Page 13 - Mar/Apr 2022 Outdoor Okahoma Magazine

PrOVIDED/tHE DOCK
While most anglers only concern themselves with
a dozen or so different types of game fish to catch,
at least 183 fish species have been documented in
Oklahoma. These fish come in all shapes and sizes,
each playing a valuable role in its ecosystem.
For regulatory purposes, Oklahoma categorizes
fish into a few categories. The first and most well-
known is the game fish category. It includes 14
fish: largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, spotted
bass, white bass, striped bass, channel catfish, blue
catfish, saugeye, walleye, sauger, white crappie,
black crappie, rainbow trout and brown trout.
Game fish most often have special restrictions
when it comes to where, when, how, and how many
you can catch. Game fish are not only important to
their respective ecosystems, but to the economic and
spiritual benefit of people.
Nongame fish, however, play just as vital a role
in the grand scheme of fishing and can be split into
three broad categories: species of special concern,
baitfish and sportfish. and shovelnose sturgeon, are rarely encountered
Species of special concern, like black buffalo by anglers. When they are, it is usually a result of
unintentional catching. There is a daily limit of one
for species of special concern, and harvest is required
DArrIn HILL/ODWC to be reported to the Wildlife Department.

Baitfish make up the most robust portion of
nongame fish. Baitfish is a relative term and has
different meaning for different anglers, but most
consider them minnow-like fish such as shad and
shiners that do not routinely obtain lengths greater
than 6 inches. Baitfish are usually caught by using
nets or fish traps, but there is a blossoming segment
of the fishing public who attempt to catch these fish
with rod and reel, referred to as microfishing.
The last category of nongame fish contains the
most-recognized species, such as bluegill, hybrid
striped bass, flathead catfish, buffalofishes, drum,
carp and gar. We call these species sportfish because
they are commonly sought after by
anglers with rod and reel but do not

Common Carp DuAnE rAVEr

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