Species: Striped Seaperch (Embiotoca lateralis) Location: Chetco River North Jetty, Brookings-Harbor, OR Date: September 14, 2011 I first saw Striped Seaperch as a kid. The beautiful, coppery iridescence paired with stunning cerulean lines made the cooler full of these beautiful fish stand out in stark contrast to the muted colors of the rockfish, salmon, lingcod…
Species: Grass Rockfish (Sebastes rastrelliger) Location: Mill Beach, Brookings-Harbor, OR Date: July 14, 2012 Over the years, I’ve been admittedly quite blessed when it comes to fishing. I’ve captured rare species, rare color morphs, rare body types, and frankly, I can’t complain. One such catch was a Grass Rockfish, and I caught it on a trip…
Species: Rock Greenling (Hexagrammos lagocephalus) Location: Brookings, OR Date: Summer 2012 This is really just a placeholder post. I’d originally counted the Klamath River Lamprey as a species here, after catching one attached to a trout. In revisiting this and due to popular opinion within the #SpeciesQuest community, I’ve replaced it with a Rock Greenling,…
Species: Calico Surfperch (Ampistichus koelzi) Location: Chetco River South Jetty, Brookings-Harbor, OR Date: September 12, 2011 Misidentification is to fishing what the New England Patriots are to football: an unfortunate everyday reality that can’t be ignored. Fortunately, just like tonight’s Patriots’ Super Bowl loss, good can get a foothold in the fight against evil and make that unfortunate…
Species: Buffalo Sculpin (Enophrys bison) Location: Chetco River South Jetty, Brookings-Harbor, OR Date: September 13, 2010 This is a story about misidentifying sculpins and feral cats and world records. Yes, you read that right. I’ll start with the record. Here’s the picture of my record-setting fish. My first saltwater All-Tackle World Record was for Buffalo Sculpin (2017), but…
Species: Cabezon (Scorpaenichthys marmoratus) Location: Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf, Santa Cruz, CA Date: March 24, 2010 During college, trips to the coast were a somewhat regular occurrence for Ben Blanchard and myself. But when our other friend Christopher Puckett decided to go as well, we were pleasantly surprised. Christopher is a good friend, but he was never really…
Species: Pacific Staghorn Sculpin (Leptocottus armatus) Location: Chetco River South Jetty, Brookings-Harbor, OR Date: September 10, 2009 Rashomon Effect 6-of-6: My Hands The phone started beeping, and I fumbled for it in the blackness. My hand found it in the dark, but as I flipped it open with my thumb, the split at the base of the thumbnail cried…
Species: Kelp Greenling (Hexagrammos decagrammus) Location: Chetco River South Jetty, Brookings-Harbor Marina, OR Date: September 10, 2009 Rashomon Effect 5-of-6: My Feet Danner Vanish. I still remember them because they were both the most expensive non-wading boots I’ve ever purchased and some of the most comfortable shoes I’ve ever worn fishing. They certainly weren’t stylish, but they felt great….
Species: Pacific Sardine (Sardinops sagax) Location: Brookings-Harbor Marina, OR Date: September 10, 2009 Rashomon Effect 4-of-6: My Eyes Black. I rubbed them. Gray. I rubbed them again. Rheumy, blurry darkness. I blinked a few times and then fumbled in the darkness for my glasses. Rheumy, clear darkness. I shuffled through the cold morning fog to the shower, the…
Species: Northern Anchovy (Engraulis mordax) Location: Brookings-Harbor Marina, OR Date: September 10, 2009 Rashomon Effect 3-of-6: My Mind All through the night, I dreamed of catching fish. My unconscious mind raced through the possibilities the dark waters of the ocean holds, stopping only briefly to rest in between visions. As the marathon of dreams flew my waking mind,…
