[4] The body shape is superficially similar to the cyprinids, although it is distinguished by having both the adipose fin and axillary process of salmonids.

The body is slender and nearly cylindrical in cross section, generally silver with a dusky olive-green shade dorsally.

Mountain whitefish are demersal feeders,[7] stirring up the substrate with pectoral and tail fins to expose insect larvae and other invertebrates, including snails, crayfish, and amphipods.

The mountain whitefish frequently feeds in the lower strata of streams, but populations may rise to the surface to prey on hatching insects, including mayflies.

Efficacy of these counting strategies can vary, but in combination they could provide vital data to ensure that mountain whitefish populations continue to stay at healthy levels.

Similar to other native salmonids, mountain whitefish have received backlash because anglers believe that they are competing for food and spawning resources for more popular introduced species, like brook trout (Idaho).

Due to common misconceptions, some native mountain whitefish populations have been decimated by both management agencies and anglers alike.