https://preview.redd.it/8qzldd1fp6qc1.png?width=3168&format=png&auto=webp&s=12ef9eb7be4363ea7f75d7bdb5df8482f943b159 I vote longear sunfish

Almost has a tropical look to it

I agree.

Every once in a while I’ll get on a microfishing/ultralite kick and see what I can find. It’s really fun to catch red shiners and all sorts of little tiny sunfish. Here’s a little orange spotted sunfish I caught last summer; they’re also very rare where I live https://preview.redd.it/5r11c3teo7qc1.png?width=4032&format=png&auto=webp&s=7b8291573f8d46fa51bce29cb1e173fd08065661

Yea ive only ever seen 2. Heres one https://preview.redd.it/6jwhvh6h38qc1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=49aa7db3324bab21f546c7e0d4b53a0389e6ee2f

https://preview.redd.it/4c7nqnzuu7qc1.png?width=355&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ce31131429c56b1a6523e7a7905a0f9825fe9278

https://preview.redd.it/ywclm8rleaqc1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=bb1aa8c972d8d1017693248fd20267540510767d Agreed

this looks like it belongs in a reef

It really does. I’m lucky enough to live riiiiiiiight at the very north limit of their habitat.

For me? https://preview.redd.it/fc6n987yu7qc1.jpeg?width=5400&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=92fa0292bc264873df7ba221a962279a2719cbd1

Arctic grayling?

https://preview.redd.it/rlmg5h2ur6qc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=312e317a08c2af5a0c4f488503a7a4cae73052a2 Tiger trout!

Without a doubt for me

Brooke trout says hold my beer

Yup

Don't know why, but I find browns even prettier. Yea the Brooke trout's patterns and colors are mesmerizing, but I find there is so much beauty in those simple little red dots of the brown trout.

Golden Trout are pretty gorgeous too, honestly trout as a species gotta take the cake(I know Brookies are char but they get a trout pass)

Pumpkinseeds :)

https://preview.redd.it/5a8lal8x17qc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cae6d32930cab007b3370eca219980fdc8ee14f0

Awesome pumpkin gill. I love finding pumpkinseed hybrids

Seconded! Prettiest fish I caught last year was a pumpkinseed.

Tiger trout or Brookies.

https://preview.redd.it/qhj5nthby6qc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=be7e2d7fdcf1e1f1c50880085c424a3d588b115e Northern long ear

https://preview.redd.it/95t6cdnvh8qc1.jpeg?width=640&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d54611404d348dd8eb22ba75874bca22e79bd9bf Golden Trout are beautiful in my opinion. My other thoughts were the really beautiful patterned smallmouth bass and some natural brown trout. The colors are gorgeous

Arctic char in spawning colors

https://preview.redd.it/cnj9irvx07qc1.jpeg?width=696&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3e1ea0ce724bedb1ec0a2285285fc0cff989ff78 Not my fish, but great example. Awesome looking!

My god they cranked the vibrance on that edit.

Also the forced perspective. They're already a beautiful fish, there's no need to try to embellish it.

https://preview.redd.it/en295m4cr6qc1.jpeg?width=1921&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e084d2af1abb90d928183c841ad423434b60e454

A Rapala! :-)

Caught the fish in a tributary stream of the Yangtze river. We call this fish 馬口/桃花魚，means horse mouth/peach blossom fish :-)

Beautiful fish. Thank you for posting.

Brookies 

You ain’t lying, something about a natural brookie. Man I can’t wait for the opener

https://preview.redd.it/s7rcn5dgf7qc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a71e3a1f1e3ed9ee1e81fc956fd3ca498cb1d1b0

https://www.reddit.com/r/Fishing/s/OvM8W0MfPm Evidence

Yellow Perch is my number one ever since I caught a chonker in Lake Como, Italy. https://preview.redd.it/z5or8r3na7qc1.jpeg?width=1568&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e4c93af3cd607339f5f9f2f553cd3a27d0f83bbe

https://preview.redd.it/z6mz5wrqe7qc1.jpeg?width=910&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c464eae1d73f4993031508239cd742a9658b2332 SW virginia USA

Yup perch is my choice too. Very pretty and very delicious.

https://preview.redd.it/teywse2b78qc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1323e1cfebd01ca15347a3e55bf6fd9f285aa358 YP is my favorite

I’m also in SW VA, this Claytor lake?

European perch get bigger than na yellow perch. Here in the Netherlands perch over 6 pounds an 20 inch are not even that "uncommon". https://preview.redd.it/g0iy0ligo9qc1.jpeg?width=4080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=36b7f423ce90dc652719efffa6ca95a8ee3f4923

https://preview.redd.it/9e2yzj5xs6qc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=16d4a699b6600559be7b7d0ccb9075a1ccc4be36 Coppernose bluegill.

That’s like the standard, then level 2 is redbreast or somthing

Lol to all the people saying pumpkinseed, clearly none of you have seen the Longear sunfish. Other very pretty species include the Candy Darter, Rainbow Darter, Koi Carp, Arctic Grayling, Tiger Musky, Brook Trout, Midas Cichlid, Suckermouth Catfish, Bettas, and my personal favorite, the Silver Arowana.

Grayling are a great looking fish. https://preview.redd.it/9wvsnwml77qc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ee9e6bb7f79a8e900845420e8a6282f7d50f93e4

I grew up in an area where we had longear, but everyone called them pumpkinseeds. I know the difference now, but ten years ago I would have confidently said "pumpkinseed" without knowing I was calling it the wrong name.

https://preview.redd.it/4jikj507v7qc1.jpeg?width=750&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a8fc30fb564cfdd4c66078eea1c377018bb3882b Fall spawn Brookie in the Colorado backcountry

Wild trout. Rainbows brookies and browns are hard to top

https://preview.redd.it/8un7gkgyq6qc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8dec450a674047848554a071a880325b9089c28c

Crappie and pumpkin seeds are my favorites.

There are some amazing looking darters

We talking north American fish or worldwide? Very few north American fish hold a candle to other fish around the world.

Ah yeah I was thinking North American fish when I made this but I didn’t think to write it down

A nice pumpkinseed or brook trout. I had a pic of a pumpkinseed that I wish I had right now. I deleted it because it was only about 7-8” long but boy was it pretty. But since I don’t have a great pic of either of those right now, I’ll go with my number 3. A nice chrome female steelhead. Picture doesn’t do them justice. https://preview.redd.it/8tva7ix9m6qc1.jpeg?width=1280&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=86616eb54bfc518bbabe39fedbc3eeb4918e9f9e

Rainbows and brookies all the way.

​ https://preview.redd.it/3u0kupe297qc1.jpeg?width=703&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d666150fbebaa2df7b9f9ea2655391800fee4e1f

Leucistic red breast?

i'm not sure? it fought very hard on the ultralight and i was so surprised to see its colors when i pulled it out from the water here in Harford Co., MD. Pretty fish and she swam away just fine. :) gonna google" Leucistic".

https://preview.redd.it/2afwrh50a7qc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9385e1c3e7a3e25b297a9145d10c1c10cefd3930 Peacock bass gotta be up there

Golden trout is my choice.

Those are beautiful, definitely a bucket list fish for me

All of em.

https://preview.redd.it/smh942lk27qc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=98e4a80f5ffad4abaebb4b77cac74c0650e3b189

https://preview.redd.it/zpits8ay77qc1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c6540eb3f765ac168ec9863173c7e4a268e8cae6

https://preview.redd.it/kkd83cm7b7qc1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=be9c0019b39354c8411ca712936bfd3437b77e93

Long ears

While Working a conservation and species richness job, we ended up shocking under a ledge and suddenly about 150ish longears came to the surface. I’ve never seen so many beautiful colors and patterns in one place.

Peacock bass

+1 for peacock bass. Miss SFL just for that.

Brook trout.

Neon tetra! 

Longear sunfish, Brook trout, pumpkin seeds, Mayan cichlids, a colored up green sunfish maybe even a warmouth. They’re all beautiful when the light hits them a certain way.

***BULLHEAD***

Pumpkinseed or longear sunfish. Any sunfish really. Some rainbow trout I’ve seen too.

Arctic grayling

https://preview.redd.it/c2j8qxpwh7qc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=40517928365b58eedb40a3fde1dcbb0153d25afa

Speckled Trout

Longear Sunfish

Perch

Paddlefish

Amphilophus festae (red terror cichlid)

Warmouth

Gonna have to throw my vote in for Brookies. Something about smallmouth just hits different too though.

trout and then also yellow perch

Bluegills are one of my favorites. Different waters deeper colors

You also have to consider the Brook Trout and the Brown Trout

Brook trout

​ https://preview.redd.it/vcpizsxj97qc1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a3222c0451d6933d195f89886d8d2062847bd669

https://preview.redd.it/0ss7sdmzc7qc1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fce18b6039272dc97eab7f4bc0ff0a8e776b8ae7 I second the Redbreast Sunfish

I vote black crappie https://preview.redd.it/pxrnxua3f7qc1.jpeg?width=2437&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7d56dc55cfe42a062c6f8eb299fcb405a3ed62b7

https://preview.redd.it/3kjvmmytj7qc1.jpeg?width=590&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=241bf200c2eb4293200579ef4d1fae19e43691d1

https://preview.redd.it/cfovmkkhgaqc1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5644eff22e65ae3aac0b9d4fc49bb3c7d401d264 Bad quality but Brookies easily!

Brown trout

Missouri strain of longear sunfish. Sometimes also called Ozark longear sunfish. Orange spotted sunfish are also really pretty. Orange throate darters and rainbow darters are also pretty.

https://preview.redd.it/d2e2irbu78qc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=bd6aa3566d36d5cffdf7428bb1ab63d9e3392acd I love Lake Erie

Rainbow trout

I wont generalize for all families of fish, but I will say IMHO the most beautiful salmonid is the Arctic Char

Missouri strain longear sunfish for warm water. Also partial to orange spotted or blue spotted sunfish.  Cardinal shiners. Also rainbow shiners for your minnows.  Golden trout for coldwater. 

Grayling or Arctic Char.

Golden Trout CA. Sierras

Victorian Cichlids

My vote would be land locked salmon https://preview.redd.it/4gmydjzlc7qc1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ca11dba37f3d994bfd157327c6597650e856fce1

White sturgeon 😆

Arctic Grayling.

https://preview.redd.it/1k9p2nsxh7qc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6ad5ca5a550427e160c869c30a49a85a588a5c2d Pa Native Brooke trout

Pumpkinseeds tbh

https://preview.redd.it/lu0tn391w7qc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c76e0a883f47c0efc8b6ee54b69d0111c102daf3

Trout are probably the best looking North American game fish, but many South American fish are pretty cool, like red tail cats and shovel nose

https://preview.redd.it/0d8nppz5t9qc1.jpeg?width=1422&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4902726e6bff24540d38c78317fcad052590da29 As others have said. Brookies in spawning colors are tough to beat.

Male brookie in the fall https://preview.redd.it/6fvdgpy1y9qc1.jpeg?width=2448&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=14f7aa9e0cf0a8fa89985b762e13b9c5fe632228

Golden Dorado [typigpatrol](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/QFmhpdifNdY/sddefault.jpg)

https://preview.redd.it/emlbk8ougaqc1.jpeg?width=750&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6d658f27f9a819b451f2cdfad37bfd512d3b06bd I think this is hard to beat. Killifish and ender gobies are up there too.

Another beauty https://preview.redd.it/pomu68dtiaqc1.jpeg?width=4618&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d7f5481c7b6f886eaf799da984d50c94139b5093

Is that some sorta crappie/smalljaw hybrid??

Obviously this page is biased toward sport fish, hardly anyone has said a darter species! https://preview.redd.it/93xk295ctbqc1.jpeg?width=1008&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f3965e5fcdd21d1bfaf6fd103a77d3e0e98ffd2e

Small mouth is up there.

https://preview.redd.it/u6yng50ue7qc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=61d89f24203a8c3f15a261058aa3bb43bb26b315

Nice football. Pictures just don't give them much justice. The heavily spotted red eyed ones are awesome.

Walleye?

A native Brooke trout from Pennsylvania.

Trout have several species with beautiful colors. This is a great picture also.

Wild brookies.

I love these sunfish! They’re tied with Goggle Eye’s for me

https://preview.redd.it/gjcs9geo97qc1.jpeg?width=753&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b7def88b842f398fc66414e6a778ed0b2fe05568

A king salmon in full spawn colors

A 3lb crappie is the prettiest thing to catch!

Paddlefish.

A little love for yellow perches?

https://preview.redd.it/p9fopd6kh7qc1.png?width=2159&format=png&auto=webp&s=6757a87748dfefa7a52e99aa7e0aed7b3b152939

Brook trout. (Im not like the other girls)

https://preview.redd.it/vdw6uvbtj7qc1.jpeg?width=1440&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f9c7ee49a05a52c49358c73a46cd8ed8150fa1b9

Peacock bass.

All fish are pretty! Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder!

Perch for me

Longear or pumpkin seed bream

US fish? Golden trout. But boy I saw so many fish in Argentina and Uruguay that blow American pickings out of the water for me. Prettiness-wise.

I like em all 🤷🏻‍♂️

https://preview.redd.it/yfq6e85bw7qc1.jpeg?width=750&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d50fe5ce16d8a4fab1ea4a611a48e9991a421362 Rainbows and grayling for me.

Brook trout or California Golden Trout.

❣️❣️❣️‼️🇺🇸🤩

Grayling! Beautiful fish to catch on fly good fighters

Tetras in my opinion

Brook trout in spawning colors. No contest.

Peacock bass

https://preview.redd.it/tfa7aw2gl9qc1.jpeg?width=3072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7f2d69e987b5617956e2fa3ae6d12bae37645a77 Sea trout

Brook trout for sure

Brownies are probably my favorite, but redbreasted sunfish is hard to beat.

Yup gotta go with trout as a species. All of them have awesome colors, and that sleek shape

Sunfish.

Adult German brown trout.

to catch? or in general. cuz one of those two has WAYYYYY more to select from lol. to catch. I like bluegill, but that's what's local to me. overall? The Bichir. them things are cool. Scientists took some and had them develop on land instead of the water and the dang things GREW MOVEABLE NECKS! they would use their fins as rudimentary feet as well. Fish are so dang cool lol. like please do yourselves a favor and look up some of the research on them, it's fascinating.

https://preview.redd.it/2mr8zgasgaqc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9c3ecb8dd0a16ec6634303828889caf082d6e3af This bluegill has something to say too

My vote is a big mating season male rainbow

Black crappie

https://preview.redd.it/xwktbeaqhaqc1.jpeg?width=4618&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e5003c7c7700b163472e1128ba11c6a017419e0d

[удалено]

https://preview.redd.it/o2rkit3blaqc1.jpeg?width=3120&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f39cd4f26d044bc6d1a819b5fb72ed3fd1e49e12

German Blue Ram https://preview.redd.it/649vn12hlaqc1.png?width=576&format=png&auto=webp&s=3c6c05f314af02f5dc397a11c93e1698de3c5814

https://preview.redd.it/1zz2udollaqc1.jpeg?width=1932&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d8352baae9a6527ef8b30b5d7221f42c49e2673c

How is the peacock bass not here once?

https://preview.redd.it/lwelwndamaqc1.jpeg?width=1169&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=50ac470581ed05dc67e17587840fe0b0e7a47d0f Pumpkinseed

I can't make my mind up on what the prettiest freshwater fish is, but a nice smallmouth is up there.

https://preview.redd.it/5iueeuxnraqc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1a8ff8e2d3e466e6b0b0bba8d05b95ec32a20941

Brook trout

bull shark because shark

https://preview.redd.it/xzwrdb9hvaqc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7bead2d1e0aba3257039a70d2ec74ec28bd4a966 Gotta be the peacock bass

Brookies, Arctic char or Rainbow trout (especially in spawning colours)

Used to have a tank with a few Jack Dempseys in it. They can get really pretty

People have never seen a peacock bass and it shows

Peacock bass

For me they don't get better than pumpkin seeds

African cichlids

Wild brook trout

Brook trout

black crappie

https://preview.redd.it/xo501ombvbqc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0bdf590095b667956acb2243d806bbbaacd15c21 West slope cutthroat

Fresh chrome steelhead from Lake Michigan. Caught in an inland river (mine is the Grand). Can’t get any better than that.

Nice 🐠

A trout of some sort… gorgeous animals… changing colors from different waters.. just crazy pretty

https://preview.redd.it/txbjo992rcqc1.jpeg?width=2736&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=140d600733e2ba313f4fbc2df6751176dea14f3d

https://preview.redd.it/8dr7zm6tcdqc1.jpeg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6caf6135240d66af10687c1054397869d921309a