What a job Matt Patterson did with the
illustrations. He knows his fish and he knows
his art. The illustrations are absolutely splendid:
accurately rendered and artistically striking.
Moreover, the book’s designer created a
handsome blend of art and text, and in places,
even creates the appearance of fish migrating
through the book. If you’re a serious fisher in the
Northeast, or if serious anglers come to visit, this
is a book you’ll want lying on the coffee table.

Father and son fishing buddies David A. Patterson, a retired high school biology teacher in Billerica, and Matt, a professional illustrator, have produced Freshwater Fish of the Northeast, a guidebook to more than 60 species. Matt based most of his illustrations on photographs taken of live catches he or his father made before they set the fish free.

Freshwater Fish of the Northeast (University Press of New England, 2010) by retired biology teacher David Patterson gives a glimpse of what lives under paddle. Part field guide, part coffee-table treasure — with pencil-and-acrylic illustrations by David's son, Matt Patterson — this hardcover is stocked with the habits and habitats of more than 60 species found in New England and New York, plus fishing pointers.

Combining their shared love of fishing with Dave’s biology background and Matt’s art skills, the result is the lavishly illustrated Freshwater Fish of the Northeast.

The most delectable catch is Freshwater Fish of the Northeast by David and Matt Patterson. This father-son team from Massachusetts has packed about 50 years worth of combined angling experience inside a 130-page wrapper. The result is so lovely to look at and informative to read that it deserves a less prosaic title that the one it has... The Pattersons don’t just love the challenge of catching (and usually releasing) fish; they seem in awe of the sheer aesthetic beauty of each and every species.