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Walleyes Forever
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When you go fishing in Montana, you might run into any one of 86 different species of fish in 21 different fish families. Walleyes and sauger share our waters with many of them. So it's a good idea to learn what you can about Montana fish, so that you'll be able to identify what you have at the end of your fishing line. Here's a 10-question quiz to see if you can identify some of the fish that also live in the many walleye waters of Montana. Let's see how you score.
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2. I like cold, deep lakes and you'll usually have to fish real deep to catch me. My body is covered with many light-colored spots, my tail is forked and sometimes I have a white edge on the front of my lower fins. I'm a fish eater, often live a long time and I can grow to be very big.
Lake trout
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3. I'm often big, have light-colored spots on my sides and I look really fierce with very sharp teeth. I like to hide in the weeds in the back ends of bays on lakes and reservoirs, or in the deep water off points. I'll eat other fish or strike at a spinner and most any other lure.
Paddlefish
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4. I live in cold streams and I'm stocked in many lakes and reservoirs. I primarily like to eat insects, but I'll bite on a spoon, spinner, crankbait or even a nightcrawler or cheese. I've got a lot of small spots on my body and sometimes a bright red streak down my sides.
Brook trout
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5. I'm a Montana native of the prairie rivers and streams, but you can often find me in lakes and reservoirs, too. I like to eat minnows best, but I'll bite on other things, too. You can recognize me by the small black spots on my top fin and by no white tip on the bottom of my tail.
Walleye
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6. If you ever have me on the end of your line, you'll have a real battle on your hands. I'm a fighter. I can live in rivers, lakes and reservoirs and you'll often find me near rocks. I like eating fish and crayfish, but I'll hit a lot of different lures that people throw at me.
Smallmouth bass
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7. I have big black or brown spots, sometimes with red or orange on them, and a tail that's mostly square. I like cold rivers and streams, but sometimes I come downstream into reservoirs, too. I eat both insects and minnows.
Kokanee salmon
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8. I can be found in ponds, lakes, reservoirs and slow-moving portions of rivers. I like to hide near underwater brush and vegetation. I eat minnows, insects and other small food items.
Black crappie
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9. I usually don't grow real big and I've always got to be careful, because a lot of other fish try to eat me. You can recognize me by the bars that come down my sides. I'll eat minnows and insects and if you're not careful, I'll keep nibbling on your bait until I steal it.
Green sunfish
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10. I like large, deep reservoirs and you almost always have to fish pretty deep to catch me. I really like to eat ciscoes. I can't spawn in Montana, so I'm stocked here and usually three years later, I come back to the same area I was stocked.
Chinook salmon
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Information from the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks publication:
"A Field Guide to Montana Fishes"
Copyright, 2006
BigSkyOutdoors.Net