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: 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,…
Species: Brown Rockfish (Sebastes auriculatus) Location: Brookings-Harbor Coastline, OR Date: September 10, 2009 Rashomon Effect 2-of-6: My Heart The dark majesty of the Oregon Coast rests in it’s rugged, untamed power. The shaded mystery of the forest and what lies within speaks to the adventurer in all of us. The whistling nocturne played by whipping winds over the…
Species: Yellowtail Rockfish (Sebastes flavidus) Location: Brookings-Harbor Coastline, OR Date: September 10, 2009 Good and bad often go hand-in-hand. This was one of those days. In less than 12 hours, I landed 26 fish representing 11 species (six of them new). Since this series on my blog showcases a story for each individual species, I was presented with a…
Species: Speckled Sanddab (Citharichthys stigmaeus) Location: Myers Creek Mouth, Gold Beach, OR Date: September 9, 2009 After an eventful day, today paled in comparison. My friend Ben Blanchard and I tried fishing the Rogue River Jetty in Gold Beach, but the sea lion sirens were deafening, so we didn’t stay there long. *** On the drive back to…
Species: Redtail Surfperch (Amphistichus rhodoterus) Location: Winchuck River Mouth, Brookings-Harbor, OR Date: September 8, 2009 From a journal entry of a same date: “With careful planning, and about $220 apiece, Ben (Blanchard) and I got to go on an incredible trip. The drive was full of conversation and excitement. The worst part of the drive was the last…
Species: Brown Bullhead (Ameiurus nebulosus) Location: Topsy Reservoir, OR Date: May 29, 2009 If pigeons are rats with wings, bullheads are rats with fins. For whatever reason, Brown Bullhead catfish have established themselves as the invasive every real angler loves to hate in almost every major basin across the country. Oregon is no different. Why someone would ever decide…
Species: Northern Pikeminnow (Ptychocheilus oregonensis) Location: Umatilla River, Pendleton, OR Date: July 21, 2008 We’ve established I hate baseball. I respect it and those who play it, but it bores me to tears. So, when my brother Gabe’s team made it to the Little League state championship tournament for a chance at the Little League World Series, I…
