Species: Atlantic Spadefish (Chaetodipterus faber) Location: Titusville, Florida Date: July 8, 2018 Every time a fish bites a baited hook, the reality is that they may be digging their own grave. I have no qualms with keeping fish, especially since seafood is my favorite. When given the opportunity to catch plentiful, good-eating fish, I’ve been known to…
Species: Pacific Herring (Clupea pallasii) Location: Newport, OR Date: February 24, 2018 I’ve had plenty of 100-plus-fish days. As of February 2019, my best day was 312 fish. But as of February 2018, I’d never done it with saltwater fish. Though I’ve now caught 100 or more specimens of the same species a total of 13 times,…
Species: Pigfish (Orthopristis chrysoptera) Location: Graffiti Bridge, Pensacola, FL Date: August 1, 2017 The second-most popular baitfish in the Gulf of Mexico is just one letter away from the first (Pinfish). I’m speaking, of course, of the Pinfish. I caught my one and only Pigfish fishing from a public pier in Pensacola minutes after night fell. There…
Species: Shiner Perch (Cymatogaster aggregata) Location: Newport Public Docks, Newport, OR Date: June 10, 2017 Surfperch, seaperch, or perch. Whatever you call them, these marine delights are one of my favorite groups of fish to chase in and around the piers, jetties, and surf breaks of the Oregon Coast. Though some species are relatively common and well-known,…
Species: American Shad (Alosa sapidissima) Location: Willamette River, Oregon City, OR Date: June 11, 2017 Oregon is weird. We have a culture built around gamefish, but not all of our gamefish are native. Rainbow Trout are the most popular species in the state, but most fish caught annually by Oregon anglers aren’t native fish; they’re mostly hatchery…
Species: Monkeyface Prickleback (Cebidichthys violaceus) Location: Newport Public Docks, Newport, OR Date: November 21, 2016 Time can be so fluid when fishing. Seconds, minutes, and hours can all meld together when you feel weight or a tick on the end of your line, melting into a soup of suspended timeflow that is so personal and subjective…
Species: Whitespotted Greenling (Hexagrammos stelleri) Location: Yaquina Bay, Newport, OR Date: November 21, 2016 I’ve had better days fishing the hundreds of docks in Newport, but this day wasn’t half bad. Since I normally go there to target Striped Seaperch for the table, anything else is just a bonus. Rarely do I fish this area…
Species: Jack Mackerel (Trachurus symmetricus) Location: Russell Municipal Wharf, Bay of Islands, Northland, New Zealand Date: February 19, 2014 New Zealand’s Bay of Islands was undoubtedly the coolest place I’d visited at the time — it remains one of the coolest to this day. After a solid first day of sea kayaking and getting the…
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: Walleye Surfperch (Hyperprosopon argenteum) Location: Seal Beach Pier, Seal Beach, CA Date: June 13, 2008 Here’s another one straight from my journal: “Although my last night (of my Senior Trip) happened to be Friday the Thirteenth, I had to try one last time. At eleven I headed out, eager to add one more species to my life…
