Know Your Fish
Fishing in Colorado means opportunity and chance to catch some 35 species of both warm- and cold-water fish. You can fish for the famed rainbow trout in a cool Rocky Mountain stream or troll for walleye on a sunny plains reservoir. And Colorado offers everything in between, too.
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Invasive Species
Sauger
This species is not fishable.
Sauger have a slender body, gray to dark silver or yellowish brown sides, with dark blotches that extend below the lateral line. May have white on lower margin of their tail.
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Invasive Species
Saugeye
This species is not fishable.
Saugeye have a slender body, gray to dark silver or yellowish brown sides, with dark blotches that extend below the lateral line. with black mottling marks on body; black color between dorsal fins, May have white on lower margin of their tail.
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Invasive Species
Smallmouth Bass
This species is not fishable.
Smallmouth bass are dark green to bronze or pale gold on their back and sides, often with dark vertical bands. White belly. Stout body. Large, forward-facing mouth.
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Invasive Species
Snake River Cutthroat Trout
This species is not fishable.
Snake River Cutthroat Trout have a blood-red stripe on each side of their throat under the jaw. Dark spots on sides and tail.
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Invasive Species
Splake
This species is not fishable.
Splake Trout are a cross between a brook trout and a lake trout. Tri-colored pelvic fins. Slightly forked tails.
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Invasive Species
Spotted Bass
This species is not fishable.
The spotted bass is olive-green dorsally, becoming white moving towards the belly. They are similar in appearance to largemouth bass but possess a spiny dorsal fin that is short and broadly connected to the soft dorsal. The species also has rows of spots below a dark lateral stripe and a black spot just in front of the tail.
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Invasive Species
Striped Bass
This species is not fishable.
Striped Bass are bluish to dark olive-green on their back. Silver on their side, with about 7 dark, horizontal streaks. White belly. Base of tongue has two parallel patches of teeth. About 11 to 12 soft rays in second dorsal fin. Two spines on gill cover.
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Invasive Species
Tench
This species is not fishable.
Tench are a stout, round minnow with a very short and thick caudal peduncle and square caudal fin. There is a single barb in each corner of the large, oblique mouth. The dorsal and anal fins are rounded. They have tiny scales and thick skin, giving them a very slimy feel. The iris of the eye is always colored orange to red.
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Invasive Species
Tiger Muskie
This species is not fishable.
Tiger Muskie are a hybrid between Northern Pike and Muskie. Torpedo-shaped body. Dorsal fin near tail. Sides are silver to silver-green with tiger-like bars on light background. Rounded lobes on tail and fins.
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Invasive Species
Tiger Trout
This species is not fishable.
Tiger Trout are a cross between a brown trout and a brook trout. Pronounced stripes on body, resembling a tiger.
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Researching Colorado Waters
Aquatic Research
The Colorado Parks and Wildlife Aquatic Research Section provides a combination of field and laboratory experimentation to answer statewide fisheries management questions and manages aquatic species.
Aquatic Health Lab
The Aquatic Animal Health Laboratory provides in-house support and diagnostic services, including Bacteriology, Molecular testing, Whirling disease testing, Virology and Parasitology.
Aquatic Toxicology Lab
The Aquatic Toxicology Lab conducts experiments that help inform decision makers and managers about pollution and water quality risks.
Hatcheries
CPW operates 19 fish hatcheries, where over 90 million fish per year are bred, hatched, reared and stocked. This includes over 30 different species of fish as well as the boreal toad.