding at night on a variety of plant and animal material, both live and dead, including small fish, crayfish, insects, snails, and worms. Its habitat includes river pools, backwaters, and sluggish current over soft or mildly rocky substrate in creeks, small to larger rivers, and shallow portions of lakes and ponds usually preferring clear water. The yellow bullhead may grow to 18 inches and weigh up to 2 pounds and sometimes more.On average, the yellow bullhead can live up to 7 years.
Spawning begins in May and June with both sexes participating in nest building. The nest may be under a log or stone or in a similarly enclosed burrow. The female will lay 2,000 to 7,000 eggs. The eggs hatch within 5 to 10 days. The parents guard the fry until July or August. Yellow bullhead range throughout the central and eastern US from central Texas , north into North Dakota , and east through the Great Lakes region to the east coast. They are considered a "rough fish" typically, and seldom sought for sport, although they fight relatively hard for their size. The cream colored meat has a great flavor, but tends to be soft in summer
The Brown Bullhead Catfish (Ameiurus Nebulosus)
Ohio Record: 4.25 Lb
IGFA World Record: 7Lb - 6oz
Common Names: Bullhead Catfish,
creek cat, mud cat, horned pout, red cat, speckled cat
The brown bullhead, Ameiurus nebulosus, is a fish of the Ictaluridae family that is widely distributed in North America. It is a species of bullhead catfish and is similar to the black bullhead (Ameiurus melas) and yellow bullhead (Ameiurus natalis). It was originally described as Pimelodus nebulosus by Charles Alexandre Lesueur in 1819, and is also referred to as Ictalurus nebulosus.
The brown bullhead is also widely known as the "mud pout", "horned pout" or "hornpout" or simply "mud cat", along with the other bullhead species.
The brown bullhead is important as a clan symbol of the Ojibwe group of Native Americans. In their tradition, the bullhead or "wawaazisii" is one of six beings that came out of the sea to form the original clans.
The brown bullhead thrives in a variety of habitats, including lakes and ponds with low oxygen and/or muddy conditions. In many areas of the U.S., Brown Bullheads are opportunistic bottom feeders. They eat insects, leeches, snails, fish, clams, and many plants. They are also known to eat corn, which can be used as bait. Similar to other catfish, they spawn only after the temperature of the water has reached 80 degrees Fahrenheit (27 °C) (cooler in the northern US) in June and July.
When caught in very clear water when the flesh is firm and reddish to pinkish, the hornpout is quite edible and delicious. Nevertheless, its genial cousins such as the channel catfish and the blue catfish are better known for their consumption qualities. Hornpout are not commonly eaten nor are they sought by anglers and usually caught while pursuing other fishes. In most areas, they will not exceed two pounds in weight, with a current IGFA world's record of 6 lb 5oz , by Ray Lawrence, Lake Mahopac NY, Sept. 2002. Minnesota lists a 7 lb 1 oz brown bullhead, but it was never officially recognized.
The Common Carp (Cyprinus Carpio)
Ohio Record: 50.0 Lb
IGFA World Record: 75Lb - 11oz
Common Names: Carp, European Carp
The Common carp or European carp (Cyprinus carpio) is a widespread freshwater fish related to the common goldfish (Carassius auratus), with which it is capable of interbreeding. It gives its name to the carp family Cyprinidae. Common carp are native to Asia and Eastern Europe. It has been introduced into environments worldwide, and is often considered an invasive species.
Variants include the mirror carp, with large mirror-like scales (linear mirror - scaleless except for a row of large scales that run along the lateral line; originating in Germany), the leather carp (virtually unscaled except near dorsal fin), and the fully scaled carp.
The common carp originally originated from Western Asia and spread throughout China, Siberia and the Danube basin. Domestication of carp as food fish was spread throughout Europe by monks between the 13th and 16th centuries. The wild forms of carp had reached the delta of the Rhine in the twelfth century already, probably also with some human help. Carp has now been introduced to all continents and some 59 countries. In Western Europe, the carp is cultured more commonly as a sport fish although there is a small market as food fish.
Common carp can grow to a maximum length of 5 feet (1.5 m), a maximum weight of over 80 lb (37.3 kg), and an oldest recorded age of at least 65 years. The largest recorded carp, caught by an angler in 2007 at Rainbow lake near Bordeaux, France, weighed 88.6 pounds (40.1 kilograms). The wild, non-domesticated forms tend to be much less stocky at around 20% - 33% the maximum size.
Although they are very tolerant of most conditions, common carp prefer large bodies of slow or standing water and soft, vegetative sediments. A schooling fish, they prefer to be in groups of 5 or more. They natively live in a temperate climate in fresh or brackish water with a 7.0 - 9.0 pH, and an a temperature range of 35.0 - 85.0 °F (1.6 - 30.0 °C). Common Carp will readily survive winter in a frozen over pond, as long as there remains some free water. Carp can withstand summer water temperatures in the low 90 degrees Fahrenheit for short periods. Ideal temperature is 68 to 75°F (20 to 24 °C).
Common carp are omnivorous. The common carp can eat a vegetarian diet of water plants, but prefers to scavenge the bottom for insects, crustaceans (including zooplankton), and benthic worms.
An egg-layer, a typical adult fish can lay 300,000 eggs in a single spawning. Although carp typically spawn in the Spring, in response to rising water temperatures and rain fall, carp can spawn multiple times in a season. In commercial operations spawning is often stimulated by injection. Carp lay eggs by the hundreds of thousands, yet their population remains the same, so the eggs and young must perish in similar vast numbers. Eggs and fry often fall victim to bacteria, fungi, and the vast array of tiny predators in the pond environment. Those fortunate enough to survive to juvenile are preyed upon by other fish such as the northern pike and largemouth bass.
Common carp are extremely popular with anglers in many parts of Europe, and their popularity as quarry is slowly increasing among anglers in the United States (though destroyed as pests in many areas), and southern Canada. Carp are also popular with spear, bow, and fly fishermen.
Carp is also eaten in many parts of the world both when caught from the wild and raised in aquaculture. In Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia and Poland, carp is a traditional part of a Christmas Eve dinner.
Carp are mixed with other common fish to make gefilte fish, popular in Jewish cuisine.
The Romans farmed carp and this pond culture continued through the monasteries of Europe and to this day. In China and soon after in Japan carp farming took place as early as the Yayoi Period (ca. 300 B.C - 300 A.D.).
The Lake Sturgeon (Acipenser Fulvescens)
Ohio Lake Erie Record: Unknown
IGFA World Record: 168Lb - 0oz
Common Names: Sturgeon, Lake Sturgeon, Rock Sturgeon, Black Sturgeon, Brown Sturgeon
A few lake sturgeon were stocked in two different lakes at Rainbow Lakes some years ago. It is unknown if these fish still survive but due to their long life span it is possible.
The lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) looks like no other fish in Ohio, except for the shovelnose sturgeon. Young sturgeons are tan colored with blotches but become a plain slate-gray with a light colored stomach as they age. Their heads are cone-shaped with four barbels in front of a sucker-like mouth, which is located far behind its snout. The most noticeable thing is that they are scaleless. Instead, sturgeons have five rows of heavy, bony plates.
Lake sturgeons require habitats of large rivers and lakes. They prefer water with clay, clean sand, or gravel bottoms. They are native to Lake Erie and the Ohio River drainage, although they are probably extinct in the Ohio River area.
Lake sturgeons are long-living fish; they may live to be 150 years old. Females tend to live longer than males. Females reach sexual maturity at 20 to 25 years old. Female will spawn in May or June, but only once every four to seven years, laying 4,000 to 5,000 eggs per pound of body weight (averaging 700,00 young per year).
Upon maturity, sturgeons average 20- 55 inches average, sometimes reaching a maximum of 8 feet. They will weigh from two to sixty pounds but can reach up to 200-300 pounds. Typical foods are snails, mollusks, crayfish, and larvae.
Lake sturgeons are an endangered species in Ohio and can not be fished. In other parts of the world people consider smoked sturgeon a delicacy and caviar, made from sturgeon roe, fine dining.
The Largemouth Bass (Micropterus Salmoides)
Ohio Record: 13.13 Lb
IGFA World Record: George Perry 22Lb - 4oz
Common Names: Largemouth, Widemouth, Bigmouth, Bucketmouth
The Smallmouth Bass (Micropterus Dolomieu)
Ohio Record: 9.5 Lb
IGFA World Record: 11 Lb - 15 oz
Common Names: Smallmouth, Bronzeback, Brown Bass, Smallie
The White Crappie (Pomoxis Annularis)
Ohio Record: 3.9 Lb
IGFA World Record: 5Lb - 3oz
Common Names: Crappie, Papermouths, Calico Bass, Specks
The Black Crappie (Pomoxis Nigromaculatus)
Ohio Record: 4.5 Lb
IGFA World Record: 5Lb - 0oz
Common Names: Black Crappie
The Bluegill (Lepomis Macrochirus)
Ohio Record: 3.28 Lb
IGFA World Record: 4Lb - 12oz
The Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus Mykiss)
Ohio Record: 20.97 Lb
IGFA World Record: 43Lb - 10oz
Common Names: Rainbow Trout
The Yellow Perch (Perca Flavescens)
Ohio Record: 2.75 Lb
IGFA World Record: 4Lb - 3oz
Common Names: Yellow Perch
The White Bass (Morone Chrysops)
Ohio Record: 4.0 Lb
IGFA World Record: 6Lb - 13oz
Common Names: White Bass, Sand Bass
The Rock Bass (Ambloplites Rupestris)
Ohio Record: 1.97 Lb
IGFA World Record: 3Lb - 0oz
Common Names: Rock Bass, Rock Perch, Google-eye, Red Eye,
The RedEar Sunfish (Lepomis Microlophus)
Ohio Record: 3.58 Lb
IGFA World Record: 5Lb - 7oz
Common Names: Readear, Shellcracker, Georgia Brim, Cherry Gill
The Pumpkinseed Sunfish (Lepomis Gibbosus)
Ohio Record: 1.10 Lb
IGFA World Record: 1Lb - 6oz
The Warmouth (Lepomis Gulosus)
Ohio Record: 1.32 Lb
IGFA World Record: 2Lb - 7oz
The Green Sunfish (Lepomis Cyanellus)
Ohio Record: 0.99 Lb
IGFA World Record: 2Lb - 2oz
Common Names: Green sunfish, Green Perch, Rubbertail
The Readbreast Sunfish (Lepomis Auritus)
Ohio Record: Unknown
IGFA World Record: 1Lb - 12oz
Common Names: Redbelly, Sunperch, Redbreast Bream
The Longear Sunfish (Lepomis Megalotis)
Ohio Record: 0.20 Lb
IGFA World Record: 1Lb - 12oz
Common Names: Bluegill, Bream, Brim, Copper Nose
Common Names: Pumpkinseed, Punky, Pond Perch, Sun Bass
Common Names: Warmouth, Redeye, Red-eyed Brim, Stump Knocker
Common Names: Longear, Red-Bellied Bream, Red Perch, Blackear
