Species: White Sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus) Location: Columbia River, Cascade Locks, OR Date: February 22, 2015 If Hell froze over, it would still be warmer than the Columbia River is mid-winter during high winds. The type of bone-chilling cold that the Gorge can experience is excruciating for those dressed in anything less warm than a recently…
Species: Widow Rockfish (Sebastes entomelas) Location: Off the coast of Depoe Bay, OR Date: December 18, 2014 I wrote about this in my January 30, 2015 column in the Herald and News. Read it below: In 1988, the United States government outlawed the production and sale of three-wheeled ATVs, commonly known as “three-wheelers,” because the third…
Species: Kahawai (Arripis trutta) Location: Kuaotunu River, Kuaotunu, Coromandel, New Zealand Date: February 25, 2014 After going it alone for weeks, my friend David Clarke and I decided to get a charter. We’d planned to chase tuna and kingfish and marlin off the coast with one of this friends, but when that fell through, we…
Species: Yelloweye Mullet (Aldrichetta forsteri) Location: Kuaotunu River, Kuaotunu, Coromandel, New Zealand Date: February 25, 2014 I’ve already told the story of this day in elaborate detail, so I won’t talk too much about this fish. I’ve since caught a lot of mullet (three species in three countries outside the United States), and one thing…
Species: Shortfin Eel (Anguilla australis) Location: Kuaotunu River, Kuaotunu, Coromandel, New Zealand Date: February 25, 2014 The Tunnifar is a mythical beast found in the waters of New Zealand. It is storied to be half-man, half-eel and comes out to feed when it feels so inclined. It is inspired by real monsters native to this…
Species:Northern Kahawai (Arripis xylabion) Location: Kuaotunu River, Kuaotunu, Coromandel, New Zealand Date: February 25, 2014 Fishing in New Zealand is all about trout. At least, that’s what we’re told. In reality, throughout most of the North Island, saltwater fishing is king. Snapper, Kingfish, and Kahawai are the big three for anglers in the brine, and…
Species: Estuarine Triplefin (Forsterygion nigripenne) Location: Kuaotunu River, Kuaotunu, Coromandel, New Zealand Date: February 25, 2014 Mystery is a genre I love to read but fail to write much of. Even investigative journalism is a reach for me, and I’ve spent five years as a journalist. The investigative process of which coffee shop makes the…
Species: Blue Cod (Parapercis colias) Location: Kuaotunu Coastline, Coromandel, New Zealand Date: February 24, 2014 Sometimes you luck into a wide variety of species early and catch lucky breaks with every cast. This is not one such tale. *** David Clarke and I had been plying the coastal waters of New Zealand for weeks before…
Species: Common Rudd (Scardinius erythrophthalmus) Location: Lake Pupuke, Auckland, New Zealand Date: February 19, 2014 There aren’t many native freshwater fish in New Zealand. There aren’t many non-native ones, either. Along with European Perch and Brown Trout, the Common Rudd is one of several species European settlers brought with them to the tiny island nation,…
Species: European Perch (Perca fluviatilis) Location: Lake Pupuke, Auckland, New Zealand Date: February 19, 2014 New Zealand is famous for its trout fishing. It’s also well-known for its freshwater eels. What it is not renowned for is perch. So when I caught a perch in the small, urban lake at the heart of Auckland, I…
