game fish
Sport-caught swimming prey
A game fish is a species valued by anglers for the sport it provides—typically fish that fight hard when hooked or require skill to catch.
Bass, trout, marlin, and tarpon are classic game fish.
The designation often carries legal significance, with game fish subject to licensing requirements, size limits, and catch restrictions that don't apply to ordinary food fish.
- marlinSpear-snouted game fish
- anglingRecreational hook-and-line pursuit
- sportfishingRecreational pursuit of fish
- bassDeep pitch or fish
- world recordHighest documented achievement globally
catch and release · tarpon · salmon · muskellunge · pike · light tackle · migratory patterns · permit · reel · tuna · saltwater · snook · estuaries · rod · charter · deep-sea · catch · strike
game fishbycatch
Non-target species caught accidentally
food fish · discards · bait fish · baitfish · forage fish
game fishtrash fish
Commercially undesirable catch
rough fish · carp · bowfin · bycatch · sucker
game fishforage fish
Small prey species
baitfish · feeder fish · minnow · shiner · shad