By: Doug Von Gausig, Executive Director, Verde River Institute.
The Verde River was once filled with native fish, such as spikedace, loach minnow, Colorado pikeminnow, Sonora sucker, desert sucker, razorback sucker, and roundtail chub.
If you fish the Verde, you’ll know that only one of these fish is still commonly caught: the roundtail chub.
Most other game fish anglers take from the Verde are non-native, including:
- Largemouth bass
- Coosa bass
- Channel catfish
- Flathead catfish
- Northern pike
- Green sunfish
- Carp
- Rainbow trout
What About Smallmouth Bass?
Wait a minute—did I leave out one of the most common fish in the Verde, the smallmouth bass?
Nope. In fact, we’ve never seen a smallmouth bass in this part of the Verde.
What we do have, though, is Coosa (or redeye) bass, which looks a lot like a smallmouth.
The Verde River Institute has conducted “eDNA” studies to check for smallmouth bass in the middle Verde, but we’ve never recorded one—only Coosa bass.
Decline of Native Fish
The only native game fish still in the Verde are the roundtail chub (once called “bonytail” or “Verde trout”) and occasional Colorado pikeminnows, giant minnows that can grow to six feet long.
These were once common but are now rarely caught.
What happened to the natives?
- They were outcompeted and predated by non-native fish.
- Their eggs and young were eaten by bullfrogs, crayfish, and other invasive species.
- Dams along the river, used to divert water into ditches and create lakes, limit native fish migration upstream to spawn.
- Ponds created by even small dams encourage bass, catfish, and trout while discouraging native species, which prefer faster waters.
Can We Bring Native Fish Back?
It’s a shame that we’ve lost so many fish that lived here for thousands of years, but there may be ways to bring them back without spoiling bass and trout fishing opportunities in the Verde.
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, working with the Arizona Game and Fish Department, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Forest Service, and others, has explored the idea of a fish barrier to keep non-native species out of the upper river.
They’ve identified potential sites from Clarkdale to the headwaters, including:
- One just upstream from the confluence of the Verde and Sycamore Creek, protecting 38 miles of river.
- Another near the confluence with Hell Canyon, protecting 19 miles.
Both are above the commonly fished Middle Verde area.
How Fish Barriers Work
Fish barriers prevent upstream migration of non-native species while allowing the river to flow naturally.
Typical barriers are concrete check dams that create small waterfalls too steep and fast-flowing for non-natives to navigate.
When complete, these barriers create a native fishery, conserving parts of the river as it was before invasive fish were introduced.
Next Steps and Fishing Tips
These projects are still in the study and planning phase, with opportunities for public comment as they progress.
In the meantime:
- Enjoy fishing the Verde and catch plenty of Coosa bass!
- It’s best to catch and release roundtail chub, as they’re not great to eat anyway.
This post is used by permission from the Author: Doug Von Gausig, Executive Director of the Verde River Institute
