Obviously we want everyone to use commonly accepted names for fish species so we can communicate effectively with each other. However, it is fun to learn local names for different species.

Beyond being fun, we might learn a lot from this discussion. We might learn the geographical range in which a certain term is used. We might also learn where the same term means different species.

I'll start. Almost everyone in SD calls goldeyes, skipjacks. Skipjack herring only get into SD in the Missouri River below Gavins Point Dam.

We can almost tell where fishermen are from with what they call white bass. Nebraskan's call them striped bass and Minnesotan's call them silver bass.

Minnesotan's and people from northeast SD call bluegills "sunnies" or sunfish.

While in Florida, people were catching "speckled catfish". It took me a long time to figure out that these were brown bullheads.

Norm Kopecky