Sturgeons

Heteroceral tail (upper lobe is larger)

-5 rows of bony plates

-Long snout, barbels in front of ventral mouth

-mouth protrusible, tubelike, with no teeth

Lampreys

-oral disk instead of jaws

-no paired ins, two dorsal fins

-seven gill openings on side

Mooneye + Goldeye

-body laterally compressed

-deep body, but flat, with far baxk dorsal

-long anal fin, ventral keel

-Goldeye have 9 dorsal rays, start of anal is even with start of dorsal

-Mooneye have 11-12, anal starts below center of dorsal

Pike

-long flat snout, slender body

-sharp toothed jaws

-dorsal fin far back on body

Burbot or Ling Cod

-one chin barbel

-pelvic in front of pectoral (only one)

-two dorsal fins, long anal, and round caudal fin

-superficially naked, but with minute cycloid scales

Salmon, Trout, Whitefish

-adipose fin in front of end of anal

-no fin spines

-no pelvic/pectoral fin overlap

-pelvic fin behind dorsal

-small fleshy appendage above pelvic

Trout- Perch

-adipose fin origin behind end of anal

-pectoral fin overlaps pelvic fin base

-weak spined in dorsal and anal

-scales weakly ctenoid

-will not get big

Sticklebacks

-dorsal fin preceded by spines

-pelvic fin if present has a single spine

Suckers

-inferior or subterminal mouth, no teeth

-with thick fleshy lips with plicae (ridges) or papillae (bumps)

-dorsal fin 10 or more rays

-distance from anal fin to tip of snout is approx 2.5 times the distace from anal to base of caudal

-Mouth terminal or subtermina, not fleshy like sucher, no teeth

-dorsal fin less than 10 rays (except carp and goldfish)

-distance from anal fin to tip of snout is less than 2.5 times the distance from the anal to base of caudal

-carp and goldfish differ in appearance

North American FW catfishes

-body without scals

-4 pairs anterior barbells

-pectoral fin has a hard spinous ray

Sculpins

-naked, no scales, but may have prickles

-large head with flared appearance

-eyes are close together dorsally

-two dorsals, 1st weakly spinous, 2nd soft

-pelvic fin is thoracic if present

Perch, Walleye, Sauger, Darters

-have a spiny 1st dorsal and a soft 2nd dorsal which are separated by a gap

-one or two flexible anal spines

-ctenoid scales

Sunfish and Black Basses

-have a spiny 1st dorsal and a soft 2nd which are connected by tissue and not separated by a gap

Livebearers

-adipose fin absent

-caudal fin rounded

-lateral line not visible

-no spines in fins

-common aquarium fish

Cichlids

-caudal fin rounded

-dorsal fin continuous with spins in teh anterior portion

-anal fin with three spines

Pacific Herring

-no ateral line

-ventral scales are sharp edged giving the body a saw-tooth margin

-marine, used as bait

smelt

-small, slender, silver

-large scales, well developed teeth

-no fleshy appendage above pelvic

-marine, sold as bait

Prosopium wiliamsoni

Mountain Whitefish

-Large scales (less than 100 in lateral line)

-mouth subterminal/inferior

-Tail shalow forked, no  Dorsal fins doesn't extend past base

Coregonus clupeaformis

Lake Whitefish

-Large scales (less than 100 in lateral line)

-mouth subterminal/inferior

-Tail deeply forked, shallow V between head and body. Dorsal fins extend past base

Goldeye-

Mooneye- 11-12 dorsal rays, anal starts below center of dorsal

Goldeye- have 9 dorsal rays, start of anal is even with start of dorsal

Small scales, Dark spots on light background

Oncorhynchus aquabonita

Golden trout

-no halos, no red slash

-adults usually with parr marks, sides and belly yellow to rosy-red, very small embedded scales

Oncorhynchus clarki

Cutthroat Trout

-red slash on throat, spots below the lateral line on posterior of body closer together than on anterior

Oncorhynchus mykiss

Rainbow Trout

-Many small dark spots above and below lateral line, sides and belly silvery to yellowish green, may have red band or rainbow color on lateral line

Salmo salar

Atlantic Salmon

-sids and belly silver, small x-shaped spots on side

Salmo trutta

Brown trout

-many dark spots surrounded by halos

Light spots on a dark background

Salvelinus alpinus

Arctic Char

-Deeply forked cauda fin

-body with light spots but no red spots

-light spots only on body (none on head/fins)

Salvelinus confluentus

Bull trout

-no vermiculations

-caudal not deeply forked,

-body with light spots and some red

-pectoral and pelvic fins with white border

-spots pink to cream/yellow

-body rounded (not compressed)

-eye near dorsal margin of the head

-upper jaw with a downward curve

-head appearing relatively broad in dorsal and anterior views, gillrakers stout and with teeth on inner margins

Salvelinus fontinalis

Brook trout

-caudal not deeply forked, light and some red spots

-vermiculations on back and dorsal fin,

-pectoral fins with white followed by black border

-pink or red spots with blues halos on sides

-body laterally compressed

Salvelinus malma

Dolly Varden

-no vermiculations

-caudal not deeply forked,

-body with light spots and some red

-pectoral and pelvic fins with white border

-spots pink to cream/yellow

-body rounded (not compressed)

-eye below dorsal margin o the head

-upper jaw relatively straight

-head appearing compressed in dorsal and anterior views

Salvelinus namaycush

Lake Trout

-deeply forked caudal fin, body with light spots but no red spots

-body, head and fins profusely covered with irregular light spots

TROUT OR SALMON?

Trout/Char = anal fin 12 rays or less

Salmon anal fin 13 or more rays

Oncorhynchus gobuscha

Pink

-small scales, more than 200 in lateral line

Oncorhynchus keta

Chum

-normal sized scales (100-160)

-scales uneven in size and irregularly placed

-no silver in tail (or only in rays)

-few or no black spots

-white tip on anal fin

Oncorhynchus kisutch

Coho

-100-160 scales

-scales unever in size and irregularly placed

-silver in tail, black spots on body, and no white tip on anal fin

-silver half way to end of tail

-spots on head and top half of tail

-black mouth with white gums, square tail

Oncorhynchus nerka

Sockeye

-scales in even rows and pretty much the same size

-100-160 scales

Oncorhynchus tshawytscha

Chinook

-100-160 scales

-scales unever in size and irregularly placed

-silver in tail, black spots on body, and no white tip on anal fin

-silver all through, spots on head and all of tail

-black mouth with black gums

-moderate fork in tail

Arctic Grayling

-large dorsal fin with more than 16 rays

-dorsal fin is as long or longer than head length

1)measure and weigh

2)collect scales

3)open fish by cutting from anal opening to lower jaw

-check sex and maturity

-examine stomach contents

4)Collect the operculum, pectoral fins, pelvic fins, dorsal and anal fin

5)remove otoliths

MATURITY

0.5/11 = unknown (before after spawning)

1-5 = female, 6-10 = male

-scales

-otoliths

-fin section, cleithrum, opercula

Bait casting = tangling/bird nesting... not casting much.. can throw out bait

Spinning (open faced) = very nice, spend more for quality

Spinning (closed face) - older, not s good... stay away

Fly fishing - little weight, energy in line, fight /w line not reel

Trolling - big version bait casting.. pull /w boat

Down riggers = device to help get gear down for trolling system (lead)

Bow Fishing = legal soe places... non-game fish... used for carp

Rod Materials

-fiberglass (new, stiff)

-graphite (most popular, can reduce weight, more flexible, many fly rods)

-greenheart (wooden, expensive)

-bamboo (can be done well or poorly, many fly rods)

all synthetic

Monofilament- lighter end

multifilament- combined

braided - much stronger

lead core - really really deep (trolling)

FLY LINES

-level/double taper... not good for distance

-weight forward/bass or bug taper = distance, splashes

-shooting taper- very exaggerated weight... long long distance

-Spoons (spoon shaped)

-spinners

-plugs (plug a hole.. after more predatious fish)

-jigs

FLY

-wet (sinks)

-dry (floats)

-nymph (sinks)

streamer (immitate fish (sinks))

auger digs hole in ice

-rest are for multiple holes

Define:

Hook, barbless hook, hook size, bait, bait ban, sportfishing, snagging, culling

ENTANGLEMENT

-Gill nets

-Trammel nets (gill net + baggy)

-ice netting

ENTRAPMENT
-hoop and fyke nets

-trap and pot gears

weirs

HOOK AND LINE GEARS

-long lines

DRAGGED/TOWED

-trawls (surface, midwater, bottom)

-dredges (lik a trawl)

-towed/trolling lines

SURROUNDING/ENCIRCLING

-seines (beach, purse,, lampara)

-frame nets

-lift nets

-catch and drop nets

***NEVER USE FLOATING NET FOR ICE FISHING

EQUIPMENT
-backpack, float, boat

-create a current b/w want and beaver tail

-shouldn't harm fish

-if you fall, throw wand

-need CPR, insulation, training

-Surber sampler - quantitative... what fish eat... inverts per unit area

Ekman grab and screen bucket

habitat consideration gear (chem kits, water sampler , etc)

1)Algae (ie. red tide)(water quality effect)

2)Fungi (chronic, progressive, fatal infections

3)Protozoa

4)Cnidarians (Whirling Disease)

5)Monogenetic Trematodes (very small, no suckers)

6)Digenetic Trematodes (flattened, suckers present)

7)Cestodes (head has suckers, hooks ,etc, dorso-ventral flattening)

8)Nematodes (cyindrical body, no attachment organs)

9)Acanthocephala (cylindrical body, worms)

10)Gordiacea

11)Leeches

12)Copepods (sea lice)

13)Glochidia (larval clams)

14)Lampreys

15)Virus

16)Bacteria

*Broad tapeworm Diphyllobothrium latum is the only fish parasite occurring in AB that is known to infect humans