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35 species
- With so many waters scattered throughout the state, you may have wondered how it’s even possible to keep all of the different locations stocked with fish. To accomplish this ambitious feat, CPW manages 18 different fish hatcheries that raise some 35 species of cold- and warm-water fish.
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To accomplish this ambitious feat, CPW manages 18 different fish hatcheries that raise some 35 species of cold- and warm-water fish. Using a fleet of 80 specially designed pickup and semi trucks, CPW stocks around 90 million fish annually. Each semi truck can carry up to 6,000 pounds of fish.
The U.S. State of Colorado is home to 101 fishes, 55 of which are native. [1] . Twenty-three native species are threatened or endangered at either the federal or state level. [2] .
Common NameScientific NameDescriptionConservation StatusAnguilla rostrataNot native to southern Colorado, usually ...ENCarpiodes carpioNative to eastern Colorado, river ...LCCarpiodes cyprinusA reported fish in southeastern Colorado ...LCCatostomus catostomusNative to the eastern slopes of Colorado.LCSpecies of Fish in Colorado. An introduction to cold-water sport fish in Colorado. by Karen Christopherson. Cutthroat Trout ...... the greenback subspecies is the official state fish. Rainbow Trout ...... the main fish stocked in Colorado. Brown Trout ...... abundant throughout Colorado.
- Colorado’s Native Cutthroats
- Rio Grande Cutthroat Trout
- Colorado River Cutthroat Trout
- Greenback Cutthroat Trout
- Green Sunfish
- Channel Catfish
- Black Bullhead
- Mountain Whitefish
- Arkansas Darter
- Colorado Pikeminnow
Cutthroat trout get their name from the red “slash” mark along the jawline; in Colorado, they live in the high lakes and streams of the Rocky Mountains. Of the several types of cutthroat trout in Colorado, three are native: the Rio Grande, Colorado River, and the greenback. A fourth, the yellowfin cutthroat (Oncorhynchus clarkii macdonaldi), became...
The Rio Grande cutthroat (Oncorhynchus clarkii virginalis) is found exclusively in the Rio Grande River basin and was the first trout in the West encountered by Europeans, during the 1541 Coronado expedition. These fish reach about 10 to 12 inches in length, and they require clean, cold water and lots of streamside and in-stream cover to survive. H...
Colorado River cutthroat(Oncorhynchus clarkii pleuriticus) lived historically in most of the cool water habitats of the Colorado River Basin from southern Wyoming to northern Arizona. In Colorado, they have been stocked into alpine lakes that previously lacked any fish and they are popular for fly fishing. Many fishermen consider them to be one of ...
The greenback cutthroat (Oncorhynchus clarkii stomias) is the easternmost cutthroat subspecies and Colorado’s official state fish. They are thought to have evolved from a population of cutthroat that made it over the continental divide during the last ice ageand evolved into separate subspecies. The greenback grows to about 22 inches and has gorgeo...
Both the green and the orangespotted sunfish are native to the rivers of the High Plains in eastern Colorado. The green sunfish in particular has been stocked in many drainages across the state and it is a popular species for beginning fishermen. It is an aggressive species and will strike at pretty much anything including insects, frogs, crayfish,...
“Channel cats” are easily recognizable fish, and the most widespread catfish in North America; they occupy rivers, lakes, and reservoirs across the eastern two-thirds of the continent from southern Canada to central Mexico. They are native to eastern Colorado, but they’ve been stocked in warm water reservoirs and rivers throughout the entire state....
The black bullheadis another type of catfish, native to the slow-moving, mud-bottomed rivers of eastern Colorado. They have a very high tolerance for living in dirty water and can hibernate and survive periods of cold or low oxygen. Although they are smaller than channel cats and not as popular for sport fishing, if they are caught in clean water, ...
The mountain whitefishis native to the Yampa and White rivers, and it has been introduced into the Colorado and the Cache la Poudre rivers. It is one of the most widespread fish in the West; you can find them from central Canada into northern California and Utah. Whitefish grow to about 20 inches and are silvery white with a darker back, a small mo...
The Arkansas darteris a tiny member of the perch family and is found only in the Arkansas River drainage in Colorado, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, and Arkansas. Although it’s only about 2 inches long, it will move several miles up or down a stream for feeding and breeding. Darters eat aquatic insects and prefer cool water with lots of leafy vegetati...
Biologists think that the Colorado pikeminnowhas been around for more than 3 million years and, even though it sounds like a contradiction in terms, it is North America’s largest minnow. Early travelers describe fish up to six feet long and weighing 80 pounds. Pikeminnows can live up to 40 years and need to travel long distances (sometimes more tha...
- Christa Sadler
Oct 28, 2022 · List of Colorado fish species, types of fish in Colorado, Colorado fish species identification & pictures of Colorado's freshwater fish.
The cutthroat trout belonged to four recognized subspecies: the Colorado Rivercutthroat trout (O. c. pleuriticus), the greenback cutthroat trout (O. c. stomias; the Colorado state fish since 1994), the Rio Grande cutthroat trout (O. c. virginalis), and the yellowfin cutthroat trout (O. c. macdonaldi).
