Cabezon are both ugly and beautiful. The massive, over-sized fins, widely variable color palette, and aggressive nature make them great quarry.

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 the outdoorsy type. Usually, the three of us would play video games or board games, joke around, or have deep discussions, but we didn’t really do a lot of fishing together.

We’d all started in the same class in school, but Christopher graduated a year early. So for his junior year and Ben and my sophomore year Spring Break trip, we piled into my car and drove down to California, where it would be warm. Or so we told ourselves.

***

The San Francisco Bay, however, is not warm in March. It’s warmer than Oregon but only just.

We spent the first night in San Rafael, a city on the north end of the Bay, in a fleabag motel. The only reason we weren’t robbed blind is because my car was so unimpressive that the criminals all around it must have pitied us.

Would-be thieves thought: “Yikes. This guy needs it more than we do.”

The next morning, our charter for Striped Bass and White Sturgeon was a flop. Jim Cox Sportfishing was the name of the boat, and despite the guide and the three of us fishing, we only managed only one striper, and it was Christopher who caught it.

Now apart from our Biology Trip as freshman in high school where we caught a bunch of bottomfish and the one time he went trout fishing with at Spencer Creek, this was his only fish. The 27-inch striper was nearly 10 pounds. Not bad for maybe his tenth fish.

He also caught a stingray pushing 20 pounds, and Ben caught a respectable Starry Flounder (a fish I’ve seen caught just that once and have failed to catch myself in the years since).

I was skunked. Not the best way to drop $180 for a guy who, at the time, only made about $5000 per year.

***

We went to a nice seafood dinner at Fisherman’s Wharf then drove to Santa Cruz. I really wanted to catch a fish, so we headed to the Santa Cruz Municipal Pier.

Sure enough, I caught a fish. I setup the rod, and when I went to the bathroom, I came back to see Ben reeling in a White Croaker.

It wasn’t long before I started catching fish, too. That night I caught three small sculpins, and everyone else fishing on the pier kept calling them “Bullheads,” so I thought they were Pacific Staghorn Sculpins. The Internet existed, but I didn’t have a laptop and Christopher’s iPhone 1 was reserved solely for navigation, so I just went on in ignorance.

***
It wasn’t until I got home that I compared pictures and realized they’d been Cabezon.

#SpeciesQuest // #CaughtOvgard

Read the next entry in #SpeciesQuest here: Species #33 — Sacramento Perch.

52 Replies

  1. Excellent website you have here but I was curious if you knew of any message boards that cover the same topics discussed in this article? I’d really like to be a part of group where I can get comments from other knowledgeable individuals that share the same interest. If you have any recommendations, please let me know. Thanks a lot!

  2. Thanks for your write-up. I would also like to remark that the very first thing you will need to carry out is determine if you really need credit restoration. To do that you will have to get your hands on a duplicate of your credit file. That should never be difficult, ever since the government necessitates that you are allowed to receive one free of charge copy of your own credit report annually. You just have to inquire the right persons. You can either look into the website for the Federal Trade Commission or contact one of the major credit agencies right away.

  3. After research a couple of of the blog posts on your website now, and I truly like your method of blogging. I bookmarked it to my bookmark web site checklist and will probably be checking again soon. Pls take a look at my site as effectively and let me know what you think.

  4. One thing is that if you are searching for a student loan you may find that you’ll need a cosigner. There are many conditions where this is correct because you may find that you do not have a past credit ranking so the financial institution will require that you have someone cosign the money for you. Interesting post.

  5. whoah this weblog is magnificent i really like reading your posts. Stay up the good work! You understand, a lot of persons are looking round for this information, you can aid them greatly.

  6. Wow that was strange. I just wrote an very long comment but after I clicked submit my comment didn’t appear. Grrrr… well I’m not writing all that over again. Anyhow, just wanted to say fantastic blog!

  7. Hey there! I’m at work browsing your blog from my new iphone 3gs! Just wanted to say I love reading your blog and look forward to all your posts! Carry on the great work!

  8. Fascinating blog! Is your theme custom made or did you download it from somewhere? A theme like yours with a few simple tweeks would really make my blog stand out. Please let me know where you got your design. Many thanks

  9. Hello! I’m at work browsing your blog from my new iphone 3gs! Just wanted to say I love reading your blog and look forward to all your posts! Carry on the excellent work!

  10. Almost all of the things you state is supprisingly accurate and it makes me wonder why I had not looked at this with this light previously. This article truly did switch the light on for me as far as this particular topic goes. Nevertheless at this time there is actually 1 issue I am not really too comfortable with and whilst I attempt to reconcile that with the central theme of the point, allow me observe exactly what the rest of your readers have to point out.Nicely done.

  11. I simply couldn’t depart your website prior to suggesting that I actually enjoyed the standard info an individual provide on your guests? Is gonna be back incessantly in order to investigate cross-check new posts

  12. Thanks for the ideas you are revealing on this website. Another thing I want to say is that often getting hold of duplicates of your credit history in order to check out accuracy of each and every detail could be the first action you have to accomplish in credit restoration. You are looking to clear your credit profile from detrimental details problems that wreck your credit score.

  13. Thanks for your publication. One other thing is the fact that individual states have their own personal laws of which affect homeowners, which makes it very hard for the Congress to come up with a new set of rules concerning foreclosures on property owners. The problem is that each state possesses own laws and regulations which may have impact in an adverse manner in terms of foreclosure plans.

  14. I think that a property foreclosures can have a major effect on the client’s life. Property foreclosures can have a 8 to few years negative impact on a applicant’s credit report. Any borrower who may have applied for home financing or almost any loans for instance, knows that the actual worse credit rating is, the more complicated it is to acquire a decent loan. In addition, it might affect the borrower’s capacity to find a really good place to lease or hire, if that results in being the alternative real estate solution. Good blog post.

  15. Just desire to say your article is as amazing. The clearness to your submit is just excellent and i could suppose you are a professional on this subject. Fine along with your permission allow me to grab your RSS feed to keep updated with impending post. Thanks a million and please continue the gratifying work.

  16. One thing I would really like to say is always that before obtaining more computer system memory, check out the machine in which it is installed. In the event the machine is usually running Windows XP, for instance, the actual memory threshold is 3.25GB. Installing more than this would easily constitute a new waste. Make sure that one’s mother board can handle the upgrade quantity, as well. Great blog post.

  17. Howdy! This is my first visit to your blog! We are a group of volunteers and starting a new project in a community in the same niche. Your blog provided us valuable information to work on. You have done a wonderful job!

  18. I was just seeking this info for a while. After 6 hours of continuous Googleing, at last I got it in your site. I wonder what is the lack of Google strategy that don’t rank this kind of informative sites in top of the list. Usually the top websites are full of garbage.

  19. I don?t even know how I ended up here, but I thought this post was great. I don’t know who you are but certainly you’re going to a famous blogger if you are not already 😉 Cheers!

  20. Heya just wanted to give you a quick heads up and let you know a few of the images aren’t loading properly. I’m not sure why but I think its a linking issue. I’ve tried it in two different internet browsers and both show the same outcome.

  21. Some tips i have observed in terms of computer memory is always that there are requirements such as SDRAM, DDR and so on, that must match the requirements of the motherboard. If the pc’s motherboard is pretty current while there are no operating-system issues, changing the storage space literally will take under a couple of hours. It’s one of many easiest laptop or computer upgrade treatments one can picture. Thanks for spreading your ideas.

  22. One thing I’d really like to say is the fact that car insurance cancellations is a dreaded experience and if you’re doing the suitable things as a driver you simply will not get one. Some people do get the notice that they’ve been officially dropped by their particular insurance company they have to fight to get added insurance after having a cancellation. Cheap auto insurance rates tend to be hard to get from cancellation. Knowing the main reasons with regard to auto insurance cancelling can help owners prevent losing one of the most essential privileges available. Thanks for the strategies shared through your blog.

  23. Thanks for your publication. I would also love to say this that the first thing you will need to conduct is check if you really need credit restoration. To do that you will need to get your hands on a duplicate of your credit score. That should really not be difficult, ever since the government necessitates that you are allowed to be issued one cost-free copy of your credit report per year. You just have to consult the right folks. You can either read the website for that Federal Trade Commission or perhaps contact one of the main credit agencies directly.

  24. Fantastic blog you have here but I was curious if you knew of any forums that cover the same topics talked about here? I’d really love to be a part of community where I can get advice from other experienced individuals that share the same interest. If you have any recommendations, please let me know. Kudos!

  25. I haven?t checked in here for a while since I thought it was getting boring, but the last few posts are good quality so I guess I?ll add you back to my everyday bloglist. You deserve it my friend 🙂

  26. F*ckin? tremendous things here. I am very glad to see your article. Thanks a lot and i am looking forward to contact you. Will you please drop me a mail?

  27. Hi just wanted to give you a quick heads up and let you know a few of the images aren’t loading correctly. I’m not sure why but I think its a linking issue. I’ve tried it in two different browsers and both show the same results.

  28. Very good blog you have here but I was wondering if you knew of any discussion boards that cover the same topics discussed here? I’d really love to be a part of community where I can get feedback from other experienced people that share the same interest. If you have any recommendations, please let me know. Kudos!

  29. It is the best time to make a few plans for the longer term and it’s time to be happy. I’ve learn this publish and if I may I wish to counsel you few interesting issues or suggestions. Maybe you can write next articles referring to this article. I want to learn even more things about it!

  30. When I initially commented I clicked the “Notify me when new comments are added” checkbox and now each time a comment is added I get three emails with the same comment. Is there any way you can remove people from that service? Thanks!

  31. Hi! I know this is somewhat off topic but I was wondering which blog platform are you using for this website? I’m getting fed up of WordPress because I’ve had issues with hackers and I’m looking at alternatives for another platform. I would be fantastic if you could point me in the direction of a good platform.

  32. Youre so cool! I dont suppose Ive learn something like this before. So good to find someone with some original thoughts on this subject. realy thanks for beginning this up. this web site is something that’s needed on the net, someone with a bit of originality. useful job for bringing something new to the web!

  33. whoah this weblog is excellent i really like studying your articles. Keep up the great paintings! You realize, lots of persons are looking around for this info, you could help them greatly.

  34. I’ve been surfing online greater than 3 hours lately, but I never found any attention-grabbing article like yours. It is pretty value sufficient for me. Personally, if all website owners and bloggers made good content material as you probably did, the web will probably be much more helpful than ever before.

  35. I?ve been exploring for a little bit for any high quality articles or blog posts on this sort of area . Exploring in Yahoo I at last stumbled upon this web site. Reading this info So i?m happy to convey that I have a very good uncanny feeling I discovered exactly what I needed. I most certainly will make sure to do not forget this website and give it a glance regularly.

  36. Thanks for a marvelous posting! I certainly enjoyed reading it, you may be a great author.I will make sure to bookmark your blog and will eventually come back someday. I want to encourage yourself to continue your great posts, have a nice day!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.