The Prettiest Freshwater Fish: 5 Stunning Species You Need to See

From artfully colored brook trout to flamboyant pumpkinseed, these amazing freshwater fish prove visual beauty isn’t just found around coral reefs.

From spots to stripes to dazzling colors, these fish have captured our hearts with their good looks. These five made our list of the prettiest fish in fresh water. | Ken Baldwin

If you asked people why they fish, it's probably for relaxation, enjoyment or to get enough fillets for a fish fry. Unless you're my mom, you wouldn't say "because fish are pretty." But some of them are downright gorgeous. Here are the "fin"-alists for our prettiest fish contest.

Tiger Muskie: Vicious Predator in Stunning Stripes

The tiger muskie is half pike, half muskie and all beauty. | Joe Shead

Muskies, the undisputed kings of freshwater gamefish, are sharp-dressed critters. So are their close cousins, the northern pike. But mix them together, and you get a fish as handsome as it is fun to catch. Tiger muskies are naturally occurring (and sometimes artificially reared and stocked) hybrids between pike and muskies. They have gorgeous olive green and gold striping. Named for their striping, tigers could be named for their appetites. They are fast growing and ravenous feeders and thus, are easier to catch than the wary muskie. Those gorgeous bars make the tiger one of our favorite fish.

Brook Trout: Natural Work of Art

Members of the char family develop gorgeous spawning colors, as this brook trout shows. | Chase McCoy

You can't talk about beautiful fish without mentioning members of the char family. That family of cold water lovers features two species that make our list, including the widespread brook trout. Brookies live in cold, clear streams. Originally found in the eastern part of the country, they have been widely stocked in the west as well. Brookies are always pretty, but especially so when males dress to the nines to attract females for the fall spawn. A male brookie in full spawning colors is a sight to behold. He's got a bright-orange belly, dazzling red fins with white edging and speckles of yellow and red across his body; the red speckles encircled with blue halos. Even Picasso couldn't have dreamed up such an elaborate color scheme!

Pumpkinseed Sunfish: Freshwater’s Flashy Showstoppers

The pumpkinseed sunfish is one of the prettiest panfish in North America. | Joe Shead

Next on our list, the pumpkinseed sunfish. Record scratch. The pumpkinseed? Have you ever SEEN a longear sunfish? Or an orange-spotted sunfish? They're every bit as pretty! And the author's response is, "No, I haven't. But I have caught and photographed lots of pumpkinseed, so that's why I picked it.”

With all due respect to all those sunfish species, be they pumpkinseeds, orange-spotted or longear, these are some of the prettiest fish that swim. They look like they would be at home on a coral reef. All three are cloaked in an exquisite display of orange, complemented by powder blue. It's kind of like the tuxedos worn by Harry and Lloyd in Dumb and Dumber ... but done much more tastefully!

Arctic Char: Spawning Colors Designed to Dazzle

Closely related to the, brook trout, the arctic char goes through a stunning color phase. | Ken Baldwin

The arctic char just has to make the list because, well, wow! Much like the closely related brook trout, a male in full spawning colors has an impossibly orange belly with those same red fins with white trim. Like the brookie, he's also got a dazzling array of spots on his body. But with his larger size, the overall appearance is even more stunning, especially given that orange siren that blares "look at me!" Yeah, so these circumpolar fish are anadromous, meaning they spend time in saltwater too, but there are landlocked fresh water populations, so they make the list. And, fun fact: did you know that a hybrid between a brook trout and an arctic char is called a "sparctic char?" Look it up! They would make some really colorful kids!

Lake Sturgeon: Ancient Giants with Unique Beauty

The lake sturgeon won't win any beauty contests, but for devout sturgeon anglers, beauty is in the eye of the rod holder. | Joe Shead

And rounding out our competition is the ... lake sturgeon? Are you kidding me? All right, all right, the lake sturgeon isn't likely to win any beauty contests. I may concede that they are more adorable than pretty. But for those of us who adore these hard-fighting relics of the dinosaur age, beauty is in the eye of the rod holder.

They've got barbels and a sucker-like mouth under their pointy snouts. They have rows of armor-like plates called "scutes" that are sharp when they're young but mellow out and get smoother when the fish get older. And like sharks, most of their skeleton is made of cartilage, not bone. Considering their trademark features, maybe sturgeon fall into that "so ugly they’re cute" category—like Spielberg’s E.T. Actually, now I’m picturing Schwarzenegger’s Predator.

What makes these fish super cool is they have survived for millions of years. Damming and pollution nearly wiped them out, but folks who cared about these long-lived fish stepped in to restore their populations. Today, they are doing well in some areas and coming back.

They can live for more than100 years and weigh more than 200 pounds. And when you hook up with one ... well, let's just say you may never bother trying for muskies again. Sturgeon get so much bigger and stronger that their fight is hard to match.

So yeah, they're not technically pretty. But lake sturgeon are cool and they shine with an inner beauty. And it’s my list.