Also known as the Kentucky bass, the spotted is native to eastern Kansas streams, mainly those that flow over limestone bottoms in the Flint Hills. It resembles the largemouth in coloration, with a more pronounced horizontal blotching and spots along the belly. The spotted bass acts more like a smallmouth when caught, fighting remarkably hard. The mouth extends to just below the eye. The Kansas record weighed 4 pounds, 7 ounces, and the world record is 10 pounds, 4 ounces.

Perhaps the most aggressive fish in Kansas waters, the wiper is a cross between a white bass and a striped bass. Wipers grow fast, strike hard, and fight like no other fish. There are two types of wipers, the palmetto bass made using the striped bass egg and white bass sperm, and the sunshine bass made using the white bass egg and striped bass sperm. The department stocks the palmetto bass version. The wiper, like its striper parent, has two rows of teeth near the rear of the tongue. The white bass has a single tooth patch on its tongue. The state record wiper weighed 22 pounds. The world record wiper is listed at 27 pounds, 5 ounces.

Common in nearly all Kansas' larger reservoirs, white bass are prolific and are generally found in large schools. While popular any time of the year, white bass are known for their spawning runs, which may take them miles upriver of the reservoir. Fishermen gather along the streams near the deeper pools and cast jigs and spinners for the hard fighting white. White bass are so numerous in most Kansas waters, there is no daily creel limit. The Kansas state record white bass weighed 5 pounds, 11 ounces. The world record is 6 pounds, 7 ounces.

The smallmouth is a hard-fighting sport fish native only to a few waters in the southeastern corner of Kansas. Introduced in several larger reservoirs, the smallmouth has adapted well and attracts a growing number of angler fans. Smallmouths prefer clear water and rocky structure. The mouth of the smallmouth extends to just below the eye. The world record smallmouth weighed a whopping 11 pounds, 15 ounces. The Kansas record is 6 pounds, 6 ounces.

A saltwater native, the striped bass has adapted well to freshwater existence and has prospered in several Kansas lakes. Striped bass don't reproduce in Kansas waters, however, populations are maintained through stocking programs. Stripers are legendary for their hard fighting nature and long, drag-sizzling runs. The Kansas state record is 43 pounds, 8 ounces. The freshwater world record is 67 pounds, 1 ounce.

As the name implies, this catfish has a broad, flat head with a jutting lower jaw. Also called the calico cat, the flathead is mottled brown to nearly yellow in color. Strictly predatory, the flathead is caught with live bait and occasionally lures, usually at night. The Kansas state record is also the world record. It was caught in 1998 from Elk City Reservoir and weighed 123 pounds.

Smaller than the other, more sought-after catfishes, the bullhead is brown/green in color and doesn't have the forked tail like the channel cat. Common in nearly all streams, lakes and ponds, the bullhead readily bites worms and stink bait and delights youngsters learning to fish. The state record is 7 pounds, 5 ounces. The world record is 8 pounds, 15 ounces.

The blue catfish looks much like the channel cat, except the blue has a humped back, a longer anal fin, and grows bigger. Blues are native to several rivers in northeastern Kansas including the Kansas and Missouri. Blues are seldom caught on the concoctions used for channel cats, preferring cut or live bait. The largest blue cat on record weighed 143 pounds. The Kansas record weighed 102.8 pounds.

The channel catfish is the bread and butter of Kansas fishing. Found in nearly all waters from large rivers and reservoirs to small prairie streams, good channel cat fishing is never far away. State lakes are also popular places to catch channel cats. Department hatcheries produce millions of channel cats each year. The state record channel cat weighed 36 pounds, 8 ounces. The world record is 58 pounds.

The walleye has become a highly-sought game fish for Kansas anglers and has been stocked in most federal reservoirs and some larger state and community lakes. To help maintain these fisheries, millions of young walleye are collected and stocked each spring by department biologists and culturists. The state record weighed 13 pounds, 3 ounce. The world record is 22 pounds, 11 ounces.