Books

I love to read, but I rarely have the time to sit down and read conventional books, so up until 2016, I only read about one book per month.

Then, I discovered Audible.

With all of the miles I drive to fish, it was no time at all before I was “reading” an average of three to five books per month. I listen to all sorts of books that interest me, and I’ve been so active on Audible, they’ve actually sent me a promo that will give you two free audiobooks just for clicking this link and signing up. No catch — except for the fish you’ll catch while listening to Audible, as I often do. If you’d like to see all of the books I’ve read, rated, and included into lists by year, check out my Goodreads account and give me suggestions.

Fish Field Guides
Most of the books I read for pleasure are fiction, but the books that I devour as part of my fishing obsession are those related to fishing — specifically those that help me better identify fish in my eternal #SpeciesQuest.

Here’s a comprehensive list of books I’ve used to identify fish. Books for the United States and Canada are listed first by state/province/territory, followed by books from other countries.

All links are live to the best price I could find for these books online, so load up your cart and get to reading! If I missed any, comment below, so I can add it.

Reference Books for the United States and Canada are listed below. Let me know if you have a good reference text for me to add by commenting below!

Regional References
Atlas of North American Freshwater Fishes
Coastal Fish Identification: California to Alaska
Freshwater Fishes of the Carolinas, Virginia, Maryland, and Delware
Freshwater Fishes of the Northeastern United States
Inland Fishes of the Greater Southwest
New Encyclopedia of Fishing
Sport Fish of the Pacific

Alabama
Fishes of Alabama
Fishes of Alabama and the Mobile Basin

Alaska
Coastal Fish Identification: California to Alaska
Fishes of Alaska
Freshwater Fish of Alaska
Marine Fishes of the Arctic Region (Free PDF)
Pacific Northwest Marine Sculpins (Free PDF)
Sport Fish of the Pacific

Alberta
Fish of Alberta
Fishes of Alberta (Email Shona Derlukewich – $40)

Arizona
Fishes of Arizona
Inland Fishes of the Greater Southwest

Arkansas
Fishes of Arkansas

British Columbia
Coastal Fish Identification: California to Alaska
The Freshwater Fishes of British Columbia
Pacific Northwest Marine Sculpins (Free PDF)
Sport Fish of the Pacific

California
Coastal Fish Identification: California to Alaska
Inland Fishes of California
Pacific Northwest Marine Sculpins (Free PDF)
Sport Fish of the Pacific

Colorado
Colorado’s Little Fish (Free PDF)
Fish of Colorado Field Guide

Connecticut
A Pictorial Guide to the Freshwater Fishes of Connecticut
Freshwater Fishes of Connecticut
Freshwater Fishes of the Northeastern United States

Delaware
Delware’s Freshwater and Brackish-Water Fishes
Freshwater Fishes of the Carolinas, Virginia, Maryland, and Delware

Florida
Fishes in the Freshwaters of Florida

Georgia
DNR: Wildlife Resources Division

Hawaii
Hawaii’s Native and Exotic Freshwater Animals

Idaho
Native Fishes of Idaho

Illinois
Fishes of Illinois

Indiana
Fish of Indiana Field Guide
Fishes of Indiana: A Field Guide
Freshwater Fishes of Indiana: A Guide to Game Fishes

Iowa
Nothing I’ve found worth buying yet.

Kansas
Fishes in Kansas
Kansas Fishes

Kentucky
A Distributional Atlas of Kentucky Fishes
Kentucky Wildlife Encyclopedia: An Illustrated Guide to Birds, Fish, Mammals, Reptiles, and Amphibians

Louisiana
Fishes of the Gulf of Mexico: Texas, Louisiana, and Adjacent Waters
Freshwater Fishes of Louisiana

Maine
Bigelow and Schroeder’s Fishes of the Gulf of Maine
Freshwater Fishes of the Northeastern United States

Manitoba
The Freshwater Fishes of Manitoba
Marine Fishes of the Arctic Region (Free PDF)

Maryland
Freshwater Fishes of the Carolinas, Virginia, Maryland, and Delware

Massachusetts
Freshwater Fishes of the Northeastern United States
Inland Fishes of Massachusetts

Michigan
Fish of Michigan Field Guide

Minnesota
The Great Minnesota Fish Book

Mississippi
Inland Fishes of Mississippi

Missouri
The Fishes of Missouri

Montana
Field Guide to Montana Fishes

Nebraska
The Fishes of Nebraska

Nevada
The Fish and Fisheries of Nevada

Newfoundland & Labrador
Marine Fishes of the Arctic Region (Free PDF)

New Hampshire
Freshwater Fishes of New Hampshire
Freshwater Fishes of the Northeastern United States

New Jersey
Freshwater Fishes of the Northeastern United States

New Mexico
The Fishes of New Mexico
Native Fishes of the Rio Grande, NM (Free Digital Poster)
Native Fishes of the Pecos River, NM (Free Digital Poster)
Native Fishes of the San Juan River, NM (Free Digital Poster)
Native Fishes of the Gila River, NM (Free Digital Poster)
Native Fishes of the Canadian River, NM (Free Digital Poster)

New York
The Baitfish Primer (Free PDF for Lake Ontario Micros)
Freshwater Fishes of the Northeastern United States
Inland Fishes of New York State

North Carolina
Freshwater Fishes of the Carolinas, Virginia, Maryland, and Delware
The Freshwater Fishes of North Carolina

North Dakota
Nothing I’ve found worth buying yet.

Northwest Territories
Coastal Fish Identification: California to Alaska
Marine Fishes of the Arctic Region (Free PDF)
Sport Fish of the Pacific

Nova Scotia
Nothing I’ve found worth buying yet.

Nunavut
Marine Fishes of the Arctic Region (Free PDF)
A Naturalist’s Guide to the Arctic

Ohio
A Naturalist’s Guide to the Fishes of Ohio
Native Fishes of Ohio

Oklahoma
Fishes of Oklahoma

Ontario
The Baitfish Primer (Free PDF for Lake Ontario Micros)
Marine Fishes of the Arctic Region (Free PDF)
ROM Field Guide to Freshwater Fishes of Ontario

Oregon
A Guide to Freshwater Fishes of Oregon
Coastal Fish Identification: California to Alaska
Field Guide to the Common Fish of the Willamette Valley Floodplain (Free PDF)
Pacific Northwest Marine Sculpins (Free PDF)
Sport Fish of the Pacific

Pennsylvania
The Fishes of Pennsylvania

Prince Edward Island
A Preliminary List of The Fishes of Malpeque Bay
Marine Fishes of the Arctic Region (Free PDF)

Quebec
Les Poissons d’eau douce du Quebec (In French)
Marine Fishes of the Arctic Region (Free PDF)
Marine Fishes of the St. Lawrence (Free PDF)

Rhode Island
Guide to the Fish of Narragansett Bay

Saskatchewan
Fishes of Saskatchewan (Email Shona Derlukewich – $40)
Saskatchewan Fishes: A Folding Pocket Guide to All Known Native and Introduced Species

South Carolina
Freshwater Fishes of the Carolinas, Virginia, Maryland, and Delware
Freshwater Fishes of South Carolina

South Dakota
Fishes of South Dakota

Tennessee
Fishes of Tennessee
Fishes of Tennessee (Free PDF)

Texas
An Inventory of Fish Species Within the San Antonio Basin (Free PDF)
Fishes of the Gulf of Mexico: Texas, Louisiana, and Adjacent Waters
Freshwater Fishes of Texas: A Field Guide

Utah
Nothing I’ve found worth buying yet.

Vermont
Freshwater Fishes of the Northeastern United States

Virginia
Freshwater Fishes of Virginia
Freshwater Fishes of the Carolinas, Virginia, Maryland, and Delware

Washington
Coastal Fish Identification: California to Alaska
Pacific Northwest Marine Sculpins (Free PDF)
Inland Fishes of Washington
Sport Fish of the Pacific

Washington D.C.
Nothing I’ve found worth buying yet.

West Virginia
Fishes of West Virginia

Wisconsin
Fishes of Wisconsin
Ecology and Natural Resources Library of Wisconsin (Free PDFs)

Wyoming
Nothing I’ve found worth buying yet.

Yukon
Marine Fishes of the Arctic Region (Free PDF)

Other Countries/Regions:
I’ve fished in a dozen countries, but I don’t have books for most of my trips, as the fishing was often incidental. I’ll dive deeper on what I have and update this as I find relevant literature.