Rivergator Atchafalaya Appendix 19:

Fish Names in Atchafalaya Basin:

Fish Names in Atchafalaya

Crawfish - That's CRAWfish, if you say CRAYfish in South Louisiana you will give yourself away as a yankee (anyone not from South Louisiana).

Gou-Jaune - Flathead (Pylodictis olivaris), "yellow gou" the flathead catfish, the most sought-after fish in the Atchafalaya Basin. Also known as or Appaloosa, Opelousas, Yellow Cat, or Shovelhead in other parts. They prefer live bait and inhabit fast-flowing water.

Poisson Arme - "armed fish" the garfish.

Sac au lait - “Bag of Milk,” Cajun name for crappie, black or white

Yellow Bullhead, Black Bullhead - small, common cats, and considered trash fish. These are your "mud cats."

Cypress Trout - Choupique - the Bowfin fish. Choupique is a derivative of the Choctaw Indians’ “shupik”, which aptly means “mud fish.” (Amia calva)

Green Trout - Large Mouth Bass

Speckled Trout - or spotted weakfish is Cynoscion nebulosus. Salt water favorite. This is the trout from which the popular New Orleans dish Trout Almondine is traditionally made.

White Trout - is a salt water fish related to speckled trout

Brown Trout - the kind of trout seen below outhouses and hunting camps

Redfish - Red Drum, the other much sought after coastal fish.

Atchafalaya River

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