Species: Redspotted Sunfish (Lepomis miniatus) Location: New Braunfels, Texas Date: August 25, 2018 I was infatuated with Redspotted Sunfish before I’d ever seen one in person. It was during 2018 that my #SpeciesQuest really came alive. Though my first road trip had come the prior summer, I only had a few days in transit to…
Species: Rock Bass (Ambloplites rupestris) Location: Buffalo, New York Date: July 18, 2018 People always look to be exceptional. They long for that place where they stick out, are the exception to the rule. Alas, I’m no different. My first Rock Bass, pictured above, was obviously a Rock Bass. I caught it in a park-like slough…
Species: Redbreast Sunfish (Lepomis auritus) Location: Little Wekiva River, Florida Date: July 8, 2018 Though I was born and raised in Oregon, I’m a flip-flop man. I would’ve said I’m a thong man, but some of my students read this blog, and this isn’t the 90s anymore; “thongs” don’t have anything to do with feet these days….
Species: Dollar Sunfish (Lepomis marginatus) Location: Lake Fran Urban Wetlands, Orlando, FL Date: July 7, 2018 You don’t need to go to McDonald’s to find the Dollar Menu because Dollar Sunfish are on the menu for damn near every fish in the Southeastern United States. In Florida, this means bass and gar and Bowfin, as well as…
Species: Spotted Sunfish (Lepomis punctatus) Location: Whataburger Parking Lot, Century, Florida Date: August 1, 2017 Florida is the destination fishery in the lower 48. As cool as salmon and steelhead and halibut are, it might even beat Alaska. So when I was driving back from Officer Training School in Alabama, I figured a small detour to Florida was…
Species: Redear Sunfish (Lepomis microlophus) Location: E.E. Wilson Pond, Corvallis, OR Date: June 18, 2016 Though the movie Ready Player One was entirely different from the book, both media outlets were phenomenal. Though I’m not much of a gamer anymore, I still love books about the art of the game. For that reason, I’d like to share the most…
Species: Warmouth (Lepomis gulosus) Location: Cosca Lake, Washington, D.C. Date: July 16, 2015 White Catfish checked off, I decided to fish the tiny feeder stream. It was small and crystal-clear which made sneaking up on the spooky sunfish within a challenge. But I managed. My go-to Bergie Worm Jr. (now discontinued) tipped with a tiny piece of…
Species: Sacramento Perch (Archoplites interruptus) Location: Topsy Reservoir, Keno, OR Date: June 14, 2010 There wasn’t anything crazy about this day. In fact, apart from the fact that spelling the word “Sacramento” has been a lifelong struggle, there isn’t much to tell. I always spell it “Sacremento” instead of “Sacramento,” but I live with my imperfections. But this…
Species: Green Sunfish (Lepomis cyanellus) Location: Lost Creek Lake, OR Date: July 27, 2005 Every day, we woke up and went on a run. We’d come back, grab breakfast, do some sort of running game, take a break, and run again. Lunch would come around, we’d have a short reprieve for the afternoon, then we’d go on an evening…
Species: Pumpkinseed (Lepomis gibbosus) Location: Lost River, OR Date: June 18, 2005 Lost River is so named because it bubbles up out of the ground, wanders around for 60 miles, then goes back into the ground not far from its origin. It is rumored to have once held a great Redband Trout fishery, but those days are decades…
