The Great Minnesota Fish Book

[fishwater]

Tom Dickson, the Author of The Great Minnesota Fish Book, was on NPR this morning. Sounds like an interesting book.

The Great Minnesota Fish Book

Tom Dickson

Illustrated by Joseph R. Tomelleri

From walleye to bowfin to stickleback—vivid and entertaining profiles of Minnesota’s many different fishes.

Fishing is one of Minnesota’s consummate pastimes. The North Star state boasts the highest number of anglers per capita in the nation and the most fishing lakes. Minnesota is abundant in knowledge about how to catch game fish, but there is little information on the lore and natural history of such prized species as the walleye and largemouth bass, not to mention lesser-known varieties such as the brook stickleback and pirate perch. From trophies to bait, The Great Minnesota Fish Book tells stories of these aquatic species in rich, colorful detail.

The Great Minnesota Fish Book pairs engaging and revealing stories about the history, habitat, and culture of more than one hundred species with strikingly lifelike depictions by world-renowned fish illustrator Joseph R. Tomelleri. Providing defining features for easy identification, descriptions of habitat, growth patterns, and behavior, as well as historical anecdotes, Dickson makes a convincing case for the appreciation of all fish and their important place within Minnesota’s aquatic ecosystems. Where else can you learn about the American eel, a fish that lives throughout southern Minnesota yet spawns in the Caribbean Sea? Or the Johnny darter, which reproduces upside down? Or the monstrous lake sturgeon that can reach more than 300 pounds and swims in waters from Lake of the Woods to the Mississippi River? Nowhere, until now. Tom Dickson takes us on a lively tour of Minnesota fish—the good, the bad, and the ugly.

An elegant full-color work for everyone from the passionate angler to the up-north cabin dweller, The Great Minnesota Fish Book conveys the love and fascination—and in the case of eelpout, the disdain—that people have for the fishes of our home state.

“Like a well-stocked tackle box, The Great Minnesota Fish Book is a tribute to the diverse fish life that roams the state’s lakes, rivers, and streams. If you’ve ever wondered what’s on the end of the line or swimming under the dock, rock, or country creek bank, Tom Dickson has written about the finned creatures—ranging from famous to infamous to unheard of—to tell you. Complete with illustrations by Joseph R. Tomelleri, the best fish artist above water, this book is a real keeper.” —Ron Schara

“A beautiful and informative introduction to the great diversity of fishes in Minnesota, besides the ones that taste good sautéed in butter. This book reminds us that diversity in nature is not always ‘useful’—that is, unless you regard beauty as something of utmost importance and worth preserving, as I do. The resplendent gems of Minnesota's waterways are here on full display.” —James Prosek

“Put a fishing rod in Tom Dickson’s hands and you never know just what he might catch. His enthusiasm for fish and fishing have taken him to the far corners of Minnesota to fish for everything from walleyes to mooneyes. Few anglers can claim a similar pedigree. A thorough researcher, Dickson can delve into a dry fisheries science document and extract nuggets of fun and useful information. Few writers are better suited to write about Minnesota’s wondrous array of fish species.” —Shawn Perich, author of Fishing Lake Superior

Tom Dickson grew up fishing in Minnesota, is a freelance writer and cartoonist, and is the editor of Montana Outdoors. He is the coauthor of Fishing for Buffalo and has contributed articles to National Wildlife, Sporting Classics, and Fly Fisherman and is a frequent contributor to the Minnesota Conservation Volunteer. He lives in Montana.

176 pages | 106 color illustrations | 12 x 9 | 2008

TABLE OF CONTENTS

The Opener

Game Fish

Smallmouth Bass

Largemouth Bass

Rock Bass

Bluegill

Pumpkin Seed

Green Sunfish

Warmouth

Orangespotted Sunfish

Longear Sunfish

Black Crappie

White Crappie

Northern Pike

Muskellunge

Walleye

Sauger

Yellow Perch

White Bass

Rainbow Trout

Brown Trout

Brook Trout

Lake Trout

Lake Whitefish

Cisco

Pink Salmon

Coho (Silver) Salmon

Chinook (King) Salmon

Steelhead

Rough Fish

Common Carp

Longnose Gar

Shortnose Gar

Flathead Catfish

Channel Catfish

Brown Bullhead

Yellow Bullhead

Black Bullhead

Lake Sturgeon

Shovelnose Sturgeon

Freshwater Drum

Burbot

American Eel

Bowfin

Mooneye

Goldeye

Highfin Carpsucker

Quillback

River Carpsucker

Smallmouth Buffalo

Bigmouth Buffalo

Black Buffalo

Shorthead Redhorse

Silver Redhorse

River Redhorse

Black Redhorse

Greater Redhorse

Blue Sucker

Longnose Sucker

White Sucker

Northern Hogsucker

Spotted Sucker

Little-Known Fish

Fathead Minnow

Suckermouth Minnow

Central Stoneroller

Creek Chub

Hornyhead Chub

Lake Chub

Northern Redbelly Dace

Finescale Dace

Pearl Dace

Longnose Dace

Blacknose Dace

Common Shiner

Golden Shiner

Spottail Shiner

Spotfin Shiner

Red Shiner

Topeka Shiner

Emerald Shiner

Rainbow Darter

Iowa Darter

Least Darter

Johnny Darter

Banded Darter

Fantail Darter

Bluntnose Darter

Gilt Darter

Logperch

Slenderhead Darter

Crystal Darter

Trout Perch

Pirate Perch

American Brook Lamprey

Chestnut Lamprey

Sea Lamprey

Rainbow Smelt

Paddlefish

Brook Silverside

Banded Killifish

Brook Stickleback

Tadpole Madtom

Central Mudminnow

Skipjack Herring

Gizzard Shad

Alewife

Mottled Sculpin

Deepwater Sculpin

Artist’s Note

Bibliography

[polarsusd81]

You mean to tell me someone wrote a book I might actually read? Sweet!

[DTro]

Might have to pass, all the Catfish species and Sturgeon are still under the classification of "Rough Fish"

[rushing]

Catfish are just worthless rough fish. They are ugly, smelly, slimy and completely not worth fishing for!!!

[minneman]

I dont think both those lines should be in the same post.

[Scott M]

It's worth it for the pictures alone. Tomelleri is one of the best fish artists out there.

[polarsusd81]

I stopped in B&N on break the other day while at work and they had it there for 35 bucks. I am going to get one for my little boy for Christmas. He absolutely loves fish and can identify quite a few already. By the time he is 3, he ought to know the difference between different types of minnows.