The spoonhead sculpin was first formally described as Cottopsis ricei by the American naturalist and ethnologist Edward William Nelson with its type locality given as Lake Michigan near Evanston in Cook County, Illinois.

Their fins are long and round and their coloration ranges from greenish brown to light yellow and they are white underneath and their bodies are speckled.

[7] The spoonhead sculpin does not contain a swim bladder which, allows it to rest on the bottom of lakes and rivers.

[9] The spoonhead sculpin can be found in Canada from southern Quebec to the Mackenzie River in the Northwest and Yukon Territories and in British Columbia.

However, due to the large amount of pollution in Lake Erie the spoonhead population there is dwindling.

[2] The spoonhead is also a native Montana fish that can be found in the St. Mary and Waterton river drainages of Glacier National Park.

[10] Spoonhead sculpins are found in fast flowing streams or in deep lakes.

[13] The spoonhead sculpin is sexually mature at two years of age when it gets to be about 7.0–8.0 cm in length.