One of the things that I think is highly important to being a conservation minded angler is to understand the fish species in the waters you are fishing. This includes your target species, but not just them.
This is a book that just released last month. I may or may not have had it on preorder for months before that. If you’re a Virginia angler, or someone that fishes in Virginia, then this book should be on your list to purchase. This is a pretty comprehensive look at the freshwater species of Virginia whether they be native or introduced. This isn’t to say there are no issues with the book (I do have some questions about some fish listed as native that I am 90% certain are introduced), but I learned a ton from this book.
This book covers species from the tiniest darters and daces to the musky and striped bass. It’s important to know what fish are around you when you’re fishing. It lets you know information about water cleanliness, what the fish are eating, and just overall health of the water body. Information in the book includes life cycle information, feeding habits, and also abundance. The abundance is important when it comes to determining whether a fish should be a keeper or not.
Additionally, if you get into the sport of microfishing, a book like this can be an invaluable resource for fish identification as well as creating a target species list. I definitely plan to use this as a checklist once I get more into it to check off every species in the book as I travel around the Commonwealth.
Anyway, that’s it for today. Tight lines and all that.
Shenandoah Angling 