The pursuit of Colorado’s warmwater sport fish is steadily increasing in popularity. That’s because the species found in Colorado’s warmwater fisheries possess a variety of traits that make them desirable for just about every type of angler. From the inexperienced youngster fishing from shore with a cane pole, to the crafty veteran, with a top-of-the-line boat and the newest sonar technology, the diverse species of Colorado’s warmwater sport fish has something to offer every fishing fanatic.

Few of Colorado’s warmwater sport fish are actually native to the state; they were brought to Colorado to provide fishing opportunities, some more than a century ago. Some of the most popular are hybrids – two closely related species bred from the sperm of one species and the eggs of another – created to make sportfish more plentiful and fun to catch.

The benefit of such cross breeding to anglers is that the new species, in some cases, exhibits "hybrid vigor" combining the best qualities – fast growing, and hard fighting – of both species.

WIPER – A SCRAPPY HYBRID

Such is the case with the wiper – a cross between a female striped bass and a male white bass, a fish that excites passion in a growing number of anglers who hook into one.

The wiper’s fighting ability is becoming legendary. Southeast Region aquatic biologist Charlie Bennett describes wipers as "pound for pound, the dandiest fighting fish in the water." Another Division employee tells of the time he caught a fish on a fly and battled it for five or six minutes. When he finally landed it, he was surprised to find the fish that put up such a tremendous fight was a 12-inch wiper, he said. Another angler tells of having a "small" (4-5 pound) wiper knock a big top-water plug three feet in the air.

The reference to "small" wipers isn’t an understatement. Wipers in excess of 20 pounds are sometimes caught in the big eastern reservoirs. The state record is a 23.9- pound, 34-inch fish caught in Nee Noshe Reservoir in 1996.

Bennett and fellow biologists introduced wipers to Colorado in 1981. Their populations are maintained by stocking, as they are unable to reproduce. Wipers can be found in more than 20 Colorado warmwater fisheries.

Some of the top wiper fisheries are Nee Noshe and John Martin reservoirs in the Southeast, Pueblo Reservoir, North Sterling Reservoir in northeast Colorado and Cherry Creek and Union reservoirs in the Denver metro area.

SAUGEYE – FUN AND TASTY

Another popular sportfish is the saugeye – a hybrid of the walleye and sauger. Walleyes have been stocked in Colorado lakes and reservoirs for decades. Saugers are found in large river systems in the East and Midwest. Bennett brought saugeyes to Colorado in the early 1990s to offset losses of walleyes when the large reservoirs in southeast Colorado were drawn down for irrigation. Walleyes, which tend to run downstream, were being drawn into irrigation ditches. Saugeyes tend to run upstream and avoid being swept into drawdowns.

Saugeyes, which have nearly the same growth potential as walleyes, also survive better in hatcheries. Division biologists report they fight as well as a walleye but are a little easier to catch.

Saugers have been known to cross breed with walleye. The hybrid saugeye reproduces naturally and is believed to cross breed naturally with walleyes. In order to protect pure walleye, saugeyes have not been stocked in any walleye brood lakes. The state record saugeye – 7.5 pounds, 26.25 inches long -- was caught at John Martin Reservoir in 1999.

TIGER MUSKIE – THE WARMWATER BARRACUDA

The most notorious warmwater hybrid in Colorado – the tiger muskie – is a cross of the muskelunge and northern pike. These fish are ferocious predators and have been called "freshwater barracuda" and "water wolves." They can grow to lengths exceeding 30 inches in five to six years. The state record tiger muskie – 40.1 pounds, 53-inches -- was caught at Quincy Reservoir in 1994. A 58-inch long tiger muskie was caught and released at Quincy in 1997.

Tiger muskies are sterile and stocked in limited numbers in carefully selected impoundments due to the potential havoc such a large predator can wreak upon a fishery. Stocking began in eastern Colorado and on the Front Range in 1984. Tiger muskies were first stocked on the Western Slope in Harvey Gap Reservoir in 1995. Tiger muskies have been stocked in 60 impoundments since their introduction, but, since they don’t reproduce, they have likely disappeared from a number of waters.

Their predacious nature makes tiger muskies a good management tool to control suckers, carp or other species that have exceeded a fishery’s carrying capacity. They are not easy to catch but are highly prized by a small but devoted number of warmwater anglers. Some of the best tiger muskie fisheries are Quincy, Lon Hagler and Horseshoe reservoirs.

WALLEYE – A WARY BUT TASTY PRIZE

Another much-prized warmwater sportfish in Colorado is the walleye, introduced into the state in 1949. Walleye now inhabit most warm and cool-water reservoirs in the state. They are considered one of the best-tasting sportfish; they are also among the most elusive, inspiring a cult-like following among anglers. The state record walleye – 18.8 pounds, and 34 inches – was caught at Standley Lake in 1997.

Top walleye fisheries include Horsetooth, Pueblo and Cherry Creek reservoirs. A 33.5- inch walleye was caught at Boulder Reservoir in 1997.

NORTHERN PIKE – A TROUBLESOME TROPHY Another popular but problematic sportfish in Colorado is the northern pike. It is a popular fish because it is such a good fighter, often described as a runaway freight train upon realizing it has been duped by a lure, fly or bait.

It is problematic because it is such a voracious predator that it can decimate other fish species populations. While the pike has not been stocked extensively in Colorado waters since the early 1980s, fish have escaped, or been "planted" illegally by "bait bucket biologists" in other Colorado waters than where they were intended to be, sometimes repeatedly. In western Colorado, Division biologists have documented northern pike in at least five reservoirs where they were never stocked and have caused damage to fisheries.

The Colorado Fishing Map lists 25 waters that offer northern pike. On the upside for anglers, in order to help control pike populations, bag limits for pike have been eliminated this year in Elevenmile and Spinney reservoirs. Otherwise, there is a statewide 10-fish-per-day bag and possession limit on northern pike. Anglers are encouraged to keep up to the legal limit of pike they catch, as a way of controlling the population.

The state record northern pike – 30.4 pounds, 43.5 inches – was caught in Williams Fork Reservoir in 1996. A 39-inch northern pike was caught on a fly rod and released in the Yampa River in 1997.

LARGEMOUTH BASS – AN OLD FAVORITE

Largemouth bass, the undisputed old-timer of warmwater fisheries, were introduced into Colorado in 1878. The species is listed in 45 Colorado waters in the Colorado Fishing Map guide but can be found in many more warmwater impoundments, from farm ponds to suburban lakes to gravel quarries.

The state record largemouth – 11.4 pounds, 22.5 inches long -- was caught in Archuleta County in 1997. Two of the best largemouth fisheries in the state, Bonny Reservoir and ponds at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal, have been hurt by low-water conditions. The low water is due to irrigation draw downs at Bonny, and dredging to remove contaminants at the Arsenal.

SMALLMOUTH BASS – A CRASS ACROBAT

Smallmouth bass were first introduced into Colorado in 1951, and can now be found in at least 21 warm- and cool-water impoundments. Their range is restricted by a preference for cooler, clearer water with rocky or gravel bottoms, but their range often overlaps with the range of their largemouth cousins.

Known for their acrobatics when hooked, the smallmouth, like walleyes and tiger muskies, have a small but passionate following among the angling public.

The state record smallmouth bass is 5.75 pounds, 21-inches long, and was caught in Navajo Reservoir in 1993. Horsetooth, McPhee and Chatfield reservoirs are among the top smallmouth fisheries in the state.

WHITE CRAPPIE – A PLENTIFUL PANFISH

White crappie, first introduced into Colorado in 1882, have adapted successfully to Colorado waters and are now found throughout the state in warmwater impoundments. Crappie anglers pursue the fish for its delicate flavor. The average sized white crappie is one-half to three-quarter pounds. The state record white crappie – 4.25 pounds, 17 inches long – was caught in Northglenn Lake in 1975. Among the top Division- managed crappie fisheries are Adobe Creek, John Martin and Nee Noshe reservoirs in southeast Colorado and Jumbo Reservoir in northeast Colorado.

CHANNEL CATFISH – A COLORADO NATIVE Channel catfish, the state’s only true native warmwater sportfish, is listed in the Colorado Fishing Map guide as being present in 52 of the 61 warm and coolwater fisheries profiled. Unlike many of the introduced warmwater sport fish, channel cats do well in river systems as well as impoundments. Channel catfish as large as 30 pounds have been caught and the state record is 33.5 pounds, 38 inches long. It was caught in Hertha Reservoir in Larimer County in 1994.