Dominators of the World’s Lakes and Rivers

Freshwater fish are a diverse group of bony fish and are classified as living in freshwater areas like ponds, lakes, and rivers that have a salinity level of less than 1.05%. Although not as prevalent or colorful as saltwater fish, freshwater fish still make up nearly 41% of all fish with nearly 15,000 different species. Freshwater fish can survive in a wide variety of habitats depending on the species from the warm, flooding rivers of the Amazon rainforest to the frozen lakes of Northern Canada and are spread all across the globe.

Common cold freshwater fish species include the popular trout family of fish such as rainbow trout, brook trout, and brown trout. You can dive with these fish in the lakes and rivers of North America. Cool freshwater fish species include carp, pike, perch, eels, and bass, all found throughout the Americas and Europe. Warm freshwater fish species include bass, bluegill, catfish, goby’s, and crappies and are found across the globe. No matter where you scuba dive, lake, river, or quarry, you are sure to come across these popular freshwater fish species. Check out the map below to explore where to dive with some of the more popular specific freshwater fish around the world.

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Bass

Diving with freshwater bass is always fun as they can grow to be quite large and prefer warmer, shallow, clear water - find out where you can see them.

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Pike

Diving with pike is an unforgettable experience as they can grow quite large and are very pretty underwater - find out.

© Shutterstock-Rostislav Stefanek

Carp

Dive with carp today by visiting one of the dive sites on the map.

© Shutterstock-divedog

Trout

If you want to go diving with trout you better bring a thick wetsuit - find out where you can see them.

© iStock-wrangel

Eel

Eels are bottom dwellers so when diving with eels, look for them to be hiding in burrows, masses of plants, and between rocky substrate.

© Shutterstock-Rostislav Stefanek

Walleye

Want to go diving with the walleye? Find the best dive sites on the map.

© iStock-jpa1999

Perch

If you wish to go diving with perch, the spring is a great time to see them - find out where.

© Shutterstock-zsolt_uveges

Catfish

If you want to go diving with catfish, explore the map for dive sites

© Alamy-Mark Conlin

Salmon

If you have ever wanted to go diving with salmon, click here to discover dive sites where they can be seen.

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Flounder

If you want to go diving with hogchokers, click on the map.

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Sturgeon

If diving with sturgeons is on your bucket list, click on here to find the best dive sites.

© iStock-wrangel

Common Rudd

Originating from the carp family, Cyprinidae, the common rudd is indigenous to the freshwater lakes and rivers of Europe and Asia.

© iStock-DanBachKristensen

Char

The char fish, also known as Arctic char, is a close relative to the trout and salmon of North America.

© iStock-MikeLane45

European Bullhead

The tiny European bullhead is commonly found throughout England and Whales’ cold, freshwater streams, lakes, and rivers.

© iStock-hadot

European bitterling

The European bitterling is a small, common fish found throughout Europe’s shallow, freshwater dive sites.

© Shutterstock-Rostislav Stefanek

Tench

Tench, also known as doctor fish, are thick, heavy, large-growing fish with an olive green to black back and bronze underbelly and a carp-like shape.

© Shutterstock-Aleron Val

Stickleback

The stickleback is a small, scaleless fish found in the fresh, brackish, and marine waters of the Northern Hemisphere’s temperate regions.

© AdobeStock-Alex

Loach Goby

The loach goby is a medium-sized fish living in the tropical, fast-flowing streams in the mountainous regions of Asia.