What did you catch? Heres how to tell!

Did you ever want to do something but you hesitated because you didn't want to do it wrong. That's how I feel about fishing.

I'm what you call a greenhorn when it comes to fishing but working where I do gave me the desire to give it a try. So I bought my license, then started wading through the fishing digest. Wow! Have you ever looked -- I mean really looked-- at the fishing digest? The law says you can keep a fairly large number of a particular fish of any size but only a few of another species and they've got to be so many inches long.

And the rules change on different lakes. Now, if you're like me and don't know one fish from another (except for catfish, and that's only because the whiskers make it easier to identify), then you're a little nervous about fishing for anything. And who wants to get a ticket for keeping the wrong fish or too many of a certain species ? Not me, that's for sure.

Well, the fisheries division of the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources is giving us novices a little help. Available from the department at no charge is Kentucky Fish, a paperback book which not only gives information such as other names for different fish species but also tells where you can find them, their habits and even some fishing tips. (But that's not a promise you'll catch any.) And a color photo of the fish makes identification easier. Kentucky Fish contains information on 35 fish commonly found in the commonwealth's waters along with 17 species less familiar to most people. Here's a brief preview of what you'll find in this handy reference, a book experienced anglers will find helpful, too.

The largemouth bass is also known as bigmouth bass, black bass, green bass, bucketmouth bass and lake bass. It is common in most waters throughout the state including the still water areas of streams.

The largemouth bass is greenish with a horizontal stripe of black blotches along its sides. The upper back is much darker than the lower parts and its two dorsal fins are nearly separated and deeply notched. The jawbone extends beyond the eye, thus the name largemouth.

Spawning activity begins when water temperatures approach 62-65 degrees. The fish are usually in shallow water (less than 5 feet) at this time with the male guarding the nest. Largemouth bass may be found near logs, stumps, rocks, bushes along shoreline, points, bars, submerged islands or creek channels. The largemouth bass is the most abundant and sought-after member of the black bass family and will strike a wide variety of artificial baits including crankbaits, spinnerbaits, jigs, buzzbaits, artificial worms, flies and popping bugs and natural baits such as crayfish, earthworms, minnows, leeches, frogs and salamanders.

The redear sunfish is also called the shellcracker, stumpknocker, yellowbream, sunfish and bream. While found sporadically throughout the state, this species is more common in small lakes or ponds.

A deep and slab-sided sunfish with long and pointed pectoral fins, the redear is very similar in appearance to the bluegill. Adult males have a distinctive red margin on the gill cover flap while females have a light orange flap. Redear sunfish caught in Kentucky average 11 inches in length and weigh one pound.

Redear colonize to spawn and begin this activity when water temperatures approach 75 degrees. Nests, generally located in water deeper than bluegill choose, are found in shady areas along shoreline. The name shellcracker comes from the fact that snails are a common food item for the redear sunfish. While it is a highly desirable panfish, it's usually difficult to catch. Since redears are bottom feeders, small live bait such as worms or crickets, or small artificial baits fished near the bottom are generally productive.

The warmouth, or warmouth bass, warmouth sunfish, goggle-eye, redeye, stumpknocker or logperch, is found statewide in lakes and streams. This species is often confused with rock bass, being dark olive to gray with brownish sides and yellow markings. Each side of the head has five dark lines radiating from the snout and eye. The anal fin has three spines (the rock bass has five to six spines). Warmouth rarely grow longer than 10 inches.

This fish, preferring clear water and vegetated areas, is usually found in small numbers compared to other members of the sunfish family. The warmouth is an aggressive fish, and can be easily caught by conventional methods using live baits such as earthworms, crickets, meal worms, wax worms or artificial baits ranging from small jigs and spinners to poppers and wet or dry flies.

One of Kentucky's most prized panfish is crappie. Both white and black crappie are found throughout the state in rivers and lakes, with white crappie being more common. The black crappie has numerous black spots irregularly spaced over its body, while the white crappie has seven to nine vertical dark bars on the sides. Six spines are found in the front dorsal of white crappie, while the black crappie has seven to eight spines. Blacks are thicker across the back causing them to weigh more than white crappie of the same length.

Crappie enter shallow water to spawn when the water warms to 60 degrees in the spring. After spawning the fish return to deep water around drop-offs, stump rows, tree tops or artificial cover. Black crappie tend to use weed beds more than whites and white crappie seem to tolerate muddy water conditions better than blacks. Crappie are commonly caught by still fishing live minnows or by casting small jigs around cover.

These are just a few of the common, more well-known species listed in Kentucky Fish. You'll also find information on the different gars and suckers and photos of some uncommon fish, such as skipjack, orangespotted sunfish and bowfin.

Hopefully, with this book, more novices will be willing to give fishing a try. If you still feel a little uncertain, try getting a friend who fishes to take you along. I've gotten my feet wet (in more ways than one) by asking someone to take me. I still have a few other barriers to overcome like getting the fish off the hook. But that will come in time. Last spring I conquered baiting the hook. That was the same time I realized I could stand in one spot on the stream and fish while a snake shared the space with me. But, that's a different story.

If you're a seasoned angler, invite a novice to go with you. You'll probably be surprised how much fun you'll both have.