Species: Yellowfin Croaker (Umbrina roncador) Location: Torrey Pines State Park, California Date: August 7, 2018 Even though the last post included the same link, I’m posting it here again. Read it here. Please consider subscribing to my weekly column and access my past columns for as low as $1 per month by clicking “Become a Patron”…
Species: Spotfin Croaker (Roncador stearnsii) Location: Torrey Pines State Park, California Date: August 7, 2018 I haven’t been published in many big, national magazines, but there was a brief stint where I wrote for Game & Fish before they consolidated their writer pool and fired the previous editor I’d worked for. Kinda disappointing, but I made…
Species: Diamond Turbot (Hypsopsetta guttulata) Location: Del Mar Lagoon, California Date: August 6, 2018 Do you ever read an unfamiliar word and sound it out in your head, ultimately arriving at a pronunciation you like? Well, with fish and fishing, it’s commonplace. Seeing strange fish names is the nature of the beast. As you read more…
Species: Rock Wrasse (Halichoeres semicinctus) Location: Mission Point Park, California Date: August 6, 2018 I was sent to Mission Point Park by a friend, fully expecting to add a few softball species to my list. We’d hit the water hard the day before, and the stingray had hit my foot harder. I figured that meant some…
Species: California Grunion (Leuresthes tenuis) Location: Mission Bay, California Date: August 5, 2018 There are very few opportunities to catch true micros that sit up in the water column in the salt, but when you find them, they’re typically quite easy. The silversides swarming in Mission Bay were the exception to this rule. For almost an…
Species: California Scorpionfish (Scorpaena guttata) Location: Mission Bay, California Date: August 5, 2018 After parting ways with Ben Cantrell, I decided to keep fishing. Sure, my maimed foot was still aching from the interaction with the stingray almost 12 hours earlier, but it didn’t stop me from trying Mission Bay at sunset. There were thousands of…
Species: Bay Blenny (Hypsoblennius gentilis) Location: Del Mar Lagoon, Del Mar, California Date: August 5, 2018 The final species I landed while fishing with Ben Cantrell in San Diego was the Bay Blenny. These adorable little critters hide in nooks and crannies, looking grumpy AF while waiting for something unfortunate enough to float by. Get a…
Species: Barred Sand Bass (Paralabrax nebulifer) Location: Del Mar Lagoon, Del Mar, California Date: August 5, 2018 The tidepools, lagoons, and other brackish ecosystems along the Pacific Coast are very unique places. Though the Atlantic Coast equivalents are home to hordes of anglers chasing Stripers, Redfish, Tarpon, Snook, and other game fish, that culture is not…
Species: Shovelnose Guitarfish (Rhinobatos productus) Location: Torrey Pines State Park, California Date: August 5, 2018 Crussshhhh. Crussshhhh. Crussssssshhhhhhhhh. The sound of my dreams being crushed was actually audible. Wait. No. That was the rhythmic lapping of the (spirit) breakers on the beach. Little did I know that living out my dream would soon become a nightmare. Footsteps It…
Species: Haller’s Round Ray (Urobatis halleri) Location: San Diego Bay, California Date: August 4, 2018 These little fish are supposed to be one of the most common fish in the San Diego Bay, a fish allegedly easy to catch. When Ben Cantrell and I shed some bait after it turned in the hot summer sun,…
