Field Guide to Freshwater Fishes of California

Book Review for the Field Guide to Freshwater Fishes of California, Revised Edition

For those wanting a reference book for the freshwater fishes of California, the Field Guide to Freshwater Fishes of California, Revised Edition, by Samuel M. McGinnis is a great one to own. This handy guide has habitat and environment information, species and angling notes, methods of preparation for fresh caught freshwater fish, and great tips for fish videography, photography and gyotaku.

Habitat, Environment and Anatomy of California Freshwater Fish

The freshwater fish of California have a broad habitat, and both introduced and native fishes can be found from the mountains to the Pacific Ocean. The author gives a sound historical account of the building of dams and their effects on the fish populations. The book goes into the native fish provinces of California, with maps and evolutionary information.

The freshwater fish anatomy is discussed with illustrations on where different parts of the fish can be found, such as the spine, lateral line and counting of the dorsal and anal fin rays. The helpful illustrated key section shows the differences in body make-up and tails, with examples of rounded, square or forked tails or caudal fins. The different species are drawn in detail with specifics on the different fish found in each category, which makes it easy to identify the different fish from one species. This information is quite helpful for those unfamiliar with fish anatomy or who want a brush up on the topic for identification.

Freshwater Fish Species

The Field Guide to Freshwater Fishes of California details the different freshwater species that can be found. A helpful topic in this section is the angling notes where the diet for the fish and bait for catching them are discussed. The different families are detailed with their specific species highlighted and explained. About 250 pages are devoted to this section.

Catching, Preparing, Watching and Preserving the Fish

This guide book not only talks about the regulations of catching freshwater fish in California, but also details the basics of a wild freshwater fish home aquarium. This is where the aquarium is stocked with live, fresh-caught freshwater fish rather than store-bought aquarium fish.

For those wanting to ‘preserve the moment’ the book has a section devoted to that. Fish photography and videography are talked about with lighting tips, angles and where the best places are to take pictures and video of live fish. Gyotaku is a way to capture the fish artistically without actually painting one. The key to this art form, which began in Japan, is to paint a whole, fresh, dead fish and placing a print medium (appropriate paper or cloth) on top and removing it, leaving an accurate print of the fish. The author details the materials used and tips for positioning.

Freshwater fish is often caught for eating, and the book touches on methods of preparation, how to clean, skin and fillet a fish. A great topic is ‘Tricks Fish Sellers Use’ which gives tricks some fishsellers use. For those wanting information on cooking fish, the book also offers recipes and methods of preparation for many types of fish.

More information about the book:

Title: Field Guide to Freshwater Fishes of California, Revised Edition.
Other: California Natural History Guide Series No. 77
Author: Samuel M. McGinnis
Illustrator: Doris Alcorn
Number of Pages: 539
Publisher: University of California Press
Copyright: 2006