Publisher Description

Make identifying fish easy and enjoyable. This field guide by Dan Johnson features detailed information about 85 types of Colorado fish, and the book's waterproof pages make it perfect for the dock or boat. Identify your catches with the intricately detailed fish illustrations, and verify them using the "Similar Species" comparison features. Then read fascinating facts on spawning behavior, feeding habits and more. Plus, match up your best catches against the state and North American records. With inside information for locating fishing hotspots, this book is essential for every tackle box, beach bag, RV and cabin.

Author Biography

Dan Johnson is an author and lifelong student of freshwater fish and fishing. For nearly two decades he has brought North American anglers breaking news on the latest scientific research, fishing techniques and related technology. Dan is a longtime attendee of American Fisheries Society annual conferences and related symposia. He is a syndicated weekly newspaper columnist, and has published more than 200 feature articles nationwide in the pages of North American Fisherman, Walleye In-Sider and other publications. Dan has also made numerous fishing-related TV appearances on ESPN2. Above all, he is a passionate angler who enjoys spending time on the water with his family, patterning fish behavior and observing how these fascinating creations interact with one another in the underwater web of life.

Table of Contents

How To Use This Book Fish Identification Fish Anatomy Fish Names About Colorado Fish Frequently Asked Questions Whirling Disease Fun With Fish Opportunities For Nonresidents Catch-And-Release Fishing Fish Measurement Colorado State Record Fish Fish Consumption Advisories Sample Page Catfish Family Drum Family Eel Family Herring Family Minnow Family Perch Family Pike Family Salmon Family Sculpin Family Silverside Family Smelt Family Stickleback Family Sucker Family Sunfish Family Temperate Bass Family Topminnow Family Glossary Index Helpful Resources About the Author

Long Description

Make identifying fish easy and enjoyable. This field guide by Dan Johnson features detailed information about 85 types of Colorado fish, and the book's waterproof pages make it perfect for the dock or boat. Identify your catches with the intricately detailed fish illustrations, and verify them using the "Similar Species" comparison features. Then read fascinating facts on spawning behavior, feeding habits and more. Plus, match up your best catches against the state and North American records. With inside information for locating fishing hotspots, this book is essential for every tackle box, beach bag, RV and cabin.

Excerpt from Book

Largemouth Bass Micropterus salmoides Family: Sunfish family (Centrarchidae) Other Names: green bass, green trout, slough bass Description: dark green back, greenish sides often with dark lateral band; belly white to gray; large, forward-facing mouth; lower jaw extends to rear margin of eye Habitat: shallow, fertile, weedy lakes and river backwaters; weedy bays and extensive weedbeds of larger lakes Range: southern Canada through central U.S. into Mexico; widely introduced; warmwater fisheries in Colorado Food: small fish, frogs, crayfish, insects, leeches Reproduction: matures at 3 to 5 years of age; spawns when water temperatures reach 60 degrees, male builds nest in 2 to 8 feet of water, usually on firm bottom in weedy cover; female deposits 2,000 to 40,000 eggs, which the male fans and guards; eggs hatch in about 3 to 4 days; male protects fry until the "brood swarm" disperses Average Size: 12 to 20 inches, 1 to 5 pounds Records: State--11 pounds, 6 ounces, Echo Canyon Reservoir, 1997; North American--22 pounds, 4 ounces, Montgomery Lake, Georgia, 1932 Notes: The Largemouth Bass was introduced to Colorado in 1878. From the time it begins feeding, 5 to 8 days after hatching, it is an aggressive predator. Young bass eat tiny creatures such as copepods, waterfleas and insect larvae. Before the end of the first growing season, fish are added to the menu. Biologists estimate a bass must eat 4 pounds of forage to produce 1 pound of body weight. Largemouths are typically uncommon in depths greater than 20 feet, but clear-water western reservoirs can provide exceptions. Similar Species: Smallmouth Bass (pg. 138), Spotted Bass (pg. 140) Largemouth Bass: mouth extends well beyond non-red eye Smallmouth Bass: mouth does not extend beyond red eye Spotted Bass: jaw does not extend much beyond eye

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