tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69272836520498353072024-02-20T18:25:07.430-05:00Fish Finding: An Ichthyological AdventureFish Finding: An Ichthyological AdventureBradley Rasmussenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00544785080451763556noreply@blogger.comBlogger76125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6927283652049835307.post-34124035551700061782022-11-03T23:37:00.001-04:002022-11-04T22:49:00.224-04:00A Summer in the USA - Backtracking to Arizona<p> Our mechanical troubles meant we had to skip almost all our planned activities in Arizona except for the Grand Canyon, but I was adamant on going back. There were just too many cool fish! I flew back to LA and we started by driving down the Californian coast to San Diego.</p><p>In San Diego, I learned my first lesson on how deceptive saltwater fishing on the west coast can be. Ben Cantrell had kindly sent me a number of good spots, and I was seeing fish, but I just couldn't get any to bite. In fact, I only got one bit that I lost and never caught another. Snorkeling in the La Jolla Cove was a nice consolation prize and it was awesome to see all of the species in the small kelp forest there.</p><p>I eventually gave up and switched to a more brackish spot in the estuary of a creek. The tide was rising and I could see fish in the shallows, this was more my style! My main target was California Killifish but I was distracted by the rays moving around in the shallower water. I simply plunked a bit of shrimp in front of them and soon enough I had two new species: Round Ray and Diamond Ray!</p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtfXjaozzOxO9BiAXNX39Azdz_caZmMqZJnhs7ey2nSWk7-edNj_ACpLIHJmt2KoKv4ias3VdKuseYuQt6zWBOHs7DJHOda316Hw-Om-ir2aOSE_E8-lNP27EWawgQrib1de2OdApDkA9IelDystSpOn_nRGR1otTMwBwdbCu7_NDlp6VRWPHqnueeLw/s4032/20220616_115238.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtfXjaozzOxO9BiAXNX39Azdz_caZmMqZJnhs7ey2nSWk7-edNj_ACpLIHJmt2KoKv4ias3VdKuseYuQt6zWBOHs7DJHOda316Hw-Om-ir2aOSE_E8-lNP27EWawgQrib1de2OdApDkA9IelDystSpOn_nRGR1otTMwBwdbCu7_NDlp6VRWPHqnueeLw/s320/20220616_115238.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Haller's Round Ray</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi92O1lzuIdyKwJcsJ9ao5CTWKShvAk0kpWPPXx3A1XaS0khqUMZ9MbSnJ4ymP098Ie8skxwPmb7iCimYUuLh9qUqeXhjDKR_EVkZyZA46fG2igm6v455SyUzW7NEYibQxk3k_N2fsGYI543fjUpIhyFGKDE1vcDTPVF-mN2QQFm1ky5nkivCLWMeEEkg/s4032/20220616_125728.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi92O1lzuIdyKwJcsJ9ao5CTWKShvAk0kpWPPXx3A1XaS0khqUMZ9MbSnJ4ymP098Ie8skxwPmb7iCimYUuLh9qUqeXhjDKR_EVkZyZA46fG2igm6v455SyUzW7NEYibQxk3k_N2fsGYI543fjUpIhyFGKDE1vcDTPVF-mN2QQFm1ky5nkivCLWMeEEkg/s320/20220616_125728.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Diamond Ray</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>The killifish wasn't much harder. There were huge schools just near a drop off so I switched to a smaller hook and caught one fairly easily.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsacHVj7h97zo7v7NYuzWjY3lbq-_dn48rB6fGiA0fX0q-bFQEtWWLOWcXjAu_QQDahtA3BPwTRyOsq0KF5pmF7rAkHg0AX-rdJKM6anMYoE8IRxaP6o_J8GNVdtpmOkaEmcoVQLrfrKCn6BJUBYkmjG-90srcQ8VWLZewd4KQlRjyBiTboVRq6wf0kw/s4032/20220616_120604.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsacHVj7h97zo7v7NYuzWjY3lbq-_dn48rB6fGiA0fX0q-bFQEtWWLOWcXjAu_QQDahtA3BPwTRyOsq0KF5pmF7rAkHg0AX-rdJKM6anMYoE8IRxaP6o_J8GNVdtpmOkaEmcoVQLrfrKCn6BJUBYkmjG-90srcQ8VWLZewd4KQlRjyBiTboVRq6wf0kw/w640-h480/20220616_120604.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">California Killifish</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>Having exhausted all our spots, we stopped to enjoy a sunset on the coast before switching it up and heading inland to get back to Arizona. We drove late into the night, and quickly realized AZ was going to present a problem; it was insanely hot! I'm talking like 35C at midnight! We overheard someone on the radio saying they had even baked a cake simply by leaving it in their car. In any case, we spent a sweaty night in the desert before continuing to our destination the next day.</div><div><br /></div><div>We started in Saguaro National Park but didn't last very long in the heat and made the call to head somewhere a little cooler. The lower Salt River near Phoenix provided some relief and we soaked in the cool water for a few hours. I even tried to do some fishing but only caught Rainbow Trout despite seeing many Sonora Suckers around. Turns out, AZ has a lot of Rainbow Trout stocked everywhere :(</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGZIQLH5jz9yFQYVOEL7nY8_tpujQDdD8nCjirDpn4UNNlf4v-rrnau1JuL31y6ZQpK-hGQKGeYKANxlfOvvsOakV2jz2epXYb05P6Uw4-kNe9uBCcv4XHipi8J73REft5Ul0zZe0rbE5EOf3RKnGQgEuw7DnhvAbfz7Nv_X_Q1aATj5lT0WRfM7JALQ/s4032/20220617_111318.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGZIQLH5jz9yFQYVOEL7nY8_tpujQDdD8nCjirDpn4UNNlf4v-rrnau1JuL31y6ZQpK-hGQKGeYKANxlfOvvsOakV2jz2epXYb05P6Uw4-kNe9uBCcv4XHipi8J73REft5Ul0zZe0rbE5EOf3RKnGQgEuw7DnhvAbfz7Nv_X_Q1aATj5lT0WRfM7JALQ/w640-h480/20220617_111318.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saguaro National Park</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>It was eventually time to leave the cool water and head north for some more exploring. Returning to the car, the temperature on the dash read 48C! We threw the A/C on blast and moved to the upper Verde River. The slight change in elevation brought the temps down to a more manageable level, but the river was a little silty and water levels were low. My target species was the endemic and rare Gila Trout, and I had a trout on my first cast into a promising pool! Unfortunately, it turned out to be another stocked rainbow, so were the next dozen trout.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhCXMmDnvZmTe1dVdp-vUUQGFPzlWpHbEB8zyrk_CvJI7OvewyHtyzArQ03Em8RPvdZouISJLvzYcFs6MdlBdBsQBinWreyOERkYcl6Yh7yCJZNUVutdCmwzFQGmZ76HRZLGdrIKGU9ZfZHGwEvB0mumYQ2G31Lkj4vt5EfnXiW-w7B1-iBE7kXUiAuQ/s4032/20220617_182238.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhCXMmDnvZmTe1dVdp-vUUQGFPzlWpHbEB8zyrk_CvJI7OvewyHtyzArQ03Em8RPvdZouISJLvzYcFs6MdlBdBsQBinWreyOERkYcl6Yh7yCJZNUVutdCmwzFQGmZ76HRZLGdrIKGU9ZfZHGwEvB0mumYQ2G31Lkj4vt5EfnXiW-w7B1-iBE7kXUiAuQ/w400-h300/20220617_182238.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rainbow Trout</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>I did eventually get a smaller bite that I was able to quickly swing onto shore, and it turned out to be a new species! My first lifer in Arizona; the Roundtail Chub.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqXZl_iZA1QJn7anfYAkOWWzxwFBbm2e8RPrLNFdAfTsZISrTn66h6Br70pglWSiC90f6hlKIbjlzy9BHgheNC108mGVkTNYg3iJ9cDOZ5hmOq5727fnPh91mxs1WZQwbTM7MwAnkapov2AXz7ZyZeR8h5T9Poyn1oNJl6_cuvK2-bTrbmMvjVpQ4rQQ/s4032/20220617_180851.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqXZl_iZA1QJn7anfYAkOWWzxwFBbm2e8RPrLNFdAfTsZISrTn66h6Br70pglWSiC90f6hlKIbjlzy9BHgheNC108mGVkTNYg3iJ9cDOZ5hmOq5727fnPh91mxs1WZQwbTM7MwAnkapov2AXz7ZyZeR8h5T9Poyn1oNJl6_cuvK2-bTrbmMvjVpQ4rQQ/w640-h480/20220617_180851.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roundtail Chub<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>After catching dozens of Rainbow Trout and a few more chub, it was becoming obvious that I wasn't going to be finding any Gila Trout. It was time to move on.</div><div><br /></div><div>We continued our northward journey in search of cooler temperatures and maybe, just maybe, some actual trees! We made it to Sedona with very little light before stopping for the night at a pull-off on public land.</div><div><br /></div><div>We spent the next morning exploring Sedona (and finding that the popular hikes were so busy that we couldn't park), and the afternoon fishing on the local creek that runs through town. I still wanted a Gila Trout, but this creek also had Sonora and Desert Suckers. I spent a lot more time trout fishing and only ended up catching more rainbows. However, the sucker fishing was a little more productive. The one pool was packed with tourists but I did get lucky and was able to sight fish this little guy; my first Desert Sucker!</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7NzdkjkF9MujVWFBcIv4FgoNMp2VEyvBqqr2iV8aFN7y3N_RrNUltYzS4VSDuCOfcAEgzaNqgrvUBWwveJMgsU3C2DFdtBWYLmb4Ocr5Yy75K6Nrj0-lbiPcNlVgfo8t_6GdGBfOfUwzz1_DDQZz1fLUDOfWSGwI-jJlzoNNIjA44O-m33KPMDN0-EQ/s4032/20220618_131224.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7NzdkjkF9MujVWFBcIv4FgoNMp2VEyvBqqr2iV8aFN7y3N_RrNUltYzS4VSDuCOfcAEgzaNqgrvUBWwveJMgsU3C2DFdtBWYLmb4Ocr5Yy75K6Nrj0-lbiPcNlVgfo8t_6GdGBfOfUwzz1_DDQZz1fLUDOfWSGwI-jJlzoNNIjA44O-m33KPMDN0-EQ/w640-h480/20220618_131224.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Desert Sucker</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>The Desert Sucker would be my only lifer from Sedona. I could have tried another day but we wanted to move on to more prospects. Alex wanted to stand on the corner in Winslow, and I wanted to make it out to the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest for some fishing. Alex got to stand on her corner and I got to catch an Apache Trout on my very first cast!</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtlzvZwIFtrF7LEGHZOUvuPY3B6Wtr9i1U4SwOdcPGmIt_Qyysoosm15ElsGvUYaTW4fuqeDKo-hJedVrpcxDMn3enjQKP-5thvAeQusI9MRAsCjLIitseMviuXofZaB10zWGMNS_UXpiHgNy03P6m-XJJdcnjZq1ulsaHQFAJ3P26T1Yf6ELsUZ9Qqw/s4032/20220618_212252.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtlzvZwIFtrF7LEGHZOUvuPY3B6Wtr9i1U4SwOdcPGmIt_Qyysoosm15ElsGvUYaTW4fuqeDKo-hJedVrpcxDMn3enjQKP-5thvAeQusI9MRAsCjLIitseMviuXofZaB10zWGMNS_UXpiHgNy03P6m-XJJdcnjZq1ulsaHQFAJ3P26T1Yf6ELsUZ9Qqw/w640-h480/20220618_212252.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Apache Trout</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>It wasn't the prettiest fish with its snub nose, but it was the only one I caught so I can't complain! After spending the rest of the evening and the night in the national forest, we made a full day drive back to California, but that will have to be in the next blog post.</div>Bradley Rasmussenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00544785080451763556noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6927283652049835307.post-52631003047537292362022-10-28T21:07:00.003-04:002022-10-28T21:13:02.997-04:00A Summer in the USA - Brokedown in Utah<p> We left off when our car broke down with a blown transmission and we had taken the bus to Salt Lake City to stay with some of Alex's relatives. I was fortunate to find some Weather Loach on the first night and soon met up with a local lifelister, Nick, who took me out for some hot spring fishing. Most of the catches ended up being hybrids but it was still a cool experience to find aquarium fish out in the desert.</p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwv57tN7gzuYEYCZJEQ1gqDE5OukiIygWGJyONemMWOZqASV_lhUUOk0k7w3P0M67rPkKUd-DNwCOF2lxNtiBOqYMj__1KzfePbTh_nmz4J5CKXbC8UDlRV61vlQR1B6Baifv5lP-OuU8l5DB0g2BjJh_eYmdI3PedPnqbSCRfNNHbawOS0n8Zoe7MHA/s4032/20220503_234525.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwv57tN7gzuYEYCZJEQ1gqDE5OukiIygWGJyONemMWOZqASV_lhUUOk0k7w3P0M67rPkKUd-DNwCOF2lxNtiBOqYMj__1KzfePbTh_nmz4J5CKXbC8UDlRV61vlQR1B6Baifv5lP-OuU8l5DB0g2BjJh_eYmdI3PedPnqbSCRfNNHbawOS0n8Zoe7MHA/s320/20220503_234525.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Weather Loach</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVlN2NqQdApF91J2_jcfBlbLrHscqITUaAW3-LG1RWm5AufOg0j9hhUbz9WCv2TWe-UpfpvW11nIR-H358HR132asUZCT4jocsfTvivL6vrUpOkC-Zj1MXlAsH4AIlLHuvxcVLgzOEEdByatp8yjqhkWXY9BLy3SOyQ7YKNs9T8MGH26jLu2o0d_QZpw/s4032/20220508_100229.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVlN2NqQdApF91J2_jcfBlbLrHscqITUaAW3-LG1RWm5AufOg0j9hhUbz9WCv2TWe-UpfpvW11nIR-H358HR132asUZCT4jocsfTvivL6vrUpOkC-Zj1MXlAsH4AIlLHuvxcVLgzOEEdByatp8yjqhkWXY9BLy3SOyQ7YKNs9T8MGH26jLu2o0d_QZpw/s320/20220508_100229.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hybrid African Cichlid</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>We didn't waste all our time waiting for the car repairs either, and made the best of it with some mini road trips between Alex's working days. The first was a run into western UT and then up to the Grand Tetons. More hot springs, beautiful views, and more fishing were all on the table! I also spent a day fishing with Matt Miller in Idaho where we caught an amazing number of Largescale Suckers and even a hyrbid Northern Pikeminnow x Chiselmouth, but no pure lifers.</div><div><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-0N6gkrC_3z183sZptdyEYUQ98NukUotP5Yp_KJMgtFzWSt-4U8InykJPAR0TDqqpxHQuAnmGQeVOE8ErW7znfjcV6rYKMZ5eBhM4DYN40xpYtpgJDRwZAIepL-Z9kL7Czs1Xjmc_byEG5j_JdBniz2CCLaQ-SGHZgKMB6AFwFZ4vDYFC5_M_ZFW6VQ/s4032/20220506_144004.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-0N6gkrC_3z183sZptdyEYUQ98NukUotP5Yp_KJMgtFzWSt-4U8InykJPAR0TDqqpxHQuAnmGQeVOE8ErW7znfjcV6rYKMZ5eBhM4DYN40xpYtpgJDRwZAIepL-Z9kL7Czs1Xjmc_byEG5j_JdBniz2CCLaQ-SGHZgKMB6AFwFZ4vDYFC5_M_ZFW6VQ/s320/20220506_144004.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Red Devil Cichlid</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0K2poMUBHPEAK0Y1IDQlBtEQY2ITvb3aJsNl75kGtst6B7kHGgedNougL5oOabEkRMZNuPH7brL4bp0ggDvSlR-Q1pZgi_NEKJfqBwEieTDdjZ9wfh8nIF8YWURjwP4yTe57Bnyw4EB_jFSNgidKeYfD4DJXhXrJTZsP5seDWlO57qI5W9-qggLVzXA/s4032/20220507_113610.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0K2poMUBHPEAK0Y1IDQlBtEQY2ITvb3aJsNl75kGtst6B7kHGgedNougL5oOabEkRMZNuPH7brL4bp0ggDvSlR-Q1pZgi_NEKJfqBwEieTDdjZ9wfh8nIF8YWURjwP4yTe57Bnyw4EB_jFSNgidKeYfD4DJXhXrJTZsP5seDWlO57qI5W9-qggLVzXA/s320/20220507_113610.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Utah Chub</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8v6pX289Rse9eZTKcKpDnz3NGhHtLHzYZR4qak09ulmqUBYqFp9VHXaOf737mPlUBf_NvsO4BQN6EBR6YtT39S1tVTI14vryVJZiuNKlqvav7uCwuKUt8H7-UhWCyp7igVItE_Xg2Cwe8-6Ltul-LtIVOya0WemqFwX9FtlZNyPsOV0l52aZKHiSUHA/s4032/20220509_191856.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8v6pX289Rse9eZTKcKpDnz3NGhHtLHzYZR4qak09ulmqUBYqFp9VHXaOf737mPlUBf_NvsO4BQN6EBR6YtT39S1tVTI14vryVJZiuNKlqvav7uCwuKUt8H7-UhWCyp7igVItE_Xg2Cwe8-6Ltul-LtIVOya0WemqFwX9FtlZNyPsOV0l52aZKHiSUHA/s320/20220509_191856.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Northern Pikeminnow x Chiselmouth</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm138T6f5ZpCT1EK9WyFC2NPNfJZlzTTU2piBY64hlhFhmXdTxWc0pIMe_hN64sW4QqPOdmsKbRgz9pJTBcV10ro201YYn5T78zWkuP-OL6_2Ptjdg54z93SnDVMLM-7z3n_7b-JtH9lPMD8bv3ToOcoC7g6blUDef821OnrxCxgBBxurY_4nWYq26ag/s4032/20220509_193035.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm138T6f5ZpCT1EK9WyFC2NPNfJZlzTTU2piBY64hlhFhmXdTxWc0pIMe_hN64sW4QqPOdmsKbRgz9pJTBcV10ro201YYn5T78zWkuP-OL6_2Ptjdg54z93SnDVMLM-7z3n_7b-JtH9lPMD8bv3ToOcoC7g6blUDef821OnrxCxgBBxurY_4nWYq26ag/s320/20220509_193035.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Largescale Sucker</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCVCTgtHCXeLeUs_DWXpB_nV_D6LH4J7ykZPe9NhrCGFsb122DN8MxObklSe9Fe9l38twtbKqjyScH3tGoENRIyTQqukgalfe6UhYhUrEjC1pmkO46HnE0RvHLCxv6SZPL3rBHJ9wjAXrP9hQegn_QvBFGHRDlRuI085G0_VI_0ZPvc3H81dkaMeuVvg/s4032/20220510_133732.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCVCTgtHCXeLeUs_DWXpB_nV_D6LH4J7ykZPe9NhrCGFsb122DN8MxObklSe9Fe9l38twtbKqjyScH3tGoENRIyTQqukgalfe6UhYhUrEjC1pmkO46HnE0RvHLCxv6SZPL3rBHJ9wjAXrP9hQegn_QvBFGHRDlRuI085G0_VI_0ZPvc3H81dkaMeuVvg/s320/20220510_133732.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Redbelly Tilapia</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWlcBEnV5WGhbqZ-Vkktv-hScgR2yydKQ3ENVDr4pmMHOXrdwE51TuCre7RmT9kB5Z7TlZa_aBzX0w-7_7UX3Ai4pAeJIBARw9zN5PMh9G1ryED6USxBgy6D1bmZeFHIr0-S-1htmq3mwu-a3fqCBAq14pOT-UD5ORePI5-52ImTRjE5vyX-fhb-_Zmw/s4032/20220510_131810.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWlcBEnV5WGhbqZ-Vkktv-hScgR2yydKQ3ENVDr4pmMHOXrdwE51TuCre7RmT9kB5Z7TlZa_aBzX0w-7_7UX3Ai4pAeJIBARw9zN5PMh9G1ryED6USxBgy6D1bmZeFHIr0-S-1htmq3mwu-a3fqCBAq14pOT-UD5ORePI5-52ImTRjE5vyX-fhb-_Zmw/s320/20220510_131810.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Melanochromis auratus<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2H-KqqdH9ER7gsOV7YGxvIc7iQdGWhJ6suYGyjAM-dpwSqmp4KGbD2YnpdZ13bxKWwXTfoHX85pLtRvO_sueh9EyD4k5oFhtYyEV4h6rnG7Sqn6CZ0FrMf6w5nwN2VM32sklAB9NEmHHLZ0J5zqy6NGZWSrLNXwlsqLkTA8Y6-1EWnlozxiarUIqztA/s4032/20220510_144859.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2H-KqqdH9ER7gsOV7YGxvIc7iQdGWhJ6suYGyjAM-dpwSqmp4KGbD2YnpdZ13bxKWwXTfoHX85pLtRvO_sueh9EyD4k5oFhtYyEV4h6rnG7Sqn6CZ0FrMf6w5nwN2VM32sklAB9NEmHHLZ0J5zqy6NGZWSrLNXwlsqLkTA8Y6-1EWnlozxiarUIqztA/w300-h400/20220510_144859.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shoshone Falls</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkeMqLYcHYJfB--_Z83ZWts1oPvM6qP6q2eLmQCPgSKqS1g80uzZubMUJPlpBH5iQLvoXo8wLhZYeJ0pbiotBg6wYEpxxkcotKLZOPmUIn3aZFM0g_IiQgme90_K-DNjiu4Pcx2O2Xr7GICbm2y3jlxCG_papiqOzDn9rQhbRC8i2ssHJtpAvux728hQ/s4032/20220507_122208.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkeMqLYcHYJfB--_Z83ZWts1oPvM6qP6q2eLmQCPgSKqS1g80uzZubMUJPlpBH5iQLvoXo8wLhZYeJ0pbiotBg6wYEpxxkcotKLZOPmUIn3aZFM0g_IiQgme90_K-DNjiu4Pcx2O2Xr7GICbm2y3jlxCG_papiqOzDn9rQhbRC8i2ssHJtpAvux728hQ/w300-h400/20220507_122208.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grand Tetons</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Being stuck in Salt Lake City also meant we were a stone's throw away from one of my bucket list destinations: Bear Lake! A crazy unique place with no less than 4 endemic species; 3 coregonids and 1 sculpin. I knew the whitefish would be basically uncatchable, but the sculpin should have been close to shore this time of year. I noticed a bunch of juvenile trout so quickly caught one of those; a unique strain of the Bonneville Cutthroat Trout. After enough rock flipping, my dream sculpin popped up too! They were way smaller than I imagined.</div><div><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiU8TAAlf900XAtgFUU5PnKP11t2Chdcw37Mhd8XIuDp2QMPAIO7vD4XjjjHrcftsa6r9W67KimLle0NhNNtZP8CiwSENsM0UdNGJzJ0o_CAjluZNNxpLLz18HwVkUpPzxOhBIFhjYlftX3xnn4NvQXXlxD2FzZWkCOEoDWBYzcEtr8EETcbS9_WUNmA/s4032/20220510_200846.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiU8TAAlf900XAtgFUU5PnKP11t2Chdcw37Mhd8XIuDp2QMPAIO7vD4XjjjHrcftsa6r9W67KimLle0NhNNtZP8CiwSENsM0UdNGJzJ0o_CAjluZNNxpLLz18HwVkUpPzxOhBIFhjYlftX3xnn4NvQXXlxD2FzZWkCOEoDWBYzcEtr8EETcbS9_WUNmA/s320/20220510_200846.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bear Lake Sculpin</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJYj1hosCgy9QBPPw7oeE0qdSI1UappMDsRnOhywsr6LxV8LUZ_GdCUv0k8CyiG4EuQ6sJ_RV5IEBda7nj-srYcaASlo3Jl1SM9tPcpd0qruNFDD19LHpdStWcssAn7TwPFgQ4pU5IHqh4MOCpWC0iIDKYN_OMssXi7A_ZbaNTE1qfaG27jJ4zqCXiCQ/s4032/20220510_194145.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJYj1hosCgy9QBPPw7oeE0qdSI1UappMDsRnOhywsr6LxV8LUZ_GdCUv0k8CyiG4EuQ6sJ_RV5IEBda7nj-srYcaASlo3Jl1SM9tPcpd0qruNFDD19LHpdStWcssAn7TwPFgQ4pU5IHqh4MOCpWC0iIDKYN_OMssXi7A_ZbaNTE1qfaG27jJ4zqCXiCQ/s320/20220510_194145.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bear Lake Cutthroat Trout</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>There were also one more local species I really wanted to catch while in northern Utah: the Utah Sucker. I thought they might pop up while chasing other species but that never happened. After receiving a bit of intel from a local angler named Lucas, I set out to track them down. The first stream I tried was full of them, all in spawning mode. They weren't very focused on feeding but eventually I sealed the deal with this beauty.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLXzWVa-YllRf57I4oWcMWW7UIn4yELTg8c7IzDgM8krnqeQyzdfT1lLwTK3O0SfRitNqNHrOqTATBDU01AUeh7rUlEh7OZwzyPwnEU5_VmLWuG2d80QFRhbBhmxIsa3Y0xzqfJxmlKN9bGe475rxabYFc27lVLEPUCSqd-Wv7mvdORmXetVjJg-Eu7Q/s4032/20220511_141647.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLXzWVa-YllRf57I4oWcMWW7UIn4yELTg8c7IzDgM8krnqeQyzdfT1lLwTK3O0SfRitNqNHrOqTATBDU01AUeh7rUlEh7OZwzyPwnEU5_VmLWuG2d80QFRhbBhmxIsa3Y0xzqfJxmlKN9bGe475rxabYFc27lVLEPUCSqd-Wv7mvdORmXetVjJg-Eu7Q/w640-h480/20220511_141647.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Utah Sucker</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>Having exhausted the local species, we took some time to explore more of the state. Alex had more time off work so we rented a car and did the classic loop of national parks in southern Utah. My favourite part was the Zebra Slot Canyon which wasn't even part of any park! A SxS tour of the Hell's Revenge track in Moab was a highlight too.</div><div><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiljSEJU6P50ZjqRZdS4EY-0811Ta1obIARNloOrLjHt8pINCR-tppPl8JvOWoSmUPqLK-7Yk--LWo_EiIKkE-efVbWJBjzU6pcG9lH_IVrQt_dfp88b2dFH2__G1YxppgdgY3sxe9dFvjgnPCdmfC98sxLQ8_dcYbSwHWb7DIvUZV-C4oDcL7hqy5ViQ/s4032/20220514_104125.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiljSEJU6P50ZjqRZdS4EY-0811Ta1obIARNloOrLjHt8pINCR-tppPl8JvOWoSmUPqLK-7Yk--LWo_EiIKkE-efVbWJBjzU6pcG9lH_IVrQt_dfp88b2dFH2__G1YxppgdgY3sxe9dFvjgnPCdmfC98sxLQ8_dcYbSwHWb7DIvUZV-C4oDcL7hqy5ViQ/s320/20220514_104125.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Zion</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLae1q4PL6ll0rIfmsQccQLNifHpL5-IFVVa3N_hgYygzVZtfdp2eccZiRiuh6LNL5WlmINr66G6mUBA8nbIWkbupWWBa6UkU-Ki_MVKg_Mvlo4dlr29Rx6fmIOVZfySaGFIezxgUBaNkXEhe9mkKQoSLfr06KaOcJhgg4TWlw6dQ39ZLb7QuDUyStFA/s4032/20220514_143042.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLae1q4PL6ll0rIfmsQccQLNifHpL5-IFVVa3N_hgYygzVZtfdp2eccZiRiuh6LNL5WlmINr66G6mUBA8nbIWkbupWWBa6UkU-Ki_MVKg_Mvlo4dlr29Rx6fmIOVZfySaGFIezxgUBaNkXEhe9mkKQoSLfr06KaOcJhgg4TWlw6dQ39ZLb7QuDUyStFA/s320/20220514_143042.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bryce Canyon</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn0ISbJJYASZZKRVC-gbx1pHvou2Hj1W8aOKht2WGV_eLkPmW3-GUhCtGf3y9c6Lw5s_Yu-0FnZ9NAdB9wAuQzqEvwXujH_MvnkRV4CvVYvB_u5X9vpqqpodAKbJw52s2ZMmPWvgVXpoyVAJEmXppyFxQ2cdY3jt3gFxYWEFiFz5t6aCSST2bqBENh3g/s4032/20220514_173532.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn0ISbJJYASZZKRVC-gbx1pHvou2Hj1W8aOKht2WGV_eLkPmW3-GUhCtGf3y9c6Lw5s_Yu-0FnZ9NAdB9wAuQzqEvwXujH_MvnkRV4CvVYvB_u5X9vpqqpodAKbJw52s2ZMmPWvgVXpoyVAJEmXppyFxQ2cdY3jt3gFxYWEFiFz5t6aCSST2bqBENh3g/s320/20220514_173532.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Zebra Slot Canyon</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja2IgLAeRkN_O0QTuyGWHdygVrwbFsjwvGUl5jwFHyJmkPJbKUjZMCrNpZLunyO4lKOijNxbDT49uHWR0r7sQTrqZ4CAq4H186yUQX-PvjhfEppz72PheBugxo7srWimVghbwDOrvWmbQi0Fat3WpLRm7vz8VyLcA8wVIDA-UxBgrdRNB_01CoVB6XgQ/s4032/20220515_075451.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja2IgLAeRkN_O0QTuyGWHdygVrwbFsjwvGUl5jwFHyJmkPJbKUjZMCrNpZLunyO4lKOijNxbDT49uHWR0r7sQTrqZ4CAq4H186yUQX-PvjhfEppz72PheBugxo7srWimVghbwDOrvWmbQi0Fat3WpLRm7vz8VyLcA8wVIDA-UxBgrdRNB_01CoVB6XgQ/s320/20220515_075451.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Arches</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSoju1B-nQ1nqcXkwfdPirKltmtn0m047opGHlgBfOZ1lkQdTkOEEcWMOJhDaqP6v2Zxe6z_NyhUjF-6RA7rVWKgmME8fFadsMCZY5mcTa6RRi6WTlyEnpZlmPMcmb5iXuMYiCmtEJbfjEGs6BbUubPUgTYTdb08-f9Ow8JUUaxURGYJsyGncXcecG6g/s4032/20220512_145808.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSoju1B-nQ1nqcXkwfdPirKltmtn0m047opGHlgBfOZ1lkQdTkOEEcWMOJhDaqP6v2Zxe6z_NyhUjF-6RA7rVWKgmME8fFadsMCZY5mcTa6RRi6WTlyEnpZlmPMcmb5iXuMYiCmtEJbfjEGs6BbUubPUgTYTdb08-f9Ow8JUUaxURGYJsyGncXcecG6g/s320/20220512_145808.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Canyonlands</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>After a few more days of exploring the parks, we finally got some good news: the car was fixed! We took the bus back down to Blanding and went on our way, $8000 poorer. At this point, we were running out of time and I needed to be in Los Angeles for a flight in just a few days. We'd need to cut out some fishing plans, but didn't want to miss some of the big sights like the Grand Canyon, Horseshoe Bend, and Death Valley. We also took time for a quick night in Las Vegas and a visit to the Hoover Dam.<div><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN-JCIFS_sjYQuZUKPrvlfgluRz8jPfd2jN4jLo4j3eq7fS3SClUbUsazW71wMtODYlH7kJiYeysB0pd6D3z-I7KTGKWxQWKau7xm1q0rDQYNmc1B3qrt5tVpKzLNfop2gweENsKPsVrsydN3JCxJBWmCtb7ZDVYrUA7aH5oVM_dm4hyPwUMv2sVYgtg/s4032/20220520_110708.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN-JCIFS_sjYQuZUKPrvlfgluRz8jPfd2jN4jLo4j3eq7fS3SClUbUsazW71wMtODYlH7kJiYeysB0pd6D3z-I7KTGKWxQWKau7xm1q0rDQYNmc1B3qrt5tVpKzLNfop2gweENsKPsVrsydN3JCxJBWmCtb7ZDVYrUA7aH5oVM_dm4hyPwUMv2sVYgtg/s320/20220520_110708.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grand Canyon</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbpd2nX7n2adUsGQczrLUOQD1oTJMscnM3faBRdXk4iOCNB0XGMNRchPh93spdOXCwsvbXZPZN-CLikooMJHjMR2rqfZDL0EBUEYRD-wGrkMQI4DgLcZurRRMxgHIqtrb_kHPdEB5C5XcVzvIpThEzfOgIzvB8fmZeWAI4S4_E9fFxAc_V5p8a7BcZfA/s4032/20220521_112204.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbpd2nX7n2adUsGQczrLUOQD1oTJMscnM3faBRdXk4iOCNB0XGMNRchPh93spdOXCwsvbXZPZN-CLikooMJHjMR2rqfZDL0EBUEYRD-wGrkMQI4DgLcZurRRMxgHIqtrb_kHPdEB5C5XcVzvIpThEzfOgIzvB8fmZeWAI4S4_E9fFxAc_V5p8a7BcZfA/s320/20220521_112204.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Death Valley</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>We were happy to have been able to see so much despite our mechanical troubles, and even made it to California with a couple days to spare. We spent some time on the ocean and I managed to squeeze in two more fishing spots for Tule Perch and Arroyo Chub. Both were very productive and it didn't take long to find the fish.</div><div><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5ndGEloNXjAIVWH7MXdTu07Apx2k83l9e0re3LpeBUtKb17QC5LRhX83eTUDWiyELJ2L66LpTuCxhqHqc6UG-9d38rX6FRKDG3RO65l1jga65_rL4wWwSAZWKM12IcaetGgXppuom4nxAn9HY-ixdo1869LHoB6m32U4OE_65bj79nnh8Ps7ilceA1A/s4032/20220521_182444.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5ndGEloNXjAIVWH7MXdTu07Apx2k83l9e0re3LpeBUtKb17QC5LRhX83eTUDWiyELJ2L66LpTuCxhqHqc6UG-9d38rX6FRKDG3RO65l1jga65_rL4wWwSAZWKM12IcaetGgXppuom4nxAn9HY-ixdo1869LHoB6m32U4OE_65bj79nnh8Ps7ilceA1A/s320/20220521_182444.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tule Perch</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv5eerswISIXhUVDjGlNCROCtbom3peONxZdEU4YnyyBxWJPY-KvRz5baI8dtCUpXbBfvjN30-NKyxU-QHTz7J9m9iCnY9zgEmCYIlo7OoVaKJfCYBoY7GBwyGLstjapEzQsBU9osNUK8Rmc-C1Cc3q6iNlL5eIwP3CNu1s3f-uhYM6fjduTR106afEA/s4032/20220522_143619.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv5eerswISIXhUVDjGlNCROCtbom3peONxZdEU4YnyyBxWJPY-KvRz5baI8dtCUpXbBfvjN30-NKyxU-QHTz7J9m9iCnY9zgEmCYIlo7OoVaKJfCYBoY7GBwyGLstjapEzQsBU9osNUK8Rmc-C1Cc3q6iNlL5eIwP3CNu1s3f-uhYM6fjduTR106afEA/s320/20220522_143619.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Arroyo Chub</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>Fun fact: "arroyo" is Spanish for creek, so the Arroyo Chub is really just a Creek Chub. Eventually, it was time for me to head to the airport and fly back to Nunavut for work. From one very hot desert to one very cold desert.</div><div><br /></div><div>Our route to LAX did take us by one final fishing spot and we did have an extra hour or so to try and make something happen. This urban pond had an iNat observation of Lowland Cichlid so I decided I could use my extra time to give it a try. I had to weed through dozens of Green Sunfish, but the cichlid did eventually pop up! Success!</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd95fUC4xyYJAVm4B7Qxk1RTLCTxK9zuZLvCjLF0v9Dg6_-nk8a8YHk4QHXORRf6s6MQDEk3_gcy1AdBt8-HU6acLYapQ-IM-ajVFxSZTUz0lK2AcE6uAD2uqqUS8imCIhQ5w0dlSH8GLoCxUqXvUkJ6OWZXfDKC7b7iT43Uamkr8aQ4mGC-gbXU3aMw/s4032/20220523_194217.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd95fUC4xyYJAVm4B7Qxk1RTLCTxK9zuZLvCjLF0v9Dg6_-nk8a8YHk4QHXORRf6s6MQDEk3_gcy1AdBt8-HU6acLYapQ-IM-ajVFxSZTUz0lK2AcE6uAD2uqqUS8imCIhQ5w0dlSH8GLoCxUqXvUkJ6OWZXfDKC7b7iT43Uamkr8aQ4mGC-gbXU3aMw/w640-h480/20220523_194217.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lowland Cichlid</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div>Bradley Rasmussenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00544785080451763556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6927283652049835307.post-53766583065813498292022-10-27T11:10:00.002-04:002022-10-27T23:21:35.588-04:00A Summer in the USA - The Southwest<p> For the next part of our big road trip, Alex and I headed down to Texas and into the Southwest. At this point, we would be leaving for a few months and I'd only be flying back to Canada for work. </p><p>The trip started out well with a long drive to Kentucky and then a quick pit stop at a spot where a number of lifelisters had recently caught Springs Cavefish. I knew I needed to be there at night or the fish would be nowhere to be found. We drove all night and made it there for 5AM, just before the sun came up! With just enough time to spare, I made my way down to the creek and found my lifer after a little bit of searching :)</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj160GIOfX8CuruHvrwCxhKzXa8PcSnwxjGond-cWgb36ueNdUwGW4Hxza18Fqv3ihq4AN6lNnoFIe057CHQE1ebpbbd_ZDKCxqtmClXaQ21C-W30O8trgd-lry4wRMN_mR7AywkVl3E8R4vXqMDmbG-UK1unMHi4h_2V0yZ-wz6Jrc4i71tko0wq45zQ/s4032/20220424_050225.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj160GIOfX8CuruHvrwCxhKzXa8PcSnwxjGond-cWgb36ueNdUwGW4Hxza18Fqv3ihq4AN6lNnoFIe057CHQE1ebpbbd_ZDKCxqtmClXaQ21C-W30O8trgd-lry4wRMN_mR7AywkVl3E8R4vXqMDmbG-UK1unMHi4h_2V0yZ-wz6Jrc4i71tko0wq45zQ/w640-h480/20220424_050225.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Springs Cavefish</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>Other than a quick stop in Missouri at a river that just looked too good to pass up, we mostly spent the next day driving all the way down to Texas. I tried a spillway for Blue Suckers but apparently the flow had been completely shut off due to the drought in the south, I didn't even know that was legal.</div><div><br /></div><div>The next day, we moved further into Texas to a spot with Spotted and Alligator Gar. It didn't take long to find the Spotted Gar, and they were very willing to bite a jerkbait even in the turbid water. I caught my lifer in short order and even a bonus Channel Catfish on the lure!</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiatJR7L2azCqmv7eJ0M5QnXYNgUeM-nosw2MCv8FPUedcRcNMsOBLam72nDDfMskC9Xf77XS3ZOmeZI8o54aL50ClRpA343P0_mH4u8g6WutRx2Y5e6Gfx3MtNeYJ7jXz0PT6M1UgRJ2zdPQm4VB6dylpTOekvgFm61IVv_noKgdHxbtNxkCEImJWjrA/s4032/20220425_135621.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiatJR7L2azCqmv7eJ0M5QnXYNgUeM-nosw2MCv8FPUedcRcNMsOBLam72nDDfMskC9Xf77XS3ZOmeZI8o54aL50ClRpA343P0_mH4u8g6WutRx2Y5e6Gfx3MtNeYJ7jXz0PT6M1UgRJ2zdPQm4VB6dylpTOekvgFm61IVv_noKgdHxbtNxkCEImJWjrA/w640-h480/20220425_135621.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spotted Gar</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>The next adventure was decidedly less fun. I continued gar fishing in the hopes that an Alligator Gar would show up. I wouldn't find them until much later but I did have a Spotted Gar spit the hook right on shore and send the lure flying into the back of my head. Alex was not very enthusiastic about performing emergency surgery to my scalp.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNknrTzBu0Kfual7t79psaASNYZYmRt3Ft-CNHphom1mvqQGQO7IwcVt1BHWPCq7PL9tU0idqxFhrUxxLQSUQ196DZjfOa8Hnp1_PvHEOevpUrdh_cIewbilFtRqxXmF12oXNsO6nxYGfBNtuZbOQ5jEnchdhBoOzzCqgFv-lD887iZN21T2hX_StgPA/s4032/20220425_131501.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNknrTzBu0Kfual7t79psaASNYZYmRt3Ft-CNHphom1mvqQGQO7IwcVt1BHWPCq7PL9tU0idqxFhrUxxLQSUQ196DZjfOa8Hnp1_PvHEOevpUrdh_cIewbilFtRqxXmF12oXNsO6nxYGfBNtuZbOQ5jEnchdhBoOzzCqgFv-lD887iZN21T2hX_StgPA/s320/20220425_131501.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div>Eventually, I did find the Alligator Gar, and they were in a spawning congregation directly below a flow control structure. Some of them were huge and right at my feet! Unfortunately, they all seemed more interested in spawning than feeding, so I was never able to catch one.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCTz3wv7JyuoqMNrPx8s0KRWtMV7CD6JIvkKgg65kw2pyP0GWLsKsilLmCBen3y_zROrXgqX6JnySTiiBGYd44vnW3yR7D4sWtg_029GAg5holxTLasHJFh4E3-HvqwVI_MsCtE-SZWP2N3gxAQKw9dUhYaAiO7jjqWMVsFro03OG8fyRk5TSxLt_4Tg/s4032/20220425_210854.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCTz3wv7JyuoqMNrPx8s0KRWtMV7CD6JIvkKgg65kw2pyP0GWLsKsilLmCBen3y_zROrXgqX6JnySTiiBGYd44vnW3yR7D4sWtg_029GAg5holxTLasHJFh4E3-HvqwVI_MsCtE-SZWP2N3gxAQKw9dUhYaAiO7jjqWMVsFro03OG8fyRk5TSxLt_4Tg/w640-h480/20220425_210854.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alligator Gar Territory</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>We enjoyed the sunset over the swampland before driving a little to find a place to crash for the night, there was more important fishing to come!</div><div><br /></div><div>It was time to switch things up and go for a little river fishing, the primary targets being Guadalupe Bass and Rio Grande Cichlid. Getting to the river, I knew right away I was in for a struggle. The water level was little more than a trickle, and was unrecognizable from years prior. In fact, this would become a trend for many fishing spots in the southwest. I found the only sizable pool for KM's and fortunately there were some fish swimming around. I ended up catching my lifer Plains Longear Sunfish pretty easily.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL9NodLyVzvVcglGYD81gNNiIlSCGAfVVdWBpXwmpPpCe_4cfM1NUXXTbCISNBQIi8cRmhuH_fMGKrZO8dMsCrp8T2fgs0QUMYAi1zHfEa_hitReeuLaoLq4O-GATUvJv3k6CD4N_Ehd3i4LiMyq2yZgT3SHK5jjQB1SJoi8z4gTrnXIR3kJP7PPA9Ag/s4032/20220426_113305.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL9NodLyVzvVcglGYD81gNNiIlSCGAfVVdWBpXwmpPpCe_4cfM1NUXXTbCISNBQIi8cRmhuH_fMGKrZO8dMsCrp8T2fgs0QUMYAi1zHfEa_hitReeuLaoLq4O-GATUvJv3k6CD4N_Ehd3i4LiMyq2yZgT3SHK5jjQB1SJoi8z4gTrnXIR3kJP7PPA9Ag/w640-h480/20220426_113305.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plains Longear Sunfish</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>The bass and cichlids never did show up at the first spot so we moved downstream. The next spot had a lot more water and I could already see the fish swimming around. The sunfish were relentless but eventually I caught my first cichlid by fishing extremely tight to structure. Although I saw Guadalupe Bass, I never did catch one. Definitely something to come back for, there's something special about Texas Hill Country.</div><div><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOf4_e-Mt2Xes30MhopmPec4vPbBQkUyZeCd_36ttsv7x902d0yKNyyFXDAqm2MQFpGhQtFLrGIrLCKRcJrbzu5RjvbZ-iUhwAeE-EYcpVWJdJMAje-cLssNy1zLsQDd8mqKJbk0mGHUJBE6Yv0Qe4FuUwfLK5BPyQ24obXIKk_nq8jIlqXcl0Gitdpw/s4032/20220426_153730.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOf4_e-Mt2Xes30MhopmPec4vPbBQkUyZeCd_36ttsv7x902d0yKNyyFXDAqm2MQFpGhQtFLrGIrLCKRcJrbzu5RjvbZ-iUhwAeE-EYcpVWJdJMAje-cLssNy1zLsQDd8mqKJbk0mGHUJBE6Yv0Qe4FuUwfLK5BPyQ24obXIKk_nq8jIlqXcl0Gitdpw/s320/20220426_153730.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rio Grande Cichlid</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhgDEW9SkM1TTsrA6ZcJPVu5u-tDYKghBSKCjEO2B3rCpy0CgWRoh9smtgL7vpzh2VLxdv0ScRKQfj1iQH2MHA0zm7ws9rlAGEwPqNWjoyfyghU0IwK5x7qSc6riU1n-ghFiMId2bvRfnFp2hVTKoAdMwStVjhhIpHGGiWqDnj8CWa3J_PHNaSiPf-Cg/s4032/20220426_164855.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhgDEW9SkM1TTsrA6ZcJPVu5u-tDYKghBSKCjEO2B3rCpy0CgWRoh9smtgL7vpzh2VLxdv0ScRKQfj1iQH2MHA0zm7ws9rlAGEwPqNWjoyfyghU0IwK5x7qSc6riU1n-ghFiMId2bvRfnFp2hVTKoAdMwStVjhhIpHGGiWqDnj8CWa3J_PHNaSiPf-Cg/s320/20220426_164855.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Texas Hill Country</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>We made some quick tourist stops in San Antonio but were again disappointed by urban USA, fortunately there's plenty of beautiful rural USA to make up for it. Case in point, Big Bend National Park! Way out of the way, but so worth the visit.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDgcpunt2RMVZyk1i-o7yeeJ1Sj365JYt5wEVP561i08kiZPaZCoqBKB9q3vqqR3Ky2Ec1LlC7oYIlMpRK7Z7FwNXWuE4am_2SMvFNbi72_noIMuoSey-RLhN5QRs1F5JHzGSx26tmW5C9NrOjHse2J5aS4DhqaNBM9a-VUFGERcSJCYBua7o46VUw9w/s4032/20220427_130251.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDgcpunt2RMVZyk1i-o7yeeJ1Sj365JYt5wEVP561i08kiZPaZCoqBKB9q3vqqR3Ky2Ec1LlC7oYIlMpRK7Z7FwNXWuE4am_2SMvFNbi72_noIMuoSey-RLhN5QRs1F5JHzGSx26tmW5C9NrOjHse2J5aS4DhqaNBM9a-VUFGERcSJCYBua7o46VUw9w/w640-h480/20220427_130251.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Big Bend National Park</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>Heading west of San Antonio, finding any fishable water at all was a struggle. I did fish one stream on the way to Big Bend that was sent to me by Luke. After a weird interaction with a local cop (who thought we were smuggling illegal immigrants), I was able to catch my lifer Gray Redhorse and a bonus Manantial Roundnose Minnow. I also broke off on a Flathead Catfish and struck out on Headwater Catfish.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim6S6eLNeY0OMTyfpYdy2v8fMNfyasUnV-QRyaL7yxLLzfU8OCuGNtEw3VMBMDlHSufiLHqVm7ThwRu1h1oTjam1b-TqOlBxPKbh-62NGoQqqNjds3GWhpqYT6rzCvFmkEk2r4z_YD6XcoPThOZajDlhqEPmZJ2Pu8o907HBWDQ7IMhS25T2sI_wi6wg/s4032/20220427_013909.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim6S6eLNeY0OMTyfpYdy2v8fMNfyasUnV-QRyaL7yxLLzfU8OCuGNtEw3VMBMDlHSufiLHqVm7ThwRu1h1oTjam1b-TqOlBxPKbh-62NGoQqqNjds3GWhpqYT6rzCvFmkEk2r4z_YD6XcoPThOZajDlhqEPmZJ2Pu8o907HBWDQ7IMhS25T2sI_wi6wg/w640-h480/20220427_013909.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gray Redhorse</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>The roundnose minnow would be my last fish for a while. We switched gears and spent a good amount of time visiting some incredible national parks out in the desert. We managed to check off Guadalupe Mountains, Carlsbad Caverns, White Sands, Chaco Culture, and Mesa Verde! All were unique in their own way and I've really got to commend the US on their national park system.</div><div><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3k2nMAyKCCiSSvROIepd1j4p4OWLYpUf2M4acATs9ZXDFMVv6eGQWTSe_xHJdipGeXE5rdVHrSQCCbyB_EvaRNRuR38cnMFj7jpT7tqWV0ZR4xvH8Ph2e5ZYHTwGk17fjcAfBma1l8e1VeI1kx68tUiZ0iT9X_BOnMjU4MZQlSx4A1SATiKEaMbArdg/s4032/20220427_212101.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3k2nMAyKCCiSSvROIepd1j4p4OWLYpUf2M4acATs9ZXDFMVv6eGQWTSe_xHJdipGeXE5rdVHrSQCCbyB_EvaRNRuR38cnMFj7jpT7tqWV0ZR4xvH8Ph2e5ZYHTwGk17fjcAfBma1l8e1VeI1kx68tUiZ0iT9X_BOnMjU4MZQlSx4A1SATiKEaMbArdg/s320/20220427_212101.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Guadalupe Mountains</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy_A4lx0bucuRqJogmuOUEZgVIYnGmEiOnAGRz9bET1rE8TFw-5xYHCtyKPm9t48dFhVYwp4QExkEUpptVBAOnpAxHPEhKAFCrhd9gbglrqiTaAaSZZ_D5FHxXtA9EsaUoYN8QRcVhoShcX5abNN3lmki6NG-G2YxJsDhx8evZJsjQBchPjtrGJr3n4g/s4032/20220428_215307.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy_A4lx0bucuRqJogmuOUEZgVIYnGmEiOnAGRz9bET1rE8TFw-5xYHCtyKPm9t48dFhVYwp4QExkEUpptVBAOnpAxHPEhKAFCrhd9gbglrqiTaAaSZZ_D5FHxXtA9EsaUoYN8QRcVhoShcX5abNN3lmki6NG-G2YxJsDhx8evZJsjQBchPjtrGJr3n4g/s320/20220428_215307.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">White Sands</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKHa3IYICWwxb9BwKA8bM_nCmVUwMRTriHBAx-Cbena10M4tvUaOI5um_svJf1LlbhLpj-sVoTmPcaATs-eZmXcuCvT_cXy1nZUpdJENPoXpeUz2OrRpjXmXa5otzbdi8f3lC7bTRl5G9s7xZ8Rsv6lT-ciCeXZT7uFR-NJcxbl90vjH-bU09x1Fw_9g/s4032/20220501_104501.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKHa3IYICWwxb9BwKA8bM_nCmVUwMRTriHBAx-Cbena10M4tvUaOI5um_svJf1LlbhLpj-sVoTmPcaATs-eZmXcuCvT_cXy1nZUpdJENPoXpeUz2OrRpjXmXa5otzbdi8f3lC7bTRl5G9s7xZ8Rsv6lT-ciCeXZT7uFR-NJcxbl90vjH-bU09x1Fw_9g/w400-h300/20220501_104501.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mesa Verde</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>The very northwest corner of New Mexico did have one river I was eager to visit, the Farmington. Arriving there, I was relieved to see there was actual running water so we could take a much-needed bath and also scratch my fishing itch. As far as I could tell, this was the only river in the US where it would be legal to catch Flannelmouth Suckers. However, the bottom was silty and the current was intense... it was going to be a challenge. It being the only option around, I made a dedicated attempt and caught exactly one fish, but it was the right kind!</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHrHoowAU-NzI1VFJ1kvNNCN7R5G8psuHz_f_LbdhqYYXozAZDGq45T0TO99svPLJhXQhmn1Z8SSJ0wUyczvmg1BIZs07LGSZsRoefCCph8OyFsGSVcRMT5qsjb7gn2uAzmadk2oTFpCF44equ9hLb0MGGjLXK-MB53vfw10PB634KCTslam9WeRlx_Q/s4032/20220430_164154.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHrHoowAU-NzI1VFJ1kvNNCN7R5G8psuHz_f_LbdhqYYXozAZDGq45T0TO99svPLJhXQhmn1Z8SSJ0wUyczvmg1BIZs07LGSZsRoefCCph8OyFsGSVcRMT5qsjb7gn2uAzmadk2oTFpCF44equ9hLb0MGGjLXK-MB53vfw10PB634KCTslam9WeRlx_Q/w640-h480/20220430_164154.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flannelmouth Sucker</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>This is a protected species in just about every other state, so I was really glad to have caught one legally.</div><div><br /></div><div>Things took a turn for the worst after New Mexico. We were out exploring Monument Valley in Utah when the road changed from 2-lane highway to single-lane desert pass at a place called the Moki Dugway. Of course, our transmission decided to fail exactly halfway up and the car started revving up and rolling backwards. We were able to get it back down in neutral to inspect the damage. We were a little too stressed to get any photos but this is the road in question:</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsQLmNod9b4JjGahF6wU9H67N1xu-JCQfrgToXX8pyqL8-vx3dZUZuqpkmOt0Cii7zxE-xDZJFLGrjwEVhjidXrhbtq7gqUNPXN-qxsaHbbVH1Fkojf858_v2hcXlQ75PKRQeHBSM4ICE4V1ozfKaCNbnvuY-PBtUMolp6KRhWDC_G0gcsXoaZOVkbSg/s724/cliff-walls.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="483" data-original-width="724" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsQLmNod9b4JjGahF6wU9H67N1xu-JCQfrgToXX8pyqL8-vx3dZUZuqpkmOt0Cii7zxE-xDZJFLGrjwEVhjidXrhbtq7gqUNPXN-qxsaHbbVH1Fkojf858_v2hcXlQ75PKRQeHBSM4ICE4V1ozfKaCNbnvuY-PBtUMolp6KRhWDC_G0gcsXoaZOVkbSg/w640-h426/cliff-walls.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Moki Dugway</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>AAA was able to "prioritize' our request since we were stalled on the side of the highway, but it still took 10 hours before the tow truck was able to get to us. We then spent two nights sleeping in the mechanic's yard, and met some of the kindest people. The citizens of Blanding, UT really took care of us and we were fortunate to visit the town during our short stay. However, we couldn't stay forever because it would take over 2 weeks to get a replacement transmission. We made the best of it and took a bus to Salt Lake City where some of Alex's relatives generously took us in.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSC2OYDk_bbwB2C9ZZAxpnPiekyjra1b0PNrlZCBfawUgUs8lcYdZVyx24cn08ETH9DX5aNScW7kut_GsV3dmIMynSyldzzc2iN5WPbNDs34gcKAGuZpEt9PyCWxIg3whtIR4NrvcfZcXxVDdInaL4TX1oYlhRleASY0lWAaBTjBLPzUIsTDgqHmpOdw/s4032/20220502_221221.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSC2OYDk_bbwB2C9ZZAxpnPiekyjra1b0PNrlZCBfawUgUs8lcYdZVyx24cn08ETH9DX5aNScW7kut_GsV3dmIMynSyldzzc2iN5WPbNDs34gcKAGuZpEt9PyCWxIg3whtIR4NrvcfZcXxVDdInaL4TX1oYlhRleASY0lWAaBTjBLPzUIsTDgqHmpOdw/w640-h480/20220502_221221.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blanding, UT - Homeless</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div>Bradley Rasmussenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00544785080451763556noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6927283652049835307.post-2684592348684861992022-10-26T21:14:00.004-04:002022-10-26T21:21:42.282-04:00A Summer in the USA - The Deep South<p> Covid was finally winding down, and it was time to start travelling again. Alex and I had been wanting to explore more of the US and it was shaping up to be the perfect summer to do so. Our Rav4 was still semi-reliable, so we took off with the ultimate goal of visiting every state in the lower 48. The trip would be split into four smaller trips, to line up with my shifts at work. This first part is about a 2 week journey to the deep south.</p><p>Alex still needed to try working remotely, so we kept it simple and headed off without much of an itinerary. First was a very quick stop in Virginia to meet up with fellow lifelister Hunter for a little bit of Sculpin fishing. For some reason, I've developed an addiction to freshwater sculpins so I knew I had to make a stop when Hunter told me he knew of two species very close together. By the time I arrived at the spot, it was midnight and the temps were down around 0C. That didn't stop us from making an effort and I ended up catching one of the target species, a Kanawha Sculpin!</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBIU2JH_GZYhBMn3muDbpytia9D1W9xECH08y8k-nHygAI2WGuAaudOTgLuHEB9wdRum9B-iVZDSke5fuDxsxThXbqPTi1rBvWyFF6ONhtpGqZJ0Pp7tq1V3bbTrEVpG8ofPf2q9NUHJTR1uKSd4adqex2Fbkf_c2BfnKB8P2KzM0XridAcIgY7b1ugQ/s4032/20220327_011337.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBIU2JH_GZYhBMn3muDbpytia9D1W9xECH08y8k-nHygAI2WGuAaudOTgLuHEB9wdRum9B-iVZDSke5fuDxsxThXbqPTi1rBvWyFF6ONhtpGqZJ0Pp7tq1V3bbTrEVpG8ofPf2q9NUHJTR1uKSd4adqex2Fbkf_c2BfnKB8P2KzM0XridAcIgY7b1ugQ/w640-h480/20220327_011337.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kanawha Sculpin</td></tr></tbody></table><p>The other sculpin, the Blueridge Sculpin, never showed up despite our efforts and it was getting pretty late, so it was time to crash for the night. We slept in the next day before continuing south to the Little River Canyon in Alabama. A beautiful drive with some pretty epic river views.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTGsff6a1436yJXa3w1mXviGdv8W_Jvlsrd7rE4L-mqsPmGjPJFlvNzNRzIze_Gdtzd20qXCCT7nEw-aNUOjG4km0BIH--3OlIqezYdET_nhYpKC9ak35TZvQF8ru7vMo5a_7n38SskSHMfRuRsWXMSupA755m7lJtF-GrMw6MmeTH9IccyE0vdKTd5A/s4032/20220327_170208.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTGsff6a1436yJXa3w1mXviGdv8W_Jvlsrd7rE4L-mqsPmGjPJFlvNzNRzIze_Gdtzd20qXCCT7nEw-aNUOjG4km0BIH--3OlIqezYdET_nhYpKC9ak35TZvQF8ru7vMo5a_7n38SskSHMfRuRsWXMSupA755m7lJtF-GrMw6MmeTH9IccyE0vdKTd5A/w640-h480/20220327_170208.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Little River Canyon</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Most of the rest of the day was spent driving south, and it was dark by the time we got to our destination. Alex got ready for bed, but the sound of the river was calling me so I had to jump in the waders and test out the spot. That ended up being a good decision because I caught 4 new species; Swampland Longear Sunfish, Warrior Bass, Blackspotted Topminnow, and Banded Sculpin.</p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnVqjZC7umIBPEfphONyP-qK28jDlHZleYTs72I4YYrxeiQEr9wqll0EZzgwe-F25K57oMalvoc4K_JyvNTHLdmBTHfwWqWGipE3RwKOs5q8e3jDh6cGgfrMDFzEO6Bxv2NwL-idx2OYIEyrpU3sONBGcuGFPgNYTjZVpnRur1PFzzZHPUGnu_W-gYIQ/s4032/20220327_213824.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnVqjZC7umIBPEfphONyP-qK28jDlHZleYTs72I4YYrxeiQEr9wqll0EZzgwe-F25K57oMalvoc4K_JyvNTHLdmBTHfwWqWGipE3RwKOs5q8e3jDh6cGgfrMDFzEO6Bxv2NwL-idx2OYIEyrpU3sONBGcuGFPgNYTjZVpnRur1PFzzZHPUGnu_W-gYIQ/s320/20220327_213824.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Banded Sculpin</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieSFb3uOuxO0hZJXDvLmkccf_LkBN_E3Sh0XiYNGtzRN-zMcH9ey4Cqi8ILJ-sAonyXs-qa7G3oSF9euUVeZi7KOh__-_GLVp15KzPSzQo0AVNrExohsXgktbfdO9LTW-4xozehTi52MMRNlwXd_K6QOZsBnt0AO8ya5MgDMkKkoqV1820oKEN14po8w/s4032/20220327_215602.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieSFb3uOuxO0hZJXDvLmkccf_LkBN_E3Sh0XiYNGtzRN-zMcH9ey4Cqi8ILJ-sAonyXs-qa7G3oSF9euUVeZi7KOh__-_GLVp15KzPSzQo0AVNrExohsXgktbfdO9LTW-4xozehTi52MMRNlwXd_K6QOZsBnt0AO8ya5MgDMkKkoqV1820oKEN14po8w/s320/20220327_215602.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blackspotted Topminnow</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-M2aERKOFmShSuijIc3fb_xfjolZqjSLEvgijulw3vUtGvnMaPk245M7qH9UkkbcSzstej87S4r2AO5SJdMKr2Hcl7CK-WKKqHgsc9MtN6UXYakSFlMlwfbT67FmuCXKQYublPMRfk7y9ii2VKNrNRDJz_-_J9mFUZYB4mtizRIo22LHf62DbBUnyYw/s4032/20220328_081025.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-M2aERKOFmShSuijIc3fb_xfjolZqjSLEvgijulw3vUtGvnMaPk245M7qH9UkkbcSzstej87S4r2AO5SJdMKr2Hcl7CK-WKKqHgsc9MtN6UXYakSFlMlwfbT67FmuCXKQYublPMRfk7y9ii2VKNrNRDJz_-_J9mFUZYB4mtizRIo22LHf62DbBUnyYw/s320/20220328_081025.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Warrior Bass</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3-ftvnPpnDe8_t14pEuFnw7mO5QwBOPdU0om7tej2TZm7khvmVCGN5y0HZLSxKPdJyD6_Pi-cSdd10S0cdzJlCiwFDSH0N9qY5my4hvCSBjUpChDJHIIsVrKQicrLSyfu3CfA8UV7X7JmHQeqMPfB_7sYmwiTnnNbkQSBptgmtxReS6JZjR2oJaqyvA/s4032/20220328_140912.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3-ftvnPpnDe8_t14pEuFnw7mO5QwBOPdU0om7tej2TZm7khvmVCGN5y0HZLSxKPdJyD6_Pi-cSdd10S0cdzJlCiwFDSH0N9qY5my4hvCSBjUpChDJHIIsVrKQicrLSyfu3CfA8UV7X7JmHQeqMPfB_7sYmwiTnnNbkQSBptgmtxReS6JZjR2oJaqyvA/s320/20220328_140912.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Swampland Longear Sunfish</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>I ended up catching nicer specimens of the bass and sunfish the next morning, which are the ones in the photos above. There's something pretty nice about sleeping right on the water for free.</div><div><br /></div><div>We regretfully had to leave our camping spot and continued to do a bit of unsuccessful spot hopping before Alex needed to see some clients so I was "stuck" on the water for a few hours. This ended up being the best move ever because the fishing was slow but a lot of species showed up once I had time to really pick the spot apart. I never caught my target Cahaba Bass, but all the photos below were lifers!</div><div><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYl_qk2Cx5Wlj3bwVX6Nrlz8pTR1AdBLVFTPb-VK3IctMx993Q75nzPUOGuBd7vKF72Ll17I-PA5D8I2nrKDPqa2EZetBOy7efG-dRZbnhoPwf3LcZCocI1yhy8CCX_gLbo7xtBygA_2TB4s_MVMOUmyh7LerTlYrg3vjYvF7GhEXj_7_x-W397pGOvw/s4032/20220328_131045.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYl_qk2Cx5Wlj3bwVX6Nrlz8pTR1AdBLVFTPb-VK3IctMx993Q75nzPUOGuBd7vKF72Ll17I-PA5D8I2nrKDPqa2EZetBOy7efG-dRZbnhoPwf3LcZCocI1yhy8CCX_gLbo7xtBygA_2TB4s_MVMOUmyh7LerTlYrg3vjYvF7GhEXj_7_x-W397pGOvw/s320/20220328_131045.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alabama Hogsucker</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpCSQyvJuXV5qEneLGFXEGvYxuXUImtLVgMfey0gmEHovxQ23Ya_f8S3t8-Hc6rGIi5GTYVD4kDsdA5vE8jWOKqvmjoSsKNFvKiZqC-8CWOCXoPrde9-KAcR0SzfGQTcwxfFVf-X6R1Mwn8qiS2sHtafbAKkcWKpVjUPB5XJclE84WVcYO7Vu90magpg/s4032/20220328_145925.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpCSQyvJuXV5qEneLGFXEGvYxuXUImtLVgMfey0gmEHovxQ23Ya_f8S3t8-Hc6rGIi5GTYVD4kDsdA5vE8jWOKqvmjoSsKNFvKiZqC-8CWOCXoPrde9-KAcR0SzfGQTcwxfFVf-X6R1Mwn8qiS2sHtafbAKkcWKpVjUPB5XJclE84WVcYO7Vu90magpg/s320/20220328_145925.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blackbanded Darter</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJT35t25fJQvLezBMgTFjrflYXb70SJDvX0Wu8Rqu_K6c3oxJZ4rNQtBKrZxIHL1LSOiz8i3dwWa0BH00jeRoBNhOP4iCEOCsksFKv4OooNihJ6NjSnve4EKwO6P6PFx9FONvj585iW4UWn3VnZlk4Myu5tHWmeOV4eekKSIBb9KUznPuKRx5BhdkoYQ/s4032/20220328_151919.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJT35t25fJQvLezBMgTFjrflYXb70SJDvX0Wu8Rqu_K6c3oxJZ4rNQtBKrZxIHL1LSOiz8i3dwWa0BH00jeRoBNhOP4iCEOCsksFKv4OooNihJ6NjSnve4EKwO6P6PFx9FONvj585iW4UWn3VnZlk4Myu5tHWmeOV4eekKSIBb9KUznPuKRx5BhdkoYQ/s320/20220328_151919.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Largescale Stoneroller</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLfcLR6L2CAl0E7CJUrGFR0vWYJadJzFrT_GwlmNSoy25orPf1u9kAElrHEz7p2r8KqNTvelnBdfH3zgfmj_cS9EBUj4ZYfzyArL-zVBPFjcGdB6Dyf3peF_KW4qAr3K8x5TsCfSpxiTMpYM7_TDx3BCFlgFnhUTvs6R2GvtNr9Ng2wPRXHWk18wY44A/s4032/20220328_155324.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLfcLR6L2CAl0E7CJUrGFR0vWYJadJzFrT_GwlmNSoy25orPf1u9kAElrHEz7p2r8KqNTvelnBdfH3zgfmj_cS9EBUj4ZYfzyArL-zVBPFjcGdB6Dyf3peF_KW4qAr3K8x5TsCfSpxiTMpYM7_TDx3BCFlgFnhUTvs6R2GvtNr9Ng2wPRXHWk18wY44A/s320/20220328_155324.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mobile Logperch</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLpXuv0ad6P1ji9Q_iyEf9wKL18tViebx0pJJiLmHnTFym31gJxiNM8w2S_IMBVeqZ1ajdHVWu2KyI0oBKLUsjDs9FhTj7E-6ZA7HRobsNx3aoN8RfHextvFQnBVgCrq7sZq6F6G8RWOf_buK48CVmyCJHPguXsYnQwiujJmppKwi201sFwAAWDqUstw/s4032/20220328_152949.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLpXuv0ad6P1ji9Q_iyEf9wKL18tViebx0pJJiLmHnTFym31gJxiNM8w2S_IMBVeqZ1ajdHVWu2KyI0oBKLUsjDs9FhTj7E-6ZA7HRobsNx3aoN8RfHextvFQnBVgCrq7sZq6F6G8RWOf_buK48CVmyCJHPguXsYnQwiujJmppKwi201sFwAAWDqUstw/w640-h480/20220328_152949.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Speckled Darter</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>After Alex finished up work, we went back to spot hopping and I switched my focus back to black bass. It was still March so conditions weren't ideal, and I missed out on most of the Redeye Bass I was looking for. That being said, I did catch some nice Alabama Bass and even an invasive Spotted Bass at the final spot of the day. Oh, and we drove all the way to the panhandle after all that fishing.</div><div><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbQmuYqDYNMrxlvVVL2grFq5y_8FXf_iujehnurXHOLDiZfUgXPlYC5Gwu4eklGUvmnLmLWk5OH0QgyQHwS6m5RFsh5BTEgMTSuInuG8CMWTHxwIedxXaGvx0J9Kw8vRMRi6al5Vv7xX_pVVQ4cG6_rTN1JHm-evTQ_kssaiSiylcGdqtNEe_KNeOlQA/s4032/20220328_173904.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbQmuYqDYNMrxlvVVL2grFq5y_8FXf_iujehnurXHOLDiZfUgXPlYC5Gwu4eklGUvmnLmLWk5OH0QgyQHwS6m5RFsh5BTEgMTSuInuG8CMWTHxwIedxXaGvx0J9Kw8vRMRi6al5Vv7xX_pVVQ4cG6_rTN1JHm-evTQ_kssaiSiylcGdqtNEe_KNeOlQA/s320/20220328_173904.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alabama Bass</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE9XqW6s7QH-LWbMTaI8SCdhVv6dBh41MC9ZGm1hsKSXYRjdMmCsKuW1eyX00UfLq_QyZC2BpJ_IJn5FVf4Gzs81uYM42qsOplfbPVaGbq2U68U4SMbJM_muiDHzAcKVxeiwu5pKFsILs33rKztwEFmNDcuDLuukEAT27F1BWbtIaPRlT3gbY6-7SLJw/s4032/20220328_200732.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE9XqW6s7QH-LWbMTaI8SCdhVv6dBh41MC9ZGm1hsKSXYRjdMmCsKuW1eyX00UfLq_QyZC2BpJ_IJn5FVf4Gzs81uYM42qsOplfbPVaGbq2U68U4SMbJM_muiDHzAcKVxeiwu5pKFsILs33rKztwEFmNDcuDLuukEAT27F1BWbtIaPRlT3gbY6-7SLJw/s320/20220328_200732.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spotted Bass</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>We woke up to an incredible, crystal-clear river, and we had it all to ourselves! This was a great start to our trip in the panhandle, which quickly became my favourite part of the sunshine state. Alex needed to work again, and of course I had no issue with being stuck here. I went for a swim, checked out all the cool water snakes and other wildlife, then switched my focus to fishing. There were a ton of suckers around, and I ended up with a Spotted Sucker but no new species.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjadHmsIreRtAQV5j0FlhsNX_Y48PcnKj4k9fw4rU0yKaaUdYzcxTmjm7hYlKJSnqIEeyg34have508Qv_5KoHw9o61q8Vh6wrIJFiG_mrAHz1aIn-dX3BDX95DWyNOIDg0HjA2UyHU1KXsAzuXEXTl_m02vFTxjSyjvUZKeFfI8yrpAYgn6hpvLOSVVA/s4032/20220329_115118.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjadHmsIreRtAQV5j0FlhsNX_Y48PcnKj4k9fw4rU0yKaaUdYzcxTmjm7hYlKJSnqIEeyg34have508Qv_5KoHw9o61q8Vh6wrIJFiG_mrAHz1aIn-dX3BDX95DWyNOIDg0HjA2UyHU1KXsAzuXEXTl_m02vFTxjSyjvUZKeFfI8yrpAYgn6hpvLOSVVA/w640-h480/20220329_115118.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chipola River</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhV-9MHE0RnRMHHIcdsokYrGf7W5xH8AtAgCRRo8u4gFwk_VyIIktI7BEdFTC-sUMGH-859WbIezlHW_oyQMB3TzOjDgxSwHVCnHg8O12yZTvKOyU0czzTLE2Is0dCdrwIFVO5ymGbW-auTyXj2a4xBSY94WV9GWrgois8abxv4JSfoyoT11sGbPF4vA/s4032/20220329_101722.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhV-9MHE0RnRMHHIcdsokYrGf7W5xH8AtAgCRRo8u4gFwk_VyIIktI7BEdFTC-sUMGH-859WbIezlHW_oyQMB3TzOjDgxSwHVCnHg8O12yZTvKOyU0czzTLE2Is0dCdrwIFVO5ymGbW-auTyXj2a4xBSY94WV9GWrgois8abxv4JSfoyoT11sGbPF4vA/w640-h480/20220329_101722.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spotted Sucker</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>We eventually moved on but the views in the panhandle didn't cease to impress, the next spot was just as beautiful! And, it did produce a couple new lifers, which is never a bad thing. It was a topminnow hotspot and I caught both Baded and Russetfin Topminnows.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-KeyZgFt8I_i4iYz-_pZ1CIAbBu_yY72TJfZM4yHKqUfF1CSDsz3a9pMekriK0sRzqurWHaIKwOtKfgEwYVPZwUbi0oBHZawBvmoBDs3bwdKk-EHS_wmjiH9BuEfpeoiKfH1RJk21z5noOZvop9KonnrRsF7PnW4N0p3QQuJIGcPoG2jLWwF1wu5p2w/s5472/IMG_4920.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3648" data-original-width="5472" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-KeyZgFt8I_i4iYz-_pZ1CIAbBu_yY72TJfZM4yHKqUfF1CSDsz3a9pMekriK0sRzqurWHaIKwOtKfgEwYVPZwUbi0oBHZawBvmoBDs3bwdKk-EHS_wmjiH9BuEfpeoiKfH1RJk21z5noOZvop9KonnrRsF7PnW4N0p3QQuJIGcPoG2jLWwF1wu5p2w/w640-h426/IMG_4920.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Topminnow Hotspot!</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>The routine continued much the same for the next couple days, spot-hopping and then pausing for Alex to see a few clients. You guys are probably sick of it but I just couldn't get over the scenery in the panhandle. I also added on Marsh Killifish, Sheepshead Minnow, Blacktail Shiner, Weed Shiner, Choctaw Bass, Longnose Shiner, and Redspotted Sunfish! I won't bore you guys with all of the pictures but here are some favourites:</div><div><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibSXfNZWSv2GGlWLBmQiFAtOtDMQIoH-KD-5RAIR5nD9rQIHkVqB-lvukskOaGa0t6HCOcjYj1OJN2Uqu41RGgZDWDvI8F4e00bcYzpDsS3fUs9R3ehs3MtkyUIws3_CjoFg8d_hm7LLCHg1IDE4p2EaSpg1xsTJmne9Z3NZEwtaKjzHQJGMNS6CGHEA/s4032/20220329_164350.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibSXfNZWSv2GGlWLBmQiFAtOtDMQIoH-KD-5RAIR5nD9rQIHkVqB-lvukskOaGa0t6HCOcjYj1OJN2Uqu41RGgZDWDvI8F4e00bcYzpDsS3fUs9R3ehs3MtkyUIws3_CjoFg8d_hm7LLCHg1IDE4p2EaSpg1xsTJmne9Z3NZEwtaKjzHQJGMNS6CGHEA/s320/20220329_164350.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sheepshead Minnow</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeYrgKzHbV5r1TFXrW3PUaHMt1qDLpZfvxNZDjVAuox5oNTcNPx8cvDoMt3xq6J0YbGgD_6DErwFiYE19UMvQHvG_dw9241oEB-GfcCvonLKeVtStBykGfG84PLECcwUPbjdG3jJVgYqtKuUc8C2-9fTYcco-pkySeHGBzF4ZFHmkgqIjCOtwklw7kCw/s4032/20220329_182757.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeYrgKzHbV5r1TFXrW3PUaHMt1qDLpZfvxNZDjVAuox5oNTcNPx8cvDoMt3xq6J0YbGgD_6DErwFiYE19UMvQHvG_dw9241oEB-GfcCvonLKeVtStBykGfG84PLECcwUPbjdG3jJVgYqtKuUc8C2-9fTYcco-pkySeHGBzF4ZFHmkgqIjCOtwklw7kCw/s320/20220329_182757.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Weed Shiner</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_sf7lp2K2JoCjWOPfjx-oe0SZ42AWhXwZJKpdwuqJGKOt7KZ5eCRwY9pBXjtHcQMEIDB3vFXiTCRF8HBWY3FS1but9Oh1GT9mACARFxnJdIwbMTvOGB3yPY1zPauUgf1lqha8dv9tEnhnrjeCJoTSYof7nB62VL_FwRnTlA-lSalWO9o7HElcKdrS5g/s4032/20220329_195658.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_sf7lp2K2JoCjWOPfjx-oe0SZ42AWhXwZJKpdwuqJGKOt7KZ5eCRwY9pBXjtHcQMEIDB3vFXiTCRF8HBWY3FS1but9Oh1GT9mACARFxnJdIwbMTvOGB3yPY1zPauUgf1lqha8dv9tEnhnrjeCJoTSYof7nB62VL_FwRnTlA-lSalWO9o7HElcKdrS5g/w400-h300/20220329_195658.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blackwater River</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkGd2TU7F2GUo3srQxLY4niBbrq6UyO0dKwGIrRwSyK-GH2mSHpz0kYSfTv-OSYcRey8mfdntvtOjMlFK9za5ATa5ZQUCVO3G2UyHchX1-GSora8fAL8aqNnCLNy0M4qJLKqaJDabnCbFFCHq6ih-HHn94bC401UedNF7TOepFSDAuhJChOK3-g3tC6A/s4032/20220330_132900.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkGd2TU7F2GUo3srQxLY4niBbrq6UyO0dKwGIrRwSyK-GH2mSHpz0kYSfTv-OSYcRey8mfdntvtOjMlFK9za5ATa5ZQUCVO3G2UyHchX1-GSora8fAL8aqNnCLNy0M4qJLKqaJDabnCbFFCHq6ih-HHn94bC401UedNF7TOepFSDAuhJChOK3-g3tC6A/s320/20220330_132900.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Redspotted Sunfish</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVarQ_0pjj1xAu2o0HL7EOgocW_CbXvDhHPi7DoSBRyiH_xzyofpJ3GQwB45Cv5--9Jh278MuDpduKZcitJR_Lg9Fkuth1BQj16kjl5IjusR1uN_oOy-QOFTHbu4Gb-VO0W_A3ucci8lgttmWxfo5yfmf1xQc4Rh0GgV8uBzpDe-TsKCrFfCwNmT9YzQ/s4032/20220329_191801.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVarQ_0pjj1xAu2o0HL7EOgocW_CbXvDhHPi7DoSBRyiH_xzyofpJ3GQwB45Cv5--9Jh278MuDpduKZcitJR_Lg9Fkuth1BQj16kjl5IjusR1uN_oOy-QOFTHbu4Gb-VO0W_A3ucci8lgttmWxfo5yfmf1xQc4Rh0GgV8uBzpDe-TsKCrFfCwNmT9YzQ/s320/20220329_191801.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Choctaw Bass</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>Eventually, the spot hopping slowed down and we switched to some more "normal" tourist activities to visit New Orleans. We quickly realized why we avoid urban areas and it was definitely one of the dirtiest cities I've visited. However, the highlight was the boardwalk at the Barataria Preserve. A side trip to the USS Alabama Memorial Park in Mobile was also pretty interesting.</div><div><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8b_Kng_u2U5h4rL0CrbVqA4Kpv0vkzIU96yQCLGOGyKelowsk8aHiO8LWnFVG5vEhfMyZrPAH7WtcYJBLFTKW1DisyLoNnBdt4nS4hDH9MY-rBHsgc3Ppqx9WE6YOdBwUTUsRuzDEE1YYsCio85J9xS7BQU_RYmXDpqeslBgI8crsYd-0aERQyQOb7w/s5472/IMG_5119.JPG" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3648" data-original-width="5472" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8b_Kng_u2U5h4rL0CrbVqA4Kpv0vkzIU96yQCLGOGyKelowsk8aHiO8LWnFVG5vEhfMyZrPAH7WtcYJBLFTKW1DisyLoNnBdt4nS4hDH9MY-rBHsgc3Ppqx9WE6YOdBwUTUsRuzDEE1YYsCio85J9xS7BQU_RYmXDpqeslBgI8crsYd-0aERQyQOb7w/s320/IMG_5119.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Being a dumb tourist...</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYsCPltMtWRyU-Tjoipgp3uSEJo2LBZS8CfeXl5VEKDW_E9byUKFSczQQxd6RJHWKJPliE-pE4p83CKsH1yyOi52tKaxOA5ph50chqmq4hxJ7LiSgd0u7tkTaWJsky2qzC3FXqBIwtn9U18GcUqzQE17Pm9ab-vHJdjiFbFQDs19btCBdVktpphh9EyA/s5472/IMG_4932.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3648" data-original-width="5472" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYsCPltMtWRyU-Tjoipgp3uSEJo2LBZS8CfeXl5VEKDW_E9byUKFSczQQxd6RJHWKJPliE-pE4p83CKsH1yyOi52tKaxOA5ph50chqmq4hxJ7LiSgd0u7tkTaWJsky2qzC3FXqBIwtn9U18GcUqzQE17Pm9ab-vHJdjiFbFQDs19btCBdVktpphh9EyA/s320/IMG_4932.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">USS Alabama</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKGbPk4fH5ajI-f9YI010eF6RcAlwytWUBqma6AtxSIRBgPkX_3WpULBxh0tkN4skLjmQ4JIUrQEjEAWRR1Xe9kfZ5-GYJBssXAiyeVifik_AhC1JMPNHrF_bCinm4GfvWnwHl8dE7XMva6aIuxnyX9CJhU7w9_hCpqEupKxRlaU5KdkftkXIuDUQLeA/s5472/IMG_4945.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3648" data-original-width="5472" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKGbPk4fH5ajI-f9YI010eF6RcAlwytWUBqma6AtxSIRBgPkX_3WpULBxh0tkN4skLjmQ4JIUrQEjEAWRR1Xe9kfZ5-GYJBssXAiyeVifik_AhC1JMPNHrF_bCinm4GfvWnwHl8dE7XMva6aIuxnyX9CJhU7w9_hCpqEupKxRlaU5KdkftkXIuDUQLeA/w400-h266/IMG_4945.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div>Western Louisiana ended up being a lot nicer than the urban area around New Orleans. Highlights included free camping right on the beach, and my lifer Bantam Sunfish! I had previously gone out of my way for Bantam's at two other spots so it was great to finally nail this one down.</div><div><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5dS3cR74-cW8Q9kzvDI0T5iBsHfaYfQrMQC59mr9SWnvGnNRklvu0z1eWDxyGBslaDDZmHPkXkz1d3PLa6MTLMBb0NMpvkI90TEV5ROwOWKSSCA4Gfyr4b0rzd-I220oaTANRdGuJ_4Ad62ux4VpOHA3wEYodGhOsxxsn57uXbN_E4_NfRqF5iAWTRw/s4032/20220401_083306.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5dS3cR74-cW8Q9kzvDI0T5iBsHfaYfQrMQC59mr9SWnvGnNRklvu0z1eWDxyGBslaDDZmHPkXkz1d3PLa6MTLMBb0NMpvkI90TEV5ROwOWKSSCA4Gfyr4b0rzd-I220oaTANRdGuJ_4Ad62ux4VpOHA3wEYodGhOsxxsn57uXbN_E4_NfRqF5iAWTRw/s320/20220401_083306.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oceanfront free camping!</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4MefuM5S8ozXD7M6DXskz-Jq-pR9bPLxl2ZI97fB5SsUREiztPHsLvuj0_VPUTBZey2IXYX4_t-6ebuZUILs04LShwLYMqQzbvhcucS6SinpHWKCEI4O59Z4mMSxuVQ8_itd0pT0Z4GnW-OlQM9Ahty2z_L6kf4V7Qt_J-nvhY6QLsUMfE6s0IJdwrQ/s4032/20220331_210941.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4MefuM5S8ozXD7M6DXskz-Jq-pR9bPLxl2ZI97fB5SsUREiztPHsLvuj0_VPUTBZey2IXYX4_t-6ebuZUILs04LShwLYMqQzbvhcucS6SinpHWKCEI4O59Z4mMSxuVQ8_itd0pT0Z4GnW-OlQM9Ahty2z_L6kf4V7Qt_J-nvhY6QLsUMfE6s0IJdwrQ/s320/20220331_210941.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bantam Sunfish</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>Other than some quick stops for micros on our way back north, we made one last major fishing stop. I didn't know exactly where to try, but I knew I wanted to fish below a dam on the Red River. I just ended up choosing the closest one and hoping for the best. That decision worked in my favour and I soon hooked into something that was seriously pulling drag. Unfortunately, it was a fal-hooked Paddlefish, but it was still incredible to see such a unique animal in person. I also caught my lifer Smallmouth Buffalo shortly after :)</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivVABOU0T1Fe7vycVVwFp4nJ4EW8jjepJPLRgu8C4PbBBjmE_0L1xr1TGUS4CAV-N0Ed5yINnvGsZz7hHFiJCaEvcRN2iU3Y1QlTjPuKpVd4Yt-AADJWMPW-nK8TkLEv5G-Td8Gvg9Z1XGxk00mRyuvmNGhkMB75pJA-saNbsYasBG45dtsR0ouYWaEw/s2048/original.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivVABOU0T1Fe7vycVVwFp4nJ4EW8jjepJPLRgu8C4PbBBjmE_0L1xr1TGUS4CAV-N0Ed5yINnvGsZz7hHFiJCaEvcRN2iU3Y1QlTjPuKpVd4Yt-AADJWMPW-nK8TkLEv5G-Td8Gvg9Z1XGxk00mRyuvmNGhkMB75pJA-saNbsYasBG45dtsR0ouYWaEw/w640-h360/original.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">American Paddlefish - Fal-hooked</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpU16pRQOjtUXPQj6TK1-IOwA042h9DwqVKA0bVVtDvC4UF1H8aNhpcSZnM5EFxQWqn7G1Gjm8CMkDx42VmpR_eaxHhzoqbgt30ZEcbIB1jvrnARDgcxdMimGD8goDM7h8eiGLQfmN07jIcUdIcdnbJKWH7SEHGByKgb6pA8xThIEliciw74mZSHtaWg/s4032/20220401_175944.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpU16pRQOjtUXPQj6TK1-IOwA042h9DwqVKA0bVVtDvC4UF1H8aNhpcSZnM5EFxQWqn7G1Gjm8CMkDx42VmpR_eaxHhzoqbgt30ZEcbIB1jvrnARDgcxdMimGD8goDM7h8eiGLQfmN07jIcUdIcdnbJKWH7SEHGByKgb6pA8xThIEliciw74mZSHtaWg/w640-h480/20220401_175944.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Smallmouth Buffalo</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div>Bradley Rasmussenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00544785080451763556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6927283652049835307.post-44176998242131895352022-02-21T11:12:00.000-05:002022-02-21T11:12:11.693-05:00Saguenay - Round 7<p> Well Valentine's Day was coming up, so it was time for our annual trip to the Saguenay Fjord. The Fjord has one of the most unique fisheries in North America; ice fishing on saltwater. This year would be a short trip in terms of fishing, only staying on the ice for one afternoon before heading north on a hunting trip. Given the short timeline, we chose to focus on one spot in Anse a Benjamin.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiIJd3AgFrgVzFgAG34KUoXAxUAUUoEcnQcaJ-CWzPl3BuRgzq-7aLSzFtf3Eq9yBeebc5aO9-UQfqaNAwHPnQXXIxF36tg3UrojbhNo5DCDacLXo1jdQIyzK6-Mg6nJvkCLypHzasOPjzFzDwKQ80rgR6tkqMB_V5vd1Uh4N92Vbed7z9Ez7Z-5IICTg=s3867" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2901" data-original-width="3867" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiIJd3AgFrgVzFgAG34KUoXAxUAUUoEcnQcaJ-CWzPl3BuRgzq-7aLSzFtf3Eq9yBeebc5aO9-UQfqaNAwHPnQXXIxF36tg3UrojbhNo5DCDacLXo1jdQIyzK6-Mg6nJvkCLypHzasOPjzFzDwKQ80rgR6tkqMB_V5vd1Uh4N92Vbed7z9Ez7Z-5IICTg=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anse a Benjamin</td></tr></tbody></table><p>We made it out onto the ice and prepared our various rigs: two for Arctic Cod, one for Atlantic Cod, and one for general bottom fishing. The Arctic Cod rigs were simple, just a tiny chunk of bait on a sz8 hook presented 12" under the surface of the ice. It was one of these rigs that went of first! The fish didn't hit immediately, but I could see something playing with the bait. Eventually I hooked it and was a little disappointed to see a Rainbow Smelt.</p><p>Shortly after, the general bottom rig, consisting of a high-low rig weighted with a jigging spoon, started bouncing so I set the hook and began reeling the fish up the 300' of water we were fishing. Getting it to the surface, I was super excited to see a Vahl's Eelpout! I've been chasing this species since I saw my girlfriend catch one 7 years ago.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj8wk3NrrqE5NOtyr470B33v0s1W0Z0BQTAC1aRiqy7PnGRYuylDAWI6BbCMju7XoQD_60c5QuMaWTBJyotW6fQcw6UeVXneuto6OBseObI4_3d_Pm6ZICkxEej_W1hqMs4OQpPvDCUNbCzg0SfNZyp2wYiBwHgadCAvEsvP4dmp_l7FDLt9B5HicAkPQ=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj8wk3NrrqE5NOtyr470B33v0s1W0Z0BQTAC1aRiqy7PnGRYuylDAWI6BbCMju7XoQD_60c5QuMaWTBJyotW6fQcw6UeVXneuto6OBseObI4_3d_Pm6ZICkxEej_W1hqMs4OQpPvDCUNbCzg0SfNZyp2wYiBwHgadCAvEsvP4dmp_l7FDLt9B5HicAkPQ=w300-h400" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vahl's Eelpout</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>In the confusion of catching and releasing the Eelpout, we almost missed seeing the Arctic Cod rod that had started bouncing. I noticed the line was pulled off to the side of the hole so I set the hook and pulled up lifer #2!</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhOp8pR96OTGLUrHTReIpNl3Sl4omKNUfVBgcWgJm34OYLa9v3DI7kMV1wJNdsupC7QAKLsD7E6rezsf_Sz4ewQsVHEm5EkvN1eBgAVCae00FYBRWK8EZVB7FVUBYX7r8_hIIs56qUiGCeLkus8H1EKzn3PE_TMpVBmPU5fYnwSilQxrQt4szNiPBRcyw=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhOp8pR96OTGLUrHTReIpNl3Sl4omKNUfVBgcWgJm34OYLa9v3DI7kMV1wJNdsupC7QAKLsD7E6rezsf_Sz4ewQsVHEm5EkvN1eBgAVCae00FYBRWK8EZVB7FVUBYX7r8_hIIs56qUiGCeLkus8H1EKzn3PE_TMpVBmPU5fYnwSilQxrQt4szNiPBRcyw=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Arctic Cod</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>Our second Arctic Cod rig was out on a tip-up which Alex went to check and ended up with her lifer just as quick!</div><div><p>Happy with our success thus far, we pulled the Arctic Cod lines and continued to focus on the bottom rigs. Action on the rod that had caught the Eelpout was fairly consistent and it wasn't long before Alex was pulling another fish up through the long water column. After reeling it most of the way in, it got stuck at the bottom of the hole. I knew she had her lifer Thorny Skate. I was able to reach down and pull it up by hand for some photos and a quick release.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjgv41MFPIJpZuScDzrGgnlJz-rokjYGdGDjPtTS2kUrelnOQW0qDBiUxuRUvlDbghodcFHG11D2ulr4Aq5wrBfuwHLOLKc455__2CPNUHRqnGkV__vDrBNIXSJLokxihJ_l2OyHJhcvjBc6mC_NXDLyL9P1vWh_VLHiraJbgzJr6aNWZpdW5zPCu5g6g=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjgv41MFPIJpZuScDzrGgnlJz-rokjYGdGDjPtTS2kUrelnOQW0qDBiUxuRUvlDbghodcFHG11D2ulr4Aq5wrBfuwHLOLKc455__2CPNUHRqnGkV__vDrBNIXSJLokxihJ_l2OyHJhcvjBc6mC_NXDLyL9P1vWh_VLHiraJbgzJr6aNWZpdW5zPCu5g6g=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thorny Skate</td></tr></tbody></table><p>The bite continued and soon I had another Skate up on the ice! We rarely have such consistent action on the Fjord so we took advantage of it for as long as we could.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgffKjmm_BPZsf_chdcYC3Ot2itHzbVjqJTOl6TcGE5udQwStyXDcELx8KHadS-NN_IZHr1RYgmMVnP7HnHs6zdTZwCuNg-JSg1J18TyWh6xd73IUXZU4wbWNi5pP-cBkGUW0aCdgFJC-RmlNNR9_5WuSCeHeHGCU79WgrsaLaaIKptEyGp2esO6ltW7A=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgffKjmm_BPZsf_chdcYC3Ot2itHzbVjqJTOl6TcGE5udQwStyXDcELx8KHadS-NN_IZHr1RYgmMVnP7HnHs6zdTZwCuNg-JSg1J18TyWh6xd73IUXZU4wbWNi5pP-cBkGUW0aCdgFJC-RmlNNR9_5WuSCeHeHGCU79WgrsaLaaIKptEyGp2esO6ltW7A=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thorny Skate</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div>It was dark by the time we started packing up and walking back to the car; we needed to be ready for a long drive to Labrador. I'll spare you the details but it was awesome to drive one of Canada's most remote roads and check of the final province of our country. And, of course, it helped that the Ptarmigan hunt was very successful!</div><div><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiW_dq9ManYbU2t8pBx9X5VqqG5jQaCDYgk-hPk-VGcj9jo36glaqtJ7TSJ5Jgi5CqC15G3t80k_XDeKDEzylnHjvU9PQ18hQGXuNGMDUP1Phu19ETjIuY7wAt437VmrZjRANcuqyQukdd0RqjC5MWCjJIYrstbMGrkc507N1xsMZGrCMl0459-u9N_rQ=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiW_dq9ManYbU2t8pBx9X5VqqG5jQaCDYgk-hPk-VGcj9jo36glaqtJ7TSJ5Jgi5CqC15G3t80k_XDeKDEzylnHjvU9PQ18hQGXuNGMDUP1Phu19ETjIuY7wAt437VmrZjRANcuqyQukdd0RqjC5MWCjJIYrstbMGrkc507N1xsMZGrCMl0459-u9N_rQ=s320" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Labrador!</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjaMcdMWMDQii_0pDfdio4nd_PvjLrOZXxoxoXrRcoKAffc1yx-M_lYd8LqczT3__cCjUteZIqAWGd7rU6eqa0CilxVxho1ChqSBs6hBwcHfeEcGiFY6W_ryBrYfqZvCRSii2OhrxX3uPjEpAiS4Yhe7rf1iAQ0vI8GmimP6FklgStwj9GOzBHa7MaAGQ=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjaMcdMWMDQii_0pDfdio4nd_PvjLrOZXxoxoXrRcoKAffc1yx-M_lYd8LqczT3__cCjUteZIqAWGd7rU6eqa0CilxVxho1ChqSBs6hBwcHfeEcGiFY6W_ryBrYfqZvCRSii2OhrxX3uPjEpAiS4Yhe7rf1iAQ0vI8GmimP6FklgStwj9GOzBHa7MaAGQ=s320" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ptarmigan Hunting</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhysCGF0DYTXqqqrRYy2JBOJLzT3dFovKrInhOLzQfHUW2QFKGPcM7F23FYIoYWDgIaLSzBGktHYppRiun8ZMwgNTVwMvYojmb7yUhEBPtnNked5SlUUJcra3hM2yy__rYtMtDtMAjZf7bQBBJrvE9J3i3CTnfP6XjdXCB3w0RhxCAteTiqOt1yj4w37g=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhysCGF0DYTXqqqrRYy2JBOJLzT3dFovKrInhOLzQfHUW2QFKGPcM7F23FYIoYWDgIaLSzBGktHYppRiun8ZMwgNTVwMvYojmb7yUhEBPtnNked5SlUUJcra3hM2yy__rYtMtDtMAjZf7bQBBJrvE9J3i3CTnfP6XjdXCB3w0RhxCAteTiqOt1yj4w37g=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trans-Labrador Highway</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div>Bradley Rasmussenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00544785080451763556noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6927283652049835307.post-53275828068317915992021-12-07T11:54:00.002-05:002021-12-07T11:59:17.494-05:00Cross-Canada III: Mountains<p> Alex and I continued our cross-country journey and were headed up into the Rocky mountains. This time, we skipped the popular stops around Banff and instead took a southern route over the Crowsnest Pass. The views rivaled anything you would see in the national parks and we didn't have to share with the huge crowds.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZhg3lBeudybfmhKKzZQGxLxs_yRXEKTNSzeuNf5zSqJwV3KzlSFn3Gxff-CWje-8YCCzRFsm2I0iF7Rd1bgsDZDgCroyVMDDCBCmvyvtmkl9GTB7OPyoom3shRNz36fQ4hjsA1JGPyn87/s665/iyg.PNG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="574" data-original-width="665" height="552" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZhg3lBeudybfmhKKzZQGxLxs_yRXEKTNSzeuNf5zSqJwV3KzlSFn3Gxff-CWje-8YCCzRFsm2I0iF7Rd1bgsDZDgCroyVMDDCBCmvyvtmkl9GTB7OPyoom3shRNz36fQ4hjsA1JGPyn87/w640-h552/iyg.PNG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Similkameen River</td></tr></tbody></table><p>The first series of fishing stops were in the Columbia and Similkameen river systems in southern BC. There were a bunch of local sculpin and dace species I had yet to catch, species found nowhere else in Canada! It took a bit of searching, but I finally found some good Torrent Sculpin spots in fast water. It was cool to see how the different species occupied their niches; Torrent in the fast water, and Prickly Sculpin in the slower pools.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxPA1wMIJnrQ_y08XJKXUZqyiCPNysk3nJkdQy97i98bqlQTUAecj6Osc76al2I2bOKAMa1YXGHNEvjAVJWIRqa8EZ31XP2JyGZgS_5Biz3c06bMGwBojeQ_aqabsHvfrN9WgW21lv-RT6/s2048/Torrent+Sculpin.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxPA1wMIJnrQ_y08XJKXUZqyiCPNysk3nJkdQy97i98bqlQTUAecj6Osc76al2I2bOKAMa1YXGHNEvjAVJWIRqa8EZ31XP2JyGZgS_5Biz3c06bMGwBojeQ_aqabsHvfrN9WgW21lv-RT6/w640-h480/Torrent+Sculpin.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Torrent Sculpin</td></tr></tbody></table><p>We also found some great spots for some sucker fishing in different parts of the Okanagan valley, with tons of Largescale Suckers hanging out in crystal clear water. It was a ton of fun sight fishing them on light tackle, but I never did run into the Bridgelip Sucker I was hoping for.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy835ZWcq2JHUawel1m4yju12_16OQRAbQB6E2X3lu9GUSN3G7JaQMXQBbpfP0C9oufqDxsoNDj7e_z3Rnf28i7FDp0hisiA_xvoHtYrw6jnABLXHW1u70Nf7oS9TuZ8smIqVqfOtMueFx/s2048/20210825_130814.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy835ZWcq2JHUawel1m4yju12_16OQRAbQB6E2X3lu9GUSN3G7JaQMXQBbpfP0C9oufqDxsoNDj7e_z3Rnf28i7FDp0hisiA_xvoHtYrw6jnABLXHW1u70Nf7oS9TuZ8smIqVqfOtMueFx/w640-h360/20210825_130814.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Largescale Sucker</td></tr></tbody></table><p>We ended up staying in the Okanagan a little longer than planned, and only made it down to the Greater Vancouver area very late in the day. Which was probably a good thing, because the Chilliwack Walmart is not a great place to sleep. We had time for one last stop on the Chilliwack River where I could find another Sculpin species, the Coastrange Sculpin! It was a quick stop so I didn't wear my waders and soon regretted it in the freezing cold water. Thankfully, I was able to stay in the numbing waters long enough to catch this one small individual :)</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBNjlQ85RHo6lra6XddLnkj83h6VCv3xfPnY3PcobwN0L026TBr5ncNDQfVXBGHcPi1nto9N3O_ZhSW7N0vTdO5I5awXf5wSOLGtKofHT-c90pWnje3zWO1Qmu7kpRnWOIy-to4dDZfdYF/s2048/Coastrange+Sculpin.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBNjlQ85RHo6lra6XddLnkj83h6VCv3xfPnY3PcobwN0L026TBr5ncNDQfVXBGHcPi1nto9N3O_ZhSW7N0vTdO5I5awXf5wSOLGtKofHT-c90pWnje3zWO1Qmu7kpRnWOIy-to4dDZfdYF/w640-h480/Coastrange+Sculpin.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coastrange Sculpin</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Photos taken and fish released, it was time to catch up on some sleep.</p><p>The next day, it was finally time to start thinking about some bigger fishes. Namely, the White Sturgeon, the biggest of freshwater fishes! First, we needed to catch some bait. I tied up a small slip-bobber rig and started drifting a small chunk of nightcrawler along the shore. It wasn't long before I caught enough small Pikeminnow to serve as bait. We also caught some cool by-catch, a rare Leopard Dace, some Peamouth, and the biggest Redside Shiner I've ever seen.</p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtQ-HgZVT_e5Ej4tCYi6Bc-k5f5-DhBe74-qb8r6oLx3mJgai7mcYIkTiHCIaU95N6fPTyyJFvqgHXfh8QSu58rbCGWkQy9qjWHvNRQj-qS_R1sP8xZprYhl28R7bGeY5RzXfvGTWlQub-/s2048/Redside+Shiner.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtQ-HgZVT_e5Ej4tCYi6Bc-k5f5-DhBe74-qb8r6oLx3mJgai7mcYIkTiHCIaU95N6fPTyyJFvqgHXfh8QSu58rbCGWkQy9qjWHvNRQj-qS_R1sP8xZprYhl28R7bGeY5RzXfvGTWlQub-/s320/Redside+Shiner.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Redside Shiner</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs2zyEs72A9KRTLd9Qni06iI5OgM07x0ZZ3ZzDJB-_KJQusZfjHvtb15K_v4CEKHv41A1bHfoOqzWslJ9bWSW-az5nr3L1ddQ66AS-BGF3F9_DklPDoy4hYPymr0phhtk3Ikmkhqnmo0_M/s2048/Peamouth.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs2zyEs72A9KRTLd9Qni06iI5OgM07x0ZZ3ZzDJB-_KJQusZfjHvtb15K_v4CEKHv41A1bHfoOqzWslJ9bWSW-az5nr3L1ddQ66AS-BGF3F9_DklPDoy4hYPymr0phhtk3Ikmkhqnmo0_M/s320/Peamouth.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peamouth</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzZMV3AQb1HZzR7kWVK5vyDvLWH6Yan2P_5ShO59iigB8654cRp6MUK2XUDyCEXGi18CLMJTCuHmnB4SceFNu44k8QHGKKr_JzetxaspPI399i4Th4aXncR-4v50CkrRSmA4zU3387pF3J/s2048/Leopard+Dace.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzZMV3AQb1HZzR7kWVK5vyDvLWH6Yan2P_5ShO59iigB8654cRp6MUK2XUDyCEXGi18CLMJTCuHmnB4SceFNu44k8QHGKKr_JzetxaspPI399i4Th4aXncR-4v50CkrRSmA4zU3387pF3J/w640-h480/Leopard+Dace.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leopard Dace</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>We then baited up some heavy duty bottom rigs and got to waiting for our real query to come by. A couple of hours later, one of the rods finally started bouncing! I picked it up, set the hook, and it quickly became obvious that this was a very big fish. For some reason, it seemed to be swimming towards shore so I quickly pulled back some line. Then, once it got to shallower water it turned around and went on a crazy run. It just kept going until my line caught on something and snapped. I never got to see that fish, but it had to have been a giant.</div><div><br /></div><div>We also tried another spot closer to Vancouver with a fellow lifelister I met on Instagram. I never caught anything but he was lucky enough to pull in this beautiful specimen.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIUvb3zETGEA-CR4NZBEMRn4g9FOEcYnBaSCpF3-bjYrBNNsOn8POVkJ2OcmsYu6RthePsk-z-i8UtsB48A8RsdqKcbk_2vfoQav3ya50YMxFAM07asf2qUAsgkDGxRpOTddDzPmfIdDwl/s945/262142073_582707239466525_4718205213668132147_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="945" height="474" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIUvb3zETGEA-CR4NZBEMRn4g9FOEcYnBaSCpF3-bjYrBNNsOn8POVkJ2OcmsYu6RthePsk-z-i8UtsB48A8RsdqKcbk_2vfoQav3ya50YMxFAM07asf2qUAsgkDGxRpOTddDzPmfIdDwl/w640-h474/262142073_582707239466525_4718205213668132147_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">White Sturgeon<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>I fished hard until sundown, but I guess my sturgeon just wasn't meant to be. Better luck next time!</div><div><br /></div><div>The next part of the trip was a lot of hiking with only a little bit of fishing mixed in. I'll spare you the details, but it was some of the best hiking I've ever done. The highlight was an arduous trek in Kananaskis country from the Tent Ridge Horseshoe through to Smutwood Peak.</div><div><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEk-ABaEhOwozKmUg30sHNJVVFzk57f1sYdesqWDf-UGi8h75-Ur9Emk70DKIu_C6wUoGZjqgLpWHG7PAJ62e54AbLlYdruntb6OKEvBqXhqfcHU8KR1y1YFGFo7GsFYVShsJF_NIpOSCz/s2048/20210830_113604.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEk-ABaEhOwozKmUg30sHNJVVFzk57f1sYdesqWDf-UGi8h75-Ur9Emk70DKIu_C6wUoGZjqgLpWHG7PAJ62e54AbLlYdruntb6OKEvBqXhqfcHU8KR1y1YFGFo7GsFYVShsJF_NIpOSCz/s320/20210830_113604.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tent Ridge Horseshoe</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiZZ2WZ9vWjEjpzzJtjnahWAKX6Cou921E8U7rDD_ZQaALvVSCbFNWXBHdbr3qT7JcUD7UHftE4MTVmHiY53x0C02FjehZBJqWWqnJXgcS89htUfXkNowINM2Qs9dB-nJ9G_g674304qNK/s2048/20210830_170358.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiZZ2WZ9vWjEjpzzJtjnahWAKX6Cou921E8U7rDD_ZQaALvVSCbFNWXBHdbr3qT7JcUD7UHftE4MTVmHiY53x0C02FjehZBJqWWqnJXgcS89htUfXkNowINM2Qs9dB-nJ9G_g674304qNK/s320/20210830_170358.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Smutwood Peak</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuvgQxhXllELn4c8NeePuVgbRGqr5AH22ed0X6z_Ya4UhxSC3SvtSjcjNLjvPDm7AYEXkjvcQfYxDiL7yDd26-A48HsklT2fvGV1ti2LnQBoEMdQOfYz3TG94rXLuJNrV3ebusLVGTDTOy/s2048/20210829_160137.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuvgQxhXllELn4c8NeePuVgbRGqr5AH22ed0X6z_Ya4UhxSC3SvtSjcjNLjvPDm7AYEXkjvcQfYxDiL7yDd26-A48HsklT2fvGV1ti2LnQBoEMdQOfYz3TG94rXLuJNrV3ebusLVGTDTOy/w640-h360/20210829_160137.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sarrail Ridge</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>I did manage to catch one new species between all the hiking. We had finished our hike up to Garibaldi Lake early enough to drive back to Squamish and fish the Pink Salmon run. It didn't take long for me to catch this gnarly male.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQsVLOpdzRnruUEuCqQus77CDm5OUIk1M0is6I5gpwwMJS2LjBP9vWsOcifYWh1hR6iWmvS5hBnRi6pMLGXe5CyQgaAEabX6ral0tvHTTPUbqZlW5SNJ09l743_KjZVoY3_nqrjTCpLo0X/s2048/Pink+Salmon.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQsVLOpdzRnruUEuCqQus77CDm5OUIk1M0is6I5gpwwMJS2LjBP9vWsOcifYWh1hR6iWmvS5hBnRi6pMLGXe5CyQgaAEabX6ral0tvHTTPUbqZlW5SNJ09l743_KjZVoY3_nqrjTCpLo0X/w640-h480/Pink+Salmon.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pink Salmon</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>We ended this portion of the trip in the Northern Rockies, with a helicopter tour of Mount Robson! Of course, I still had one last special fish to catch... another sculpin. The Spoonhead Sculpin is a species that is usually only found at the bottom of deep glacial lakes, but for some reason it also lives in the cold mountain streams of northern Alberta. I've failed at catching this species multiple times in the past and, as far as I know, no one has ever caught one on hook and line.</div><div><br /></div><div>I wasn't going to give up without a serious effort though, and so I dragged Alex from stream to stream for hours. I poked a small chunk of worm under every rock I could find, and eventually I pulled up the fish in the picture below.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxePa5fV2YH0_OvZa_-4QK7SvY3_Pd1jTTXD1Seqjjq5DeTog3TFSZIHRukovx40DeFxr-xObLu0vNdgmXALYez92gpRrAWVzAwtQnqjRh8FcoM8R9JbXwPydpRXlVX_Ju2VMKnw-JC6sA/s2048/Spoonhead+Sculpin.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxePa5fV2YH0_OvZa_-4QK7SvY3_Pd1jTTXD1Seqjjq5DeTog3TFSZIHRukovx40DeFxr-xObLu0vNdgmXALYez92gpRrAWVzAwtQnqjRh8FcoM8R9JbXwPydpRXlVX_Ju2VMKnw-JC6sA/w640-h480/Spoonhead+Sculpin.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spoonhead Sculpin</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>I quickly messaged some friends for an ID confirmation, until I was positive of having caught the target species. It must be my favourite catch from the trip :)</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Jwby5ePVZeQtfWgPItDJBwaNcNG8fiYl_VEbjSFTHU0IAvizgcUQ9tzt3vyZ2GTbBJvs54CEntgYvoUDwZYEVfy3yW2XDwFBPY8Aksn8QoDbAfRr4NiexdDYaf1HDPIckkSMg-DUbwoL/s2048/20210827_124733.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Jwby5ePVZeQtfWgPItDJBwaNcNG8fiYl_VEbjSFTHU0IAvizgcUQ9tzt3vyZ2GTbBJvs54CEntgYvoUDwZYEVfy3yW2XDwFBPY8Aksn8QoDbAfRr4NiexdDYaf1HDPIckkSMg-DUbwoL/w640-h360/20210827_124733.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Garibaldi Lake</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div>Bradley Rasmussenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00544785080451763556noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6927283652049835307.post-92029414522315820762021-11-16T14:08:00.001-05:002021-11-16T14:08:10.766-05:00Cross-Canada III: Prairies<p> With limited options due to the covid pandemic, Alex and I set our eyes to the west once again. This time, we focused more on backroads and catching some of the few realistic fish targets I had left.As usual, the trip started with a crazy run to get us across Ontario and into the prairies where the fun could begin.</p><p>The first, albeit short, stop was at a small river in Manitoba where I had seen sampling reports of Bigmouth Shiner, one of the few remaining fish I had yet to catch from the prairie provinces. The stop proved successful and I quickly located a school of the Bigmouths mixed in with Common Shiners and Creek Chub. We had been driving for about 30 hours straight at this point and still had a few hours left to go, so I quickly took some photos, released the fish, and we were back on our way.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU2BJdgg1HrHAEEpd2eVOVv99DcYDE0NbpqBk1LHYRw3vvbDjwNWCyabeKVoiJw3739ExO4KJlylhpVGCtpCvwpohClYWVeON8ljThJVzdeutXNXRyLP0_jx1W1lGuD1o7Oum7EKf4vI3z/s2048/Bigmouth+Shiner.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU2BJdgg1HrHAEEpd2eVOVv99DcYDE0NbpqBk1LHYRw3vvbDjwNWCyabeKVoiJw3739ExO4KJlylhpVGCtpCvwpohClYWVeON8ljThJVzdeutXNXRyLP0_jx1W1lGuD1o7Oum7EKf4vI3z/w640-h480/Bigmouth+Shiner.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bigmouth Shiner</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Having caught the shiner, we continued on to the Saskatchewan border and made camp for the night. Over the next couple days, we blazed across the rest of the prairies and enjoyed some scenic backroads with incredible scenery and cool wildlife. We visited towns with crazy names like Manyberries, Vulcan and Climax, and checked out interesting protected areas throughout.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-w_cGV4KRl5BnNHwkx2dxqviiNTXUJ1-cq4gI8cSrRaUl-P3GLRS_Fwvuwtbbf8n5lNs3sUnGtPEqfGXIYM9n-ZyklxSF31_WqUmsFHhQZXxgZgPwQE_7ZNf3FtlIjx1pMIzFwI-BEENx/s2048/20210823_201457.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-w_cGV4KRl5BnNHwkx2dxqviiNTXUJ1-cq4gI8cSrRaUl-P3GLRS_Fwvuwtbbf8n5lNs3sUnGtPEqfGXIYM9n-ZyklxSF31_WqUmsFHhQZXxgZgPwQE_7ZNf3FtlIjx1pMIzFwI-BEENx/s320/20210823_201457.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Red Rock Coulee</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpUblrTqAMVka0mPaaXjzE3NazBhr2fiGAa_Xnz9xSa4tV1jIpxg7j1GSjU1Pa7MUrt2rEePf0E1AjxTAcxXQXEEmp1mKS8XFqY2q17klCmVAkD9EHptlJProXEaT7qD9fMvyp-3l-L-D5/s2048/20210824_082259.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpUblrTqAMVka0mPaaXjzE3NazBhr2fiGAa_Xnz9xSa4tV1jIpxg7j1GSjU1Pa7MUrt2rEePf0E1AjxTAcxXQXEEmp1mKS8XFqY2q17klCmVAkD9EHptlJProXEaT7qD9fMvyp-3l-L-D5/s320/20210824_082259.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH3WxxRUimiszmlJe6d1H3FRlA91AqXT_2_Qt73Npbrw5ccQJVfwbKwEs2dtsi_VtjrEphI0zLVXhzlGWyM7PLXf785xEAFd_MJ9p2I7LVEYWsMebKOJxS8Z9xg0Pij-c5NjoNoTsoZM16/s2048/IMG_4159.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH3WxxRUimiszmlJe6d1H3FRlA91AqXT_2_Qt73Npbrw5ccQJVfwbKwEs2dtsi_VtjrEphI0zLVXhzlGWyM7PLXf785xEAFd_MJ9p2I7LVEYWsMebKOJxS8Z9xg0Pij-c5NjoNoTsoZM16/w640-h426/IMG_4159.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pronghorn (Antelope)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>Unfortunately, there weren't many more fishing stops before we hit the mountains. That being said, we did take the time to go back to Lethbridge to try for a stocked population of sterile Grass Carp. They are considered an invasive species in most of the rest of Canada, but are actually stocked in some ponds there for weed control. Last year, I fished the same spot and actually found some fish, but couldn't convince any to actually bite. This year, they were still shy and spooky, but I finally made something work after a couple hours of chasing fish around, resulting in this beautiful specimen. It was one of the harder fighting fish I've come across and probably pulled me halfway across the lake!</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUCc1gX5bsbngv5DG9-NeoUvyS81dc9tARl6Prrf5PvgH8gXDaqsrHDYYUX9YtY-CnVMJAFfhWYxpwRhPyN5v2OwM4RUHZ41Vj71c0bLFLQyj_SMqhrPW0AvXZkn9f7LcnRlPTKzKoWzyE/s2048/109+-+Grass+Carp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1535" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUCc1gX5bsbngv5DG9-NeoUvyS81dc9tARl6Prrf5PvgH8gXDaqsrHDYYUX9YtY-CnVMJAFfhWYxpwRhPyN5v2OwM4RUHZ41Vj71c0bLFLQyj_SMqhrPW0AvXZkn9f7LcnRlPTKzKoWzyE/w640-h480/109+-+Grass+Carp.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grass Carp</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>I'm gonna skip over our travels through the Rockies for now, and keep all the prairie adventures together. We didn't visit too many more scenic areas on the way back, but I was able to take some time to go fishing in the Assiniboine River in Manitoba. I maintain that Manitoba has some of the best roughfishing in Canada, and this session was no different.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Bites came quick and I was soon experiencing the best Shorthead Redhorse fishing I ever had. Size was nothing crazy, but the shear numbers was awesome. There were other species mixed in too, such as Goldeye and Channel Catfish.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi55SLkdiglF-ZA6pYkHdr4z_lH8SyLs5HOkYD-98Q6D3Uu3DyVMbD-Q9ZwfWCVp0-6jGwTH6pSfunr6urNXbRwxfnA7l0wi6gEPruGYvrz-VmImVqZp3zz4TSjuEMPNfSNdViJfGPnYkGc/s2048/Goldeye.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi55SLkdiglF-ZA6pYkHdr4z_lH8SyLs5HOkYD-98Q6D3Uu3DyVMbD-Q9ZwfWCVp0-6jGwTH6pSfunr6urNXbRwxfnA7l0wi6gEPruGYvrz-VmImVqZp3zz4TSjuEMPNfSNdViJfGPnYkGc/s320/Goldeye.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Goldeye</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH9iZTB3LqH-Fwa9dzEWxO6Dkf-fBCH1Kkptk8u_2pJfcb72i3aamMSSWXGgtsvObHswTbafrv24P5CAJu9B636lLAZP7aTFigzHaXVA8riHos0M-xgs6akWw2-YkvGUJJWSWSpCqi18Qw/s2048/Shorthead+Redhorse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH9iZTB3LqH-Fwa9dzEWxO6Dkf-fBCH1Kkptk8u_2pJfcb72i3aamMSSWXGgtsvObHswTbafrv24P5CAJu9B636lLAZP7aTFigzHaXVA8riHos0M-xgs6akWw2-YkvGUJJWSWSpCqi18Qw/s320/Shorthead+Redhorse.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shorthead Redhorse</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>The roughfishing was great, but I will admit I was really here for a shot at two new lifers: the Flathead Chub and the Silver Chub. I was using small hooks and I was given some local intel that both species should be present. I was getting lots of small bites and eventually I managed to make one stick, my lifer Silver chub!</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4FRSeq6R64WZgOWIy2FYQP_V033YIhHgM-p3HHUou0lUUogZpHU6YdXbZ7wfrCkK0A_fEecBh3fa-UrjMA55T4nr1Wn8_judhTFC4UiJDo0woJO-PPFnLUAhW9ukqWtBbqi1wdY7d_sLt/s2048/Silver+Chub.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4FRSeq6R64WZgOWIy2FYQP_V033YIhHgM-p3HHUou0lUUogZpHU6YdXbZ7wfrCkK0A_fEecBh3fa-UrjMA55T4nr1Wn8_judhTFC4UiJDo0woJO-PPFnLUAhW9ukqWtBbqi1wdY7d_sLt/w640-h480/Silver+Chub.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Silver Chub</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>I never was able to catch a Flathead Chub, making it the third trip across Canada without success for this species, but there's always next time! I'm not sure when I'll have time, but I'll get some blog posts up from the AB/BC portion of our journey soon.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn_cAKtW0fcB6ndL3NnBlfmrQUEsWSq6jIimiqCWhWDjHtYs3fMvKFZLlWNsed0GDqJol23b722X4o4kC_ptNWwhS5HrEWopgMwLtQeHKsYilNSnnesJVQUpJhrBLHR7Jz8pDkG7UJogn9/s2048/20210822_121825.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn_cAKtW0fcB6ndL3NnBlfmrQUEsWSq6jIimiqCWhWDjHtYs3fMvKFZLlWNsed0GDqJol23b722X4o4kC_ptNWwhS5HrEWopgMwLtQeHKsYilNSnnesJVQUpJhrBLHR7Jz8pDkG7UJogn9/w640-h480/20210822_121825.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pebble Beach, Marathon</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div>Bradley Rasmussenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00544785080451763556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6927283652049835307.post-227674552994205932021-11-16T03:33:00.003-05:002021-11-16T03:34:16.299-05:00Lake Whitefish Spawn<p> I've spent a good amount of time reading up on the fishing regulations for my home province of Quebec, and I've always been drawn to a couple of "exceptions" written into the rules for a few select fisheries. In the past, I've taken advantage of the spring dipnetting season for Rainbow Smelt, but I've always wanted to see a Whitefish run. Now when I say Whitefish, I mean the salmonid, not Fallfish or any other random silver fish folks call "whitefish".</p><p>Well, this fall, I was finally prepared to make it happen. I kept tab on water temperatures and made my way to the nearest legal netting river when the time was right, which just so happened to be Halloween night. The nearest run happens on the St-Francois river in the town of Disraeli, only about an hour and a half away. It was rainy and the water was a bit dirty, but I hoped I'd still have a shot at a couple fish.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPiHYX9x3ETga9nfN96DOJExrF_DeUXTmah9p0RdVhedD1ClbcWSYz4NzIw9aOL2f5QdBvYcWX3P18CuBn01KmsXjkUiafGvswC_xtYcBcg8bbGW9dnt_jhbF_tvQP4aK9VA-wjaRdiUcM/s2048/20211031_170046.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPiHYX9x3ETga9nfN96DOJExrF_DeUXTmah9p0RdVhedD1ClbcWSYz4NzIw9aOL2f5QdBvYcWX3P18CuBn01KmsXjkUiafGvswC_xtYcBcg8bbGW9dnt_jhbF_tvQP4aK9VA-wjaRdiUcM/w640-h480/20211031_170046.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>We waited for night to fall, and before long, I was donning my headlamp and waders and headed into the current. The dirty water made it hard to see much of anything, so I focused on the shallows for a while and ended up accidentally catching this Mottled Sculpin which was kinda cool.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtPh78exE6DLiwCQmzM7q97BPPBSHL2Zkb4wxZ3RA1iH5Gviyl1niOzxMo2Y7_GK4MlnnvuVML2fYJTJxGpnGgOVFf4W-L5SxKZ_O1FbVkdsjaFfnzgoWMWUv5LyUH4OiUBjh-Xe5paGdT/s2048/20211031_181143.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtPh78exE6DLiwCQmzM7q97BPPBSHL2Zkb4wxZ3RA1iH5Gviyl1niOzxMo2Y7_GK4MlnnvuVML2fYJTJxGpnGgOVFf4W-L5SxKZ_O1FbVkdsjaFfnzgoWMWUv5LyUH4OiUBjh-Xe5paGdT/w640-h480/20211031_181143.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mottled Sculpin</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Unfortunately, the Whitefish clearly weren't hanging out in the shallows. So, I made my way into deeper water and found a slack area just upstream of a riffle where I could just see to the bottom in about 2' of water. After a good while of searching, I finally saw the shape of a larger fish lazily making its way up river. I scooped it into the net and had my first ever netted Lake Whitefish!</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxIw1gbyc4Rzv27v3GkQJHeLA3lNeJGlDodCxchnEsz-7A66DPyL6a4Go6YaHUhV_zlzof18T_KhPVV2D9MfNZ4bAM-dzbkvBr9jfGh6_sZkRsJj8bG_9Ex8hRR-dFTSEUa_ocDNcmG6jP/s2048/20211031_182452.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxIw1gbyc4Rzv27v3GkQJHeLA3lNeJGlDodCxchnEsz-7A66DPyL6a4Go6YaHUhV_zlzof18T_KhPVV2D9MfNZ4bAM-dzbkvBr9jfGh6_sZkRsJj8bG_9Ex8hRR-dFTSEUa_ocDNcmG6jP/w640-h480/20211031_182452.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lake Whitefish</td></tr></tbody></table><p>I only ended up catching one more, but I had accomplished what I had come for and felt like I had a pretty good idea of what this unique fishery was about. It wasn't a spectacular run with the river absolutely filled with fish like I expected, but still very cool!</p>Bradley Rasmussenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00544785080451763556noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6927283652049835307.post-6439915356466252012021-11-03T02:34:00.001-04:002021-11-09T15:33:31.297-05:00How to Catch Carp<p>Common Carp are arguably the top gamefish in Quebec, but remain very underappreciated. They fight hard, require a lot of skill to catch consistently, and are pretty photogenic. However, many anglers seem to turn their noses up to them, perhaps because they are too difficult to catch or maybe because they don't make great table-fare. Admittedly, they don't taste very good (in my opinion). In an attempt to solve the first problem and make them a bit more accessible, here's a beginner's guide to catching carp.</p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5bqUgBR1NfWqVJqi5TglDyx5qpoWJj5W7JZxjeclaexT3EVYibPcxKa06jRFjhdsIfvgw0V0ahhPcXRAM702Av0MNaUs-WSjiOQE75su3632hVqWETAvn-Ep7ylT1zBvluaYGTQDqaB9O/s2048/20210611_160109.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5bqUgBR1NfWqVJqi5TglDyx5qpoWJj5W7JZxjeclaexT3EVYibPcxKa06jRFjhdsIfvgw0V0ahhPcXRAM702Av0MNaUs-WSjiOQE75su3632hVqWETAvn-Ep7ylT1zBvluaYGTQDqaB9O/w640-h480/20210611_160109.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Common Carp</td></tr></tbody></table><u><p><u><b>The Spot:</b></u></p></u><p></p><p>We'll keep it simple for this part. Like many other fish, Carp move around depending on the season and can relate to many different structures and parts of a water body. However, I've found one of the most consistent places to catch them is in a bay of a medium to large river. Look for a bay that is wide enough to provide shelter from the current, but not so wide that it becomes shallow and choked with weeds.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4aCGdrkiH1vxtyb8GWLN9Bp6syqFhPW1u1RofrSEujTuPxS5QpA6Pf4XVsETKAlLAn0WwWVP0E9H5nqh7l58UCdYC7k5LZWhoF4mwnbH9etnb8MATYP_BPMsMNH0r8vCUtnnCjOnu5Jq3/s882/Capture.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="593" data-original-width="882" height="430" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4aCGdrkiH1vxtyb8GWLN9Bp6syqFhPW1u1RofrSEujTuPxS5QpA6Pf4XVsETKAlLAn0WwWVP0E9H5nqh7l58UCdYC7k5LZWhoF4mwnbH9etnb8MATYP_BPMsMNH0r8vCUtnnCjOnu5Jq3/w640-h430/Capture.PNG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>This is just a random spot I found on Google Maps, I have no idea if it's productive or even accessible.<div><br /></div><div>I like to position myself on the upstream point of the bay, where I can most easily present my bait on the current seam. This seam is where many fish stay so they can conserve energy out of the main current while food is pushed right to them. In this case, it also has the advantage of moving the scent of your bait into the bay so it can bring out hungry fish.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmA2yqWbvcJ9MAKB1hL4piWwfQuZLTxDTZ29r0VJFfHu03mgUavIwn_Z0h8JJkDd6Hldb15IVBr-3rx5QLlIa8EJgMlTiOsL6jcWzmvq_OIKEmmANO79M7LdV2ugSTyjfyoNpvvR86KSYF/s882/srfg.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="593" data-original-width="882" height="430" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmA2yqWbvcJ9MAKB1hL4piWwfQuZLTxDTZ29r0VJFfHu03mgUavIwn_Z0h8JJkDd6Hldb15IVBr-3rx5QLlIa8EJgMlTiOsL6jcWzmvq_OIKEmmANO79M7LdV2ugSTyjfyoNpvvR86KSYF/w640-h430/srfg.PNG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Finally, there is no need to cast far. In fact, it is more important to cast accurately to ensure your rig and bait is being placed into the same spot, slowly drawing more and more fish to the area. If the spot allows, I only cast 30-40 yards, just enough to get to deep enough water and past any weed lines.<br /><div><p><u><b>The Bait:</b></u></p><p>The next helpful step is to pre-bait, or chum, your spot for several days to get the Carp used to feeding in your chosen area. This isn't necessary and can be skipped if you don't have the time, resources, or dedication to do so, but can really increase your odds of having a productive day. If I do choose to pre-bait, I will typically chum with 1-2 cans of sweet corn every day for 1-2 weeks. Hardcore carp anglers will generally use feed corn and use a lot more bait, but I've never felt the need to go through that process.</p><p>Using the rig I will describe below, you will also need to make some pack-bait used to bring fish to your hook-bait. My preferred pack bait recipe is listed below, and I also like to use it as chum the day I'll be fishing. I generally chum 1-2 handfuls every 15 minutes for the first hour of fishing, then once every hour afterwards.</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>1 can of sweet corn</li><li>1 packet of strawberry Jell-O powder</li><li>1 box of panko bread crumbs</li><li>Enough water so the mixture can be squeezed and formed into a ball</li></ul><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIsfm2HrCKjWUEhrUXAOn2SNvyoq_6fdiarf3Acs0eoCQq4-Jf8EczBFgU-eDcTYxAwsFaQoouMNzMQNnpjoxusdKHdFBlfcRYe21jY_bbsaqUNDd9iWzdKIOnXlZpJu-4TijoVsA5-EBL/s781/pack-bait-ball.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="586" data-original-width="781" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIsfm2HrCKjWUEhrUXAOn2SNvyoq_6fdiarf3Acs0eoCQq4-Jf8EczBFgU-eDcTYxAwsFaQoouMNzMQNnpjoxusdKHdFBlfcRYe21jY_bbsaqUNDd9iWzdKIOnXlZpJu-4TijoVsA5-EBL/w400-h300/pack-bait-ball.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pack-bait</td></tr></tbody></table><p><u><b>The Rig:</b></u></p><p><b><span></span></b></p>This part is important! You'll want a specific rig designed for carp fishing, called the "hair rig". I would explain it here, but there's no way I'll do a better job than the video linked below:<p></p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjact22m6Bo" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjact22m6Bo</a><br /></p><p>You can ignore the boilie hook-bait used in the video, save these for when you have a bit more experience with carp fishing and are looking to experiment. For North American waters, 2-3 sweet corn kernels will work most of the time and give you the opportunity to catch other species as well! The only specialty gear I use is a piece of fake Styrofoam corn used to float the bait just off the bottom. It gets threaded onto the hair same as any other hook-bait.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpjP1tGJVpe15-GWwL3g2M2jms7xgl5ThEMRcAin37a2yll7hokbAC0DN_u77AQWMVmC3naJ_Roizsdd3QJQzY16ztB9ghRCG2RJAB02GX3amLd0k6Ym-z0ALYfTD-Py4PVu5WaeOPHwAj/s1600/017.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpjP1tGJVpe15-GWwL3g2M2jms7xgl5ThEMRcAin37a2yll7hokbAC0DN_u77AQWMVmC3naJ_Roizsdd3QJQzY16ztB9ghRCG2RJAB02GX3amLd0k6Ym-z0ALYfTD-Py4PVu5WaeOPHwAj/w400-h300/017.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hair Rig</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I also prefer to use a method feeder sinker, which allows me to pack my pack-bait directly onto my rig for an accurate presentation to bring in fish. These work exactly the same as a sliding sinker and slip right onto your mainline.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQG0uH9Mtco7Qf6S4tqbNrgxG0HvLVZ57SH23I5pgHdkplDHOoH6B-1hKkW_bBX0HeBuSK91EjecCVj_cNx3cd3nLAy-cGv6lmjuI7f4JHtFAuHmPi-CFKjIvDoP7SFg0EB8j6VD3wFKmd/s1000/8543f067-3788-4c43-b869-5cc3601fb048_1.7d864446a4e1b9e3376bb187023f975f.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="612" data-original-width="1000" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQG0uH9Mtco7Qf6S4tqbNrgxG0HvLVZ57SH23I5pgHdkplDHOoH6B-1hKkW_bBX0HeBuSK91EjecCVj_cNx3cd3nLAy-cGv6lmjuI7f4JHtFAuHmPi-CFKjIvDoP7SFg0EB8j6VD3wFKmd/w400-h245/8543f067-3788-4c43-b869-5cc3601fb048_1.7d864446a4e1b9e3376bb187023f975f.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Method Feeder</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><u><b>The Gear:</b></u></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><u><br /></u></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Finally, here's a list of the more specialized equipment that can be useful, but not necessary, for carp fishing:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Baiting needle (or straightened out hook)</li><li>Bait stop (or piece of tiny plastic)</li><li>Pop-up fake corn (or small piece of foam)</li><li>Method feeder</li><li>Chumming catapult</li><li>Bucket for mixing chum</li><li>Rod pod</li><li>Bite alarm</li><li>Landing net</li><li>Landing mat</li><li>Pliers for hook removal</li><li>Comfortable chair/cot</li></ul><div>Just remember, it only really takes minimal gear and just a little bit of knowledge to catch one of the strongest fish in QC, so get out there and give it a try!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFT27FefBoriix_jJDN62H8HvuJasyCqOCdraZUa4I_x2wV3G-cXBQuxYsTddAlQXIvwHysBoB_uDeOCd8tfLVzBkNJgQyBqusK9GS8hekm0AkQ4FJjj1qEwZLmX4JQ11TR-wzRONocntT/s960/21433238_1547275972019818_175475769301398520_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFT27FefBoriix_jJDN62H8HvuJasyCqOCdraZUa4I_x2wV3G-cXBQuxYsTddAlQXIvwHysBoB_uDeOCd8tfLVzBkNJgQyBqusK9GS8hekm0AkQ4FJjj1qEwZLmX4JQ11TR-wzRONocntT/w400-h400/21433238_1547275972019818_175475769301398520_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div></div>Bradley Rasmussenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00544785080451763556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6927283652049835307.post-70721988396098654152021-10-25T22:20:00.003-04:002021-10-25T22:20:41.142-04:00The 401 - Southern Ontario<p>So this summer Alexis and I decided to plan a lifelisting trip into southern Ontario to track down a few species we had yet to catch. As road trips in southern Ontario tend to go, we essentially planned a road trip down the 401. I didn't take many scenery photos (there isn't much to see), but here's some of the fish we caught!</p><p>The first stop was in Guelph where we met up with fellow lifelister Ken to try for some new darter species in a local river. The water was cold and clear, and micros were everywhere. We easily caught Rainbow and Blackbanded Darters, and then spent some time focusing on the more picky Greenside Darters. Eventually we caught all our target lifers :)</p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyIR5uasO-77MPxPg8eGTbXDAbDN9ht5lGdcgR_vNjqYY8Kn7AepmSIFLd_LGT7CQpZCOJ6Ipl8WMhzIri8oSEyYRKqBEUr6TXDF2lVBH7D8mVkhQOfF_02S7r8HE32dpd7rXGkQxqxKGi/s2048/20210713_163110.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyIR5uasO-77MPxPg8eGTbXDAbDN9ht5lGdcgR_vNjqYY8Kn7AepmSIFLd_LGT7CQpZCOJ6Ipl8WMhzIri8oSEyYRKqBEUr6TXDF2lVBH7D8mVkhQOfF_02S7r8HE32dpd7rXGkQxqxKGi/s320/20210713_163110.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blackbanded Darter</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl8JBz7t6r4GuG9Oqu9GK-gtO4OatiEg-DJwSbpzckEGw-pDMlixZlhYcoKcomgj8GRytZdJ_3RTJetq6RFO89BIlU55B10-OK216T2SwygVfb0Ei_d4wl8TkbDmstvwN4967RiKiKRqzs/s2048/20210713_164226.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl8JBz7t6r4GuG9Oqu9GK-gtO4OatiEg-DJwSbpzckEGw-pDMlixZlhYcoKcomgj8GRytZdJ_3RTJetq6RFO89BIlU55B10-OK216T2SwygVfb0Ei_d4wl8TkbDmstvwN4967RiKiKRqzs/s320/20210713_164226.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Greenside Darter</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKwKa67yifVv40OKqZHJKjUqvq46VZMkPUdPUstfgid_zNwrFqJ4ZcjuGorMVQL0qQtu-MXTZ7Sscr4eUIfAYtjIDu3eNQK0wMgoEhGajvmXZOplleGY5dD1Z7dqqJU9rnRVNAdAAMY2h8/s2048/20210713_152337.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKwKa67yifVv40OKqZHJKjUqvq46VZMkPUdPUstfgid_zNwrFqJ4ZcjuGorMVQL0qQtu-MXTZ7Sscr4eUIfAYtjIDu3eNQK0wMgoEhGajvmXZOplleGY5dD1Z7dqqJU9rnRVNAdAAMY2h8/s320/20210713_152337.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rainbow Darter</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>Alexis also caught his lifer Fantail Darter, River Chub, and Mottled Sculpin. A productive spot, to say the least!</div><div><br /></div><div>Next, we hit up a couple random spots and added two more new species, the Western Blacknose Dace and the Striped Shiner. Both were pretty quick to catch once we located them.</div><div><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF3Hz9z5cxE_vpAWmZzzLRySLN_mIfwnKyRH-RHNk5Ue0G045C6E7ue_0LD3ai-X5znJOhOF5GlUtC4jN1DhlYlQIUzzWkmt42XBifp12-KDZhyZql2LieLUTrbW7haLJtyH9Ap_na8gbc/s2048/20210713_184745.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF3Hz9z5cxE_vpAWmZzzLRySLN_mIfwnKyRH-RHNk5Ue0G045C6E7ue_0LD3ai-X5znJOhOF5GlUtC4jN1DhlYlQIUzzWkmt42XBifp12-KDZhyZql2LieLUTrbW7haLJtyH9Ap_na8gbc/s320/20210713_184745.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Western Blacknose Dace</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlRrD9mN7uss1LxrpB-7HUeXp37NbCvGGjhFfeegi1WL8S4QVC9L9AX-NWx8tM4fryfvDqYLrkFhgp7QsQ-76c1Lj5frf9EpspUU9c7ng2JipMeK2wsfPRem2aihsF7YtT2XQm9FLazzR-/s2048/20210713_200230.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlRrD9mN7uss1LxrpB-7HUeXp37NbCvGGjhFfeegi1WL8S4QVC9L9AX-NWx8tM4fryfvDqYLrkFhgp7QsQ-76c1Lj5frf9EpspUU9c7ng2JipMeK2wsfPRem2aihsF7YtT2XQm9FLazzR-/s320/20210713_200230.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Striped Shiner</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>We continued picking our way west as night fell, and settled into some night fishing near the spot we planned on fishing in the morning. There weren't really any lifers available for me, but Alexis managed his first Yellow Bullhead and a cool Stonecat!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnbAmSCFVUDcLpHZI6nwPEWuMwNB8w7E8ET2UNacG6OlthBHe19fL8UVj1xBoFa1JjNy7ZqhPn88SF5Upqc1-bNZn9hgeHppSNVcfxZGA-JZnXn8qGK45BRhWU8n3BUu8mi3UiVq51Ult-/s2048/20210714_214906.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnbAmSCFVUDcLpHZI6nwPEWuMwNB8w7E8ET2UNacG6OlthBHe19fL8UVj1xBoFa1JjNy7ZqhPn88SF5Upqc1-bNZn9hgeHppSNVcfxZGA-JZnXn8qGK45BRhWU8n3BUu8mi3UiVq51Ult-/w400-h300/20210714_214906.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div>The next morning, we made short work of getting ready for the day so we could start fishing as soon as possible. The first target of the day was the White Crappie, a neme-fish of mine. Alexis ended up catching two in short order, but I struggled to catch anything that wasn't a sunfish. I worked my way around the spot and finally, right before we had to leave, I caught my Crappie!</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjySglhNiJZYds55uQDCsPgEW-E0BHau0sdOiKKAcRxhcRwMQmPojWV9a7Yn32R15Vsj5inTsHAugBlYxLpHI1oHg5gkzKGrRcVaBIdoWDAuCgvMrSvzq9upqVremR3T17gpp8RHyTWy6KY/s2048/20210714_082439.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjySglhNiJZYds55uQDCsPgEW-E0BHau0sdOiKKAcRxhcRwMQmPojWV9a7Yn32R15Vsj5inTsHAugBlYxLpHI1oHg5gkzKGrRcVaBIdoWDAuCgvMrSvzq9upqVremR3T17gpp8RHyTWy6KY/w640-h480/20210714_082439.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">White Crappie</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>From there, we pretty much zipped as far west as we could without crossing borders, to fish for some rarer species out around Windsor. Quickly, we caught some non-lifer, but always beautiful Lepomids.</div><div><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT4SrGqApILmNmEUvghFoo6NJqlC6zYVMsbVALpCqdaEbZCqcT0qhXqJqMAkQs9VlzP1lLyJucOg_NkTLdPOfvKanS7zBlRi0P5B2lIm7amm0K4FiRqEUeE96JUtHDIhqZD9nKbHKkGmu6/s2048/20210714_104031.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT4SrGqApILmNmEUvghFoo6NJqlC6zYVMsbVALpCqdaEbZCqcT0qhXqJqMAkQs9VlzP1lLyJucOg_NkTLdPOfvKanS7zBlRi0P5B2lIm7amm0K4FiRqEUeE96JUtHDIhqZD9nKbHKkGmu6/s320/20210714_104031.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Green Sunfish</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0dcf-BODWgXw_KrkX59Mgdzq7WkBEMmOOqQ0A0v1-VXLsv8BeOBQLt41AJSm4EaLsvV1TDIWUTJAXlKVE-aMitJnVnjXM5M78MW7xy6Xj6SG9QADyRkiWnrtWvl_n0v5V2XxNWuSoV8Ws/s2048/20210714_105009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0dcf-BODWgXw_KrkX59Mgdzq7WkBEMmOOqQ0A0v1-VXLsv8BeOBQLt41AJSm4EaLsvV1TDIWUTJAXlKVE-aMitJnVnjXM5M78MW7xy6Xj6SG9QADyRkiWnrtWvl_n0v5V2XxNWuSoV8Ws/s320/20210714_105009.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Northern Sunfish</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>Tiring with the sunfish bait-stealers, we changed focus to our real target: the Spotted Sucker. It didn't take long before we spotted 3-4 of them rooting around in the weeds. They seemed to zone in on a particular clump of weeds, before losing interest and moving on. Despite our best efforts, making an adequate presentation was difficult and they seemed completely uninterested in our baits. After following them around for a good while, Alexis finally had one up close and feeding! He presented a small redworm perfectly, and the fish took the bait! A very difficult and rewarding lifer for him.</div><div><br /></div><div>After he released the fish, I noticed it was acting a lot less finicky than the other individuals. It was a bit cheesed, but I was able to present my bait to it quite easily and re-catch his same fish for my lifer!</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8kN-gkbQz8xjB8Kq9v6__X28EI0iL2cHrZq4G5xwlSVedVQqY3uzeEDVBEjsn6s2jjc04UadhKrlaCaSyy1Xb5Ym9K6p5MGH5GqelP2y7PzanPhCW9tT6zTM3fm1JI7Q4w5zBehH0kK7S/s2048/20210714_111613.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8kN-gkbQz8xjB8Kq9v6__X28EI0iL2cHrZq4G5xwlSVedVQqY3uzeEDVBEjsn6s2jjc04UadhKrlaCaSyy1Xb5Ym9K6p5MGH5GqelP2y7PzanPhCW9tT6zTM3fm1JI7Q4w5zBehH0kK7S/w640-h480/20210714_111613.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spotted Sucker</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>Both thrilled with our catches, we moved on to our next target in the area: the Orangespotted Sunfish. Unfortunately, this species, and most of our other targets for the day, were not to be. We spent the day bouncing between spots with muddy water an generally catching nothing of interest. In the evening, Alexis spent some more time targeting catfish and caught his lifer Black Bullhead.</div><div><br /></div><div>We slept on the shores of Lake Erie and woke up early for our third and final day. We met up with another lifelister, Kevin, who is an Ontario fishing specialist. We only had one target: the Grass Pickerel! A species I had failed to catch many times before finally catching it's close cousin the Redfin Pickerel.</div><div><br /></div><div>We hopped spots along a stream we knew was supposed to be full of the Pickerel, but saw little. Finally, at a particularly nice-looking spot, I hooked up on the Esox using a small panfish jig. Of course, the fish popped off on the bank and flopped back into the water before I could get my hands on it. However, we kept fishing the same stretch of water and eventually Alexis had some luck with a spinner and got his lifer. I continued with the jig and caught one shortly after as well!</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2hi8-A-6YXyumYrWvrVtzUJRTudCLl7N5Yb_zYRBtSdPvCP-2-OpbwsT3gS8aZmOhe6kYdXVicSZq7Irbu0yDaFHaGS80xhuwxgamueYNedEE2Q_CMIay47Sohyphenhyphen_ha2kkFIxnle04EsQs/s2048/20210715_113406.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2hi8-A-6YXyumYrWvrVtzUJRTudCLl7N5Yb_zYRBtSdPvCP-2-OpbwsT3gS8aZmOhe6kYdXVicSZq7Irbu0yDaFHaGS80xhuwxgamueYNedEE2Q_CMIay47Sohyphenhyphen_ha2kkFIxnle04EsQs/w640-h480/20210715_113406.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grass Pickerel</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>Kevin wasn't so lucky, and we soon had to leave to make it back to Montreal at a reasonable hour. We said our goodbyes and wished him best of luck. Turns out, he caught his later that very same day.</div><div><br /></div><div>That pretty much sums up our short jaunt into southern Ontario, with only a quick stop in Gananoque left on the way home. We were looking for invasive Tubenose Gobies, but could only find tiny juveniles that we dipnetted. No hook & line lifer, yet!</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQImARrSodhvFLfNrMeaAce__UpAYZ5kpli-L5wpEz_lPNhSliY0nT811bCZi70fwj7MR4YfZ6Aq6WlKTmVhCzrOIrgBV7eGgEl-lLpcOtIc0mrmgpnRoLFmFIv3nutAAZoQ6y_vG7KmTY/s2048/20210715_185046.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQImARrSodhvFLfNrMeaAce__UpAYZ5kpli-L5wpEz_lPNhSliY0nT811bCZi70fwj7MR4YfZ6Aq6WlKTmVhCzrOIrgBV7eGgEl-lLpcOtIc0mrmgpnRoLFmFIv3nutAAZoQ6y_vG7KmTY/w300-h400/20210715_185046.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tubenose Goby</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div>Bradley Rasmussenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00544785080451763556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6927283652049835307.post-21973898447595822962021-10-12T15:39:00.003-04:002021-10-12T15:49:37.006-04:00How to Find Wild Brook TroutNothing has people asking me for spots as much as posting photos of wild back-lake Brook Trout I search out every spring. Unfortunately, these are some of the only fish I won't share my spots for because I think finding them is half the fun. Having the spot given to you really ruins the adventure and the whole point of this fishing. So instead, here's the method I use for finding these fish, with an example from a random area in QC.<div><br /></div><div><b>1. Choose the region you'd like to fish.</b></div><div>Basically, you need to start somewhere. I usually choose this based on preferred driving distance, some local knowledge, or most often, simply curiosity. Some good regions that are within a day's trip reach of Montreal include the Outaouais and Laurentians.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>2. Find a more specific area.</b></div><div>This could be one of the harder steps, and local knowledge can go a long way to help stop you from "guessing and checking". In general, use satellite imagery such as Google or Bing Maps to find an area with lots of lakes away from main roads and highways. Avoid anywhere with national and provincial parks, ZEC's, etc. Try to find an area with plenty of crown land.</div><div><a href="https://www.google.ca/maps" target="_blank">https://www.google.ca/maps</a><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.bing.com/maps/aerial" target="_blank">https://www.bing.com/maps/aerial</a><br /></div><div>Generally, the further you get from the city, the better. That being said, I've caught some very respectable fish about an hour away from Montreal. The more you explore, the more ideas you'll get for areas to seek out!</div><div>This link takes you to QC's crown land map. It's a bit clunky but gets the job done once you get familiar with it.</div><div><a href="https://appli-s.mern.gouv.qc.ca/Rde/Info/CarteInteractive" target="_blank">https://appli-s.mern.gouv.qc.ca/Rde/Info/CarteInteractive</a></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX-rlGd_gGRjL_dSR1QgKYOTkebblxiiMkTpgMr6yzq9y0XiZZZlfGTXlLxBnRBz5np_b3MHHApEcc_ClvyCCX6cix4ffFRkWWK7j9E_hVILHayJoBdpySpq2Lt86xhVqTQDwFsx3o2jDS/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="606" data-original-width="980" height="397" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX-rlGd_gGRjL_dSR1QgKYOTkebblxiiMkTpgMr6yzq9y0XiZZZlfGTXlLxBnRBz5np_b3MHHApEcc_ClvyCCX6cix4ffFRkWWK7j9E_hVILHayJoBdpySpq2Lt86xhVqTQDwFsx3o2jDS/w640-h397/image.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><b>3. Pick out the "head lakes".</b></div><div>Use a topographical or altitude tool such as the one linked below to choose all the lakes at the highest altitude within your desired search area. The actual altitude value isn't as important as choosing the highest lakes around. These generally have colder water, fewer predators, and are more likely to hold native trout.</div><div><a href="https://www.freemaptools.com/elevation-finder.htm" target="_blank">https://www.freemaptools.com/elevation-finder.htm</a></div><div>At this point, I'd recommending using Google MyMaps to start marking down all the lakes in question.</div><div><a href="https://www.google.com/maps/d/" target="_blank">https://www.google.com/maps/d/</a><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhck1Yc_ThMhtrNhx26eSqLa80coo3kWAdIyiVwVbvWyo2t4OOw0FzlJjMMuhhvdg5NcF42vIl-r8gzJUzi45xEjP2nKQyI7iB-U6RkIUiy1_Ld87QySO2oQXsALiD6jBl00AEBSbBejs6l/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="497" data-original-width="938" height="340" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhck1Yc_ThMhtrNhx26eSqLa80coo3kWAdIyiVwVbvWyo2t4OOw0FzlJjMMuhhvdg5NcF42vIl-r8gzJUzi45xEjP2nKQyI7iB-U6RkIUiy1_Ld87QySO2oQXsALiD6jBl00AEBSbBejs6l/w640-h340/image.png" width="640" /></a></div></div><div><br /></div><div><b>4. Try to identify deeper, smaller lakes.</b></div><div>Next, you'll want to identify all the lakes that appear deep enough to sustain a trout population. Use satellite imagery to look for lakes with solid dark colour in their centers, and steep drop-offs. It is sometimes helpful to check on both Google and Bing Maps to see which offers a better image resolution in your chosen area. Remove any lakes that appear too shallow, especially if you can see a large amount of weeds.</div><div>I also like to remove all the larger lakes, say anything more than a few kilometers across. These lakes can also have very good fishing, but generally take longer to figure out and are not in the scope of most of these trips.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQWlRKGfIctWWjVRNGVcBId6eZJTyh0wVvIh6peHcb11Q-ShKBg9GKmkH5u5JiUh9JjmZNNtDea2r_OUlvEN8i8Diq-J-IX8WKrS5m00TKOhghMdNLWG1FPczuLHiZMIWyUuW12JbuABwt/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="718" data-original-width="1107" height="416" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQWlRKGfIctWWjVRNGVcBId6eZJTyh0wVvIh6peHcb11Q-ShKBg9GKmkH5u5JiUh9JjmZNNtDea2r_OUlvEN8i8Diq-J-IX8WKrS5m00TKOhghMdNLWG1FPczuLHiZMIWyUuW12JbuABwt/w640-h416/image.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /></div><div><b>5. Check the shore access, if applicable.</b></div><div>If you won't be portaging in any sort of watercraft, try to select the lakes that appear to have open shoreline, or boulders/cliffs to cast off of. A lake completely surrounded by dense tree makes the shore fishing much harder. Also check if there are any camps on the lake, which you would want to avoid. Delete the waypoints that don't correspond to good lakes.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvmuKXyNGmhGw-TUjZMHq8cz1ZY0Hn__wBNGQVprgOw-auTgK9mk4QOjzRxjFjY9QcFt0nP1XR27j05O5QSxIP2xsreogcjBFYNAA9zUA4i8StMQWofwGXg-vzYdyAUoUn1gsbG3Lx7zGQ/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="710" data-original-width="1096" height="414" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvmuKXyNGmhGw-TUjZMHq8cz1ZY0Hn__wBNGQVprgOw-auTgK9mk4QOjzRxjFjY9QcFt0nP1XR27j05O5QSxIP2xsreogcjBFYNAA9zUA4i8StMQWofwGXg-vzYdyAUoUn1gsbG3Lx7zGQ/w640-h414/image.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /></div><div><div><b>6. Check for and formulate your access plan.</b></div><div>Find the nearest roads and plan your route for accessing the lake; Google Maps directions won't always be your best friend here! Choose the best-looking road that gets you closest to your lake, and keep an eye out for any smaller trails or creeks that could help you hike in the last bit.</div><div>You want to choose a lake that isn't so far into the bush that your life will be hell, but also isn't so accessible that it will be fished out. Assuming we're talking within a 3-hour radius of a big city, I wouldn't choose anywhere that has a road or ATV trail leading directly to the lake shore. a 300-1000m bushwhack seems to be the sweet spot for me.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxOP_m6qNhavXhzGhiJz_BO05Hf6AsftGzlRy8kBHQazTM0LxHTUbbhAPne_mmTetU7OfBU84TW9d9VfrnTp_07RGhiMEk9WZPJI6tFs_kYY3RnrLOEpUc_KkTWLFSoaszDJReF9AJPGZ2/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="713" data-original-width="1096" height="416" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxOP_m6qNhavXhzGhiJz_BO05Hf6AsftGzlRy8kBHQazTM0LxHTUbbhAPne_mmTetU7OfBU84TW9d9VfrnTp_07RGhiMEk9WZPJI6tFs_kYY3RnrLOEpUc_KkTWLFSoaszDJReF9AJPGZ2/w640-h416/image.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /></div><b>7. Have a backup plan!</b></div><div>These lakes don't always work out! In fact, I find I have about a 50% success ratio on finding fish for every lake I explore using this method. Between unexpected private land, difficulty of access, wrong species, lakes being fished out, and just plain old tough fishing conditions... you can't expect to hit gold every time. Try to choose a couple lakes with different accesses to have as backup plan so your day isn't shot if your first choice doesn't work out. It's happened that I try for three different lakes in one day.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><b>8. Final Check</b></div><div>Finally, make your plan of attack for the actual fishing, selecting the fishiest parts of the lakes. Don't forget to enjoy your adventures out in the woods, and hopefully you'll be rewarded with some beautiful, wild, native, backwoods fish!</div>Bradley Rasmussenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00544785080451763556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6927283652049835307.post-52615238399199363682021-06-21T01:33:00.003-04:002021-06-21T02:00:31.823-04:00Heading East - 2021<p> You know I'm getting desperate when I decide to head out to saltwater. Such was the case when Alex and I finally made the call to head east and try to knock off some more species from the gulf of the St-Lawrence. I figured I had a good shot at one lifer, but we did even better!</p><p>We drove along the north shore of the fleuve and enjoyed the views over the water, stopping a couple times to look for spawning schools of Capelin. These fish actually spawn right in the surf, so shallow that they often get washed onto shore! Unfortunately, we must have missed the peak of the season, and saw none.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQDybx2Yim_rq1qAX3XMePVHboOBOm3Jx74oYTQhe_MP6_bwOJkH0_QcwFdJgGnktvJwS_kayFEHfGftzGNOfTG9PEfZyHm_sRjiYbMqa1VzePB3Wu67BlikN5VdnLb7bf4Vb-Qs62uwdg/s2048/20210613_111823.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQDybx2Yim_rq1qAX3XMePVHboOBOm3Jx74oYTQhe_MP6_bwOJkH0_QcwFdJgGnktvJwS_kayFEHfGftzGNOfTG9PEfZyHm_sRjiYbMqa1VzePB3Wu67BlikN5VdnLb7bf4Vb-Qs62uwdg/w640-h480/20210613_111823.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No Capelin here!</td></tr></tbody></table><p>It was only about a 5 hour drive to our first real fishing spot, and we arrived around noon. According to all my buddies who have fished here before, the Staghorn Sculpin should have been about as thick as Creek Chubs. Clearly, I was doing something wrong because I couldn't get a single hit for the life of me. After about an hour, I moved to a different part of the pier and got an instant bite: lifer Arctic Staghorn Sculpin!</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZRzpxMfIa03n7c-N1xU0s1q8-dWx_NYxz8i1NHpOYBEJAz18SMtooOtlbLEdhlFTd9rT-eMTBXbPeTiGh05GK78ODykhyfxrA_r5cYkRYCQModPT90sMWjt7wGc_dTPylFzREmXg-Rkw4/s2220/June+13th%252C+2021+-+Arctic+Staghorn+Sculpin+%2528Gymnocanthus+tricuspis%2529+-+Charlevoix-Est%252C+QC+%2528%2540fish.finding%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="2220" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZRzpxMfIa03n7c-N1xU0s1q8-dWx_NYxz8i1NHpOYBEJAz18SMtooOtlbLEdhlFTd9rT-eMTBXbPeTiGh05GK78ODykhyfxrA_r5cYkRYCQModPT90sMWjt7wGc_dTPylFzREmXg-Rkw4/w640-h312/June+13th%252C+2021+-+Arctic+Staghorn+Sculpin+%2528Gymnocanthus+tricuspis%2529+-+Charlevoix-Est%252C+QC+%2528%2540fish.finding%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Arctic Staghorn Sculpin</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Side note, any fish with "arctic" in its name is automatically a cool fish!</p><p>It only took a few more casts before I realized just how annoying these sculpin would become, it was pretty well instant bites. Of course, this convinced Alex she could catch one easily and tick it off her list, so she made a cast. Wouldn't you know it, she pulls up an Atlantic Halibut! On her very first cast! I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little jealous.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWKBjWl6WLXxvow1QnZ68DhwqIEyYVoUn8YHj_bXJQNlxrSnbufZxMDYYYCC25TnmIDgreNRu8psconnUScPxtqsiX-wAZYZjtHGt3j7r-PjKCinU4FNLgFQuNxd8BxsC6rfXdsiUh224d/s2220/Screenshot_20210621-011424_Gallery.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="2220" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWKBjWl6WLXxvow1QnZ68DhwqIEyYVoUn8YHj_bXJQNlxrSnbufZxMDYYYCC25TnmIDgreNRu8psconnUScPxtqsiX-wAZYZjtHGt3j7r-PjKCinU4FNLgFQuNxd8BxsC6rfXdsiUh224d/w640-h312/Screenshot_20210621-011424_Gallery.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Atlantic Halibut</td></tr></tbody></table><p>It took a few more casts, but she eventually got her Staghorn Sculpin as well :) At this point, I really really wanted my own Halibut. I kept casting my bottom rigs, and eventually the right species came up; lifer #2!</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY3qKh_Vnxu89PijTMXf2vU7ViRagZNE_mJPMxA-Ij9ybvW0nYcxUofEd7v_hsJylkNvtNDmvrGwqiYvoNzZFpyQzrGYUBn6AtilAisEJF2zLMx1ZZpeUAaprlGo1CGDsTYEvsU5iDBL73/s2220/June+13th%252C+2021+-+Atlantic+Halibut+%2528Hippoglossus+hippoglossus%2529+-+Charlevoix-Est%252C+QC+%2528%2540fish.finding%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="2220" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY3qKh_Vnxu89PijTMXf2vU7ViRagZNE_mJPMxA-Ij9ybvW0nYcxUofEd7v_hsJylkNvtNDmvrGwqiYvoNzZFpyQzrGYUBn6AtilAisEJF2zLMx1ZZpeUAaprlGo1CGDsTYEvsU5iDBL73/w640-h312/June+13th%252C+2021+-+Atlantic+Halibut+%2528Hippoglossus+hippoglossus%2529+-+Charlevoix-Est%252C+QC+%2528%2540fish.finding%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Atlantic Halibut</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Now normally, I would have been satisfied with these catches and moved on, but something kept me casting that day. This pretty well resulted in more non-stop sculpin action, but eventually I pulled up something new. It looked like a regular old Rainbow Smelt, but a closer inspection of the anal fin told me I was holding my lifer Capelin!</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-BxQGe_OuTvQFv4qe8QNqm1dtvowHi0CDpEcE5dlu1EtKPZqQULNX8DnkCNJSAWpJo9gkyGYFuiNrCZN4utOXjUvmID6KMEaowczD1FSbSEFXQPtLI8OOSLkJ9sarLoo9Zr9UR5P5Bghb/s2220/June+13th%252C+2021+-+Capelin+%2528Mallotus+villosus%2529+-+Charlevoix-Est%252C+QC+%2528%2540fish.finding%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="2220" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-BxQGe_OuTvQFv4qe8QNqm1dtvowHi0CDpEcE5dlu1EtKPZqQULNX8DnkCNJSAWpJo9gkyGYFuiNrCZN4utOXjUvmID6KMEaowczD1FSbSEFXQPtLI8OOSLkJ9sarLoo9Zr9UR5P5Bghb/w640-h312/June+13th%252C+2021+-+Capelin+%2528Mallotus+villosus%2529+-+Charlevoix-Est%252C+QC+%2528%2540fish.finding%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Capelin</td></tr></tbody></table><p>In my opinion, persistence is key when saltwater fishing for new species with bottom rigs, so I just kept casting. After weeding through another 100 or so staghorns, I pulled up a smaller sculpin that looked a little different. I figured it was just a juvenile staghorn, but took some photos just in case. Later, after sending them to some friends, they told me it was an Arctic Hookear Sculpin! Likely the first one ever caught by the lifelisting community, and a fairly rare fish all around!</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7fpTx5xg49AaJhxV7A8kMoUi_iWQmw7BIegbqO_t_1E9YkIqnc0Koi3rq-sOUdQQP4w18GnL3uqpilFDxHmG4VLv6br6rz7NeAR_5_I0t60SMgEzSc8fch1CEbCjCNlfSb-9bv0ZCR4nu/s2220/June+13th%252C+2021+-+Arctic+Hookear+Sculpin+%2528Artediellus+uncinatus%2529+-+Charlevoix-Est%252C+QC+%2528%2540fish.finding%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="2220" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7fpTx5xg49AaJhxV7A8kMoUi_iWQmw7BIegbqO_t_1E9YkIqnc0Koi3rq-sOUdQQP4w18GnL3uqpilFDxHmG4VLv6br6rz7NeAR_5_I0t60SMgEzSc8fch1CEbCjCNlfSb-9bv0ZCR4nu/w640-h312/June+13th%252C+2021+-+Arctic+Hookear+Sculpin+%2528Artediellus+uncinatus%2529+-+Charlevoix-Est%252C+QC+%2528%2540fish.finding%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Arctic Hookear Sculpin</td></tr></tbody></table><p>That last sculpin pretty much ended the excitement for the trip. We tried a new spot further east but caught nothing. Fortunately, we found a beautiful free campsite right by a waterfall to make up for it :)</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz-kQNLAL8rRrk3jjMl8qtu8ss8CFml7VkP1U4FKSezUUAjtu-o8-dzdzcWhpOtTd2em7rkUT7ph4Y3IDiYHZxf3yBnCleMxmTzffBXJZEqLUls2iXf2EWnDYeV5LtGNps8wk-acN4Rfw5/s2048/20210614_074453.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz-kQNLAL8rRrk3jjMl8qtu8ss8CFml7VkP1U4FKSezUUAjtu-o8-dzdzcWhpOtTd2em7rkUT7ph4Y3IDiYHZxf3yBnCleMxmTzffBXJZEqLUls2iXf2EWnDYeV5LtGNps8wk-acN4Rfw5/w640-h480/20210614_074453.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Bradley Rasmussenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00544785080451763556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6927283652049835307.post-56209542519284144972021-06-18T16:18:00.003-04:002021-06-20T20:08:34.208-04:00The Richelieu River of Southern QuebecThe Richelieu River is arguably the best multi-species fishing river in all of Quebec. Although it has a slightly shorter list of species than the massive St-Lawrence River, it is generally more accessible and still boasts at least different 75 species! By my count, 36 of these are feasibly catchable in the river by any angler, maybe even more if you're more dedicated than I am. Importantly, all Redhorse are considered protected species in this river and must be immediately released if accidentally captured!<br />
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I would call it a medium-sized river, flowing 124km from its source at the northern end of Lake Champlain, and dumping into the St-Lawrence. It averages around 300m in width, meaning it is (mostly) safe to fish from almost any watercraft, and that a good portion of it can be covered from shore. However, there are a few sections of rapids to watch out for!<br />
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I'll divide the river into three sections for the purpose of this summary: the Upper Richelieu (from Lake Champlain to St-Jean-sur-Richelieu), the Middle Richelieu (from where the river narrows near Sainte-Anne-de-Sabrevois to Chambly), and the Lower Richelieu (from Chambly to the St-Lawrence). I will also describe the fishing in some of its major tributaries.<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaBNZp_5b_tPk-90zXRVyRdjiOTHkfxzhQQI-BuC_sqFUPa8mYoDBEVX3E5gEOdRL3Nm9uq4cPVrgEYpR-_Byjw1xqO_YCekq50NBdUaffTRv0BvR0eF9uc8RzZYqqFqvg0clFifxnQUqE/s682/dwfd.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="682" data-original-width="522" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaBNZp_5b_tPk-90zXRVyRdjiOTHkfxzhQQI-BuC_sqFUPa8mYoDBEVX3E5gEOdRL3Nm9uq4cPVrgEYpR-_Byjw1xqO_YCekq50NBdUaffTRv0BvR0eF9uc8RzZYqqFqvg0clFifxnQUqE/w490-h640/dwfd.PNG" width="490" /></a></div><br /><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>The Upper Richelieu</u></b><br /></span>
<br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Main Species of Interest:</b> Rudd, Bowfin, Northern Pike, Largemouth Bass, Panfish, and Redfin Pickerel for those who dare.</span></span><br /></span><br />
This is the slower, warmer-water portion of the river; where Bowfin and Northern Pike are king, and many other interesting species lurk in the weeds. I fish two main areas in this portion of the river: Noyan and St-Paul-de-l'Ile-aux-Noix.<br />
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<b>Noyan:</b><br />
The Noyan area is mainly accessed via boat, but some shore spots exist as well.<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"> There are two great boat ramps available for a small fee. The first is at Pourvoirie Laramée (</span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">45.066794,-73.333404). The owner here is a nice guy, speaks English, and also has the option of boat rentals at low cost. The other boat ramp is located across the river at the Sleepy Hollow campground (</span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">45.065217,-73.319382).</span></span><br />
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Noyan is the place to be if Bowfin are your target species! In the springtime, they can be found in very shallow water along the shorelines in this area, and even up in the flooded forests of the islands in the area. I mainly target them by sight-fishing with jigs, keeping the lure directly in front of the fish until they react. I sometimes find it necessary to downsize to panfish jigs or use faster moving lures such as spinnerbaits if the fish are being finicky. Note: cutbait or baitfish of any sort are not permitted as bait in QC, so keep that in mind!<br />
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Besides Bowfin, the area also has good Northern Pike and panfish (Pumpkinseed, Bluegill, Yellow Perch) fishing. These can all be found in and around the weedy areas, especially along the weedline in the case of Northern Pike. I like using anything flashy for Northern Pike; spoons, spinners, and spinnerbaits all work well. Small jigs or worm rigs will work well for the panfish.<br />
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A variety of other species can be caught here as well, including Walleye, juvenile Rudd, Longnose Gar, Brown Bullhead, Banded Killifish, Bluntnose Minnow, Golden Shiner, and Johnny/Tessellated Darter. I haven't spent much time targeting most of these in this particular area, but the Walleye tend to hang out in the channel where there is more current. All of the others can be found in the shallower areas around the weed beds.<br />
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<b>St-Paul-de-l'Ile-aux-Noix:</b><br />
St-Paul-de-l'Ile-aux-Noix is another area that is best accessed by boat, but also has a couple shore spots and is a popular ice fishing destination. The main shore fishing area is a pier located directly beside the boat ramp at Pourvoire Guy Mayer (<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">45.132554, -73.267345). The owner of the ramp speaks English and used to be a commercial fishermen so knows a lot about some of the more obscure species in that area. Ice fishing in the area primarily happens on the man-made canals on the west side of the river.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This area is your best bet if Rudd are your primary target, but it also offers great panfishing for Black Crappie, Bluegill, Pumpkinseed and Yellow Perch. Largemouth Bass and Northern Pike also show up and slam the ultralight gear. All of these species can be caught using small panfish jigs tipped with a 1-2" plastic or a bit of worm/maggots if they are being finicky. They all seem to relate to the docks in the canals, with the Crappie sticking tight to the structure and Rudd forming large schools within the marinas and canals.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Northern Pike, Bowfin, Tench, Common Carp, Redfin Pickerel, Bluntnose Minnow, Banded Killifish, and Golden Shiner are also available here. That being said, I would recommend other spots for Bowfin, Tench, Common Carp, and Redfin Pickerel. Walleye can be caught in the main channel of the river.</span></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The canals in St-Paul are also a popular ice fishing area, because they freeze before very early in the season. Northern Pike, Black Crappie, Bluegill, Pumpkinseed, Yellow Perch, and Golden Shiner can all be targeted through the ice here.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGApLH29CeU5W7Leqpa7WmB-wmWDXv1RB1y7lVMmGwFF2MoFldX_jcTkoazQwtmqpirOngl3-GoG3p_hTWncbhLIlvNIp8SOzfc6f4dk_mWACsBxtxbCjd8J6KH-5S2GGqn81Kz6WzvPuO/s1600/25591849_1643711359042945_5635830834491994512_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGApLH29CeU5W7Leqpa7WmB-wmWDXv1RB1y7lVMmGwFF2MoFldX_jcTkoazQwtmqpirOngl3-GoG3p_hTWncbhLIlvNIp8SOzfc6f4dk_mWACsBxtxbCjd8J6KH-5S2GGqn81Kz6WzvPuO/s640/25591849_1643711359042945_5635830834491994512_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><u>The Middle Richelieu</u></b></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Main Species of Interest: </b>Copper Redhorse, Freshwater Drum, Walleye, Smallmouth Bass.</span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This central portion of the river is the one I have explored least, and seems to have the lowest diversity. Nevertheless, it may still hold some secrets I have yet to discover! I've fished two areas in this section: St-Jean-sur-Richelieu and the Chambly rapids. This is also the most dangerous section of the river, with many sets of rapids and rocky shoals.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>St-Jean-sur-Richelieu:</b></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">There is a good shore fishing/wading access to this part of the river located at Parc Martial-Bessette (</span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">45.326692,-73.256561). Channel Catfish and Brown Bullhead can be caught on bottom rigs, as well as large Freshwater Drum out in the faster water. There is also a free boat launch with ample parking beside the "Le Nautique" Marina (45.302313,-73.250436).</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Chambly Rapids:</b></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">The Chambly rapids are the last stronghold of the mythical Copper Redhorse! Targeting them is obviously completely illegal, but it's still a fun place to visit and see the many interpretive signs describing the plight of Quebec's only endemic fish, and one of the rarest fish in North America. There are many sanctuaries in this area, so care should be taken in reading up on your regulations before heading here. That being said, the river can be accessed from the shoreline at the town of Richelieu (</span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">45.448897,-73.262392). Both shore fishing and wading are excellent techniques here.</span></span><br /><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU6TKTTSOlnkE18pDrBj12VAP-b754K2FxiTF-QltmV6sdzGANE9lok0dzlq6onNDi3xYlQbE9xvYoJAMSYQq7o2SQ4Efi2lXFqX2qN_aSIzSd9xU9haP7LeG_dV18iKNOUgzxO7T32G6o/s1600/46154990_2043332129080864_5949346938452180992_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="525" data-original-width="790" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU6TKTTSOlnkE18pDrBj12VAP-b754K2FxiTF-QltmV6sdzGANE9lok0dzlq6onNDi3xYlQbE9xvYoJAMSYQq7o2SQ4Efi2lXFqX2qN_aSIzSd9xU9haP7LeG_dV18iKNOUgzxO7T32G6o/s640/46154990_2043332129080864_5949346938452180992_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Image Source: Fisheries and Oceans Canada</span></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Channel Catfish will be the most common intruder hitting your bottom rigs, but the occasional Brown Bullhead, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Rock Bass, or Fallfish may show themselves. Smallmouth Bass and Walleye are typically the main targets when wading and casting, and fly fishing is also quite successful in this faster part of the river. Some more unlikely catches here include: Longnose Gar, Brown Trout, Rainbow Trout, and landlocked Atlantic Salmon (locally known as Ouananiche).</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><u>The Lower Richelieu</u></b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Main Species of Interest: Tench, Mooneye, Lake Sturgeon, Burbot, Common Carp, Longnose Gar, White Perch.<br /></b></span>
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<span style="background-color: white;">The Lower Richelieu is potentially my favourite section of the entire river. There are many accessible shore fishing spots, all offering some pretty great roughfishing! Two of my favourite spots are the Chambly Basin and the historical locks in St-Ours. However, there is also a lot of great fishing along the shores of the towns of Otterburn Park, St-Hilaire, and Beloeil.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><b>Chambly Basin:</b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">The Chambly basin starts at the base of the the Chambly rapids and is a bizarre widening of the river, almost more like a lake. This area is best fished by boat, but you need to stay back from certain areas designated as sanctuaries for the Copper Redhorse. The town of St-Mathias-sur-Richelieu offers the closest free boat ramps and parking (45.475205,-73.271337).</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;">My favourite part of the basin is at the base of the rapids, where I can anchor my boat and bottom fish for a huge diversity of rough fishes. I've found a simple slip-sinker rig with 2-3oz of weight to be most effective. The Smallmouth Bass and Channel Catfish are incessant, but, with enough patience, you'll eventually run into Lake Sturgeon, Freshwater Drum, Mooneye, Walleye, and American Eel. All 5 species of Redhorse in QC can also be found here, but are all protected so must be immediately released.</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJjMiQ438IbXTVKlugh5Wylxfvi4RBXXnLJ3F83cd8BN4BmBPgtJvSMGZMrTulRcrCAYVkIxbdd_b9PY_3zHaB5mtoOHYRGQJWufvmidf1QlH0unDEgLg-V4mLIMmuwkQH4Ypjqf-XJBDb/s661/dg.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="396" data-original-width="661" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJjMiQ438IbXTVKlugh5Wylxfvi4RBXXnLJ3F83cd8BN4BmBPgtJvSMGZMrTulRcrCAYVkIxbdd_b9PY_3zHaB5mtoOHYRGQJWufvmidf1QlH0unDEgLg-V4mLIMmuwkQH4Ypjqf-XJBDb/w400-h240/dg.PNG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="background-color: white;">The calmer, shallower bays of the basin also have some great fishing for the more "swampy" species like Longnose Gar and Northern Pike.</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><b>St-Ours Historical Locks:</b></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;">I've probably spent more time fishing here than anywhere else. It arguably has the best Tench fishing in North America, and so many other cool fish too! Channel Catfish, Brown Bullhead, Common Carp, and Yellow Perch are also common, but many other rarer fish are possible too. Burbot and juvenile Lake Sturgeon are not uncommon during the colder shoulder seasons, and big schools of Mooneye show up randomly as well. Fishing high-low and slip-sinker rigs are some of my favourite methods of catching Tench, and dragging a high-low rig on the current seam is good for Mooneye.</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihcYD8dYiS6sKzHnAH_WhQuMhtwGCj2xC3HuTwTTCJHBJFcmj1109dutEs3oqxUPFJilJ35wum_o0DzB-vsvIDZ3vhPBleFCMlhTpU_-q7ykNZqhVmLdguMyhl15FCCIwVuCLFDLw2wWTp/s2048/20180411_191751.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihcYD8dYiS6sKzHnAH_WhQuMhtwGCj2xC3HuTwTTCJHBJFcmj1109dutEs3oqxUPFJilJ35wum_o0DzB-vsvIDZ3vhPBleFCMlhTpU_-q7ykNZqhVmLdguMyhl15FCCIwVuCLFDLw2wWTp/w640-h360/20180411_191751.jpg" width="640" /></a></div></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;">A secondary spot here is the fast current below the dam just west of the locks. It's a great spot for catching hundreds of White Perch, but there are also big Channel Catfish, Lake Sturgeon, Walleye, Sauger, and Striped Bass at the right times of year. However, Striped Bass are protected in this part of QC so cannot be targeted until further notice.</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><b>Beloeil Shore Fishing:</b></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;">This is yet another great area for the avid shore fisherman, with so many accesses offering great fishing. There's the Halte Routiere in Otterburn Park (45.545392,-73.210424), the current seam across from Capitaine Pouf in Beloeil (45.5488124,-73.211610), and the boat ramp in St-Hilaire (45.563509,-73.199544).</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkMkqfThoHSzo08eeUuBw0le6cFADSdyDmxEFxcACiLtmv_gNz8aM4iq1c09HVVLYqLnyKLmOHbG_PAQZXr-WmfiQplLtBNP7plat4DfORlS0HV8li-5_r1A3RVUNbPEJlyi-9maFUcq_b/s2048/20201016_142435.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkMkqfThoHSzo08eeUuBw0le6cFADSdyDmxEFxcACiLtmv_gNz8aM4iq1c09HVVLYqLnyKLmOHbG_PAQZXr-WmfiQplLtBNP7plat4DfORlS0HV8li-5_r1A3RVUNbPEJlyi-9maFUcq_b/w400-h300/20201016_142435.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="background-color: white;"><div><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div>I have recently discovered that Otterburn Park is a great Common Carp spot if you know the right techniques. It's not obvious, but the large bend in the river forms a sort of bay with low current, providing perfect Carp habitat. I like baiting with a mixture of panko bread crumbs, strawberry Jell-O powder, and sweet corn. I use sweet corn as my hook-bait and cast often when I first show up to get the fish feeding. All that being said, this is a decent spot to bottom fish with nightcrawlers for multi-species as well.</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjltpOx0qLoWkwPt4hR4tfVUIW3RM1f4IiMxOPLgUbVuKwxt4vMuvdijjFEmiwepgqTJjeumZlD6UH_cfQTH7RCIkNQv8-rG8p6fO5arOo1Ua3irG5dy8BshZtAFbs6O40YWoWvEHVhEJJ6/s2048/201034388_2869629333351092_8666318574508346458_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjltpOx0qLoWkwPt4hR4tfVUIW3RM1f4IiMxOPLgUbVuKwxt4vMuvdijjFEmiwepgqTJjeumZlD6UH_cfQTH7RCIkNQv8-rG8p6fO5arOo1Ua3irG5dy8BshZtAFbs6O40YWoWvEHVhEJJ6/w480-h640/201034388_2869629333351092_8666318574508346458_n.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><span style="background-color: white;">The next spot has much faster current, and can be difficult to fish without 4oz sinkers. The current seam just downstream from the train bridge and by Capitaine Pouf is another good spot to try from shore. Big Lake Sturgeon swim through this area and can put up pretty incredible fights in the current. River, Silver, and Shorthead Redhorse are also more-or-less common but must not be targeted as they are protected. This spot also has a spectacular view of the St-Hilaire Mountain, best appreciated when the leaves change colours in the fall.</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-hkYQznsM96AkI51wxCekrJYzgJg0Jwn46DuzW6N2c-9hFZhG7dcAFZz_oI3l3TX1kg5yees5bo605S5uwXbXVCxh_s7u34PtHpBhDsdKw21jic0Lf5OibT4gyNEYRClIOOq3-bPrCuKm/s1024/large+%25285%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="488" data-original-width="1024" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-hkYQznsM96AkI51wxCekrJYzgJg0Jwn46DuzW6N2c-9hFZhG7dcAFZz_oI3l3TX1kg5yees5bo605S5uwXbXVCxh_s7u34PtHpBhDsdKw21jic0Lf5OibT4gyNEYRClIOOq3-bPrCuKm/w640-h304/large+%25285%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></div><div><span style="background-color: white;">Finally, the boat ramp in St-Hilaire has a nice open area to fish and has the advantage of being able to move under the bridge if it starts raining. Tench, Redhorse, and Channel Catfish are all occasionally caught here, but the quality at this spots seems to have gone down in recent years.</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>The Tributaries</u></b></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Main Species of Interest: </b>Greater Redhorse, Shorthead Redhorse, Silver Redhorse, Common Carp, Bowfin, Eastern Silvery Minnow, American Eel, Quillback, Tench, Rosyface Shiner.</span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;">The Richelieu has a ton of tributaries, but there are 3 main ones I think are worth mentioning; the Sud River, the Acadie River, and the Hurons River. Unfortunately, all three struggle with agricultural runoff, but the fishing still manages to be pretty good at the right time of year. I recommend avoiding the summer months as this is when the worst of the eutrophication takes place. Access is difficult to most of these rivers, but I'll add coordinates for the best spots I've found.</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><b>Sud River:</b></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;">The Du Sud is a weird river, almost a set of linear swamplands. Access is limited, but one of the best areas I've found is at an agricultural drainage weir by Chemin Beech N (45.101123,-73.192277). This area is shallow, but you have to be careful because the dam weir floodgates seem to open without warning so levels can rise fast! This is the best spot I've found for Eastern Silvery Minnow, but they seem to only show up in the fall. At this time of year, they show up in huge numbers and are easily caught by tanago hook. This is also a good spot for observing juvenile Bowfin.</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrDXmhh4GGV_RNxXn9xBWJKDzlRfsDc7toE-6DVtfhP744Ila8XwILU7CIMak6FS9phokBZK-bIztPV0Knym-FjkfB76qaLAWyE-zTSuJE8Ca4-tqjzP6IRVhuEJsF94_apCeN3Ml9EokK/s1024/Eastern+Silvery+Minnow.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1024" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrDXmhh4GGV_RNxXn9xBWJKDzlRfsDc7toE-6DVtfhP744Ila8XwILU7CIMak6FS9phokBZK-bIztPV0Knym-FjkfB76qaLAWyE-zTSuJE8Ca4-tqjzP6IRVhuEJsF94_apCeN3Ml9EokK/w640-h360/Eastern+Silvery+Minnow.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></div><div>The larger sections of the river further downstream are apparently great spots for many warmwater species like Common Carp, American Eel, and Brown Bullhead when they move up to shallow water to spawn in the spring.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Acadie River:</b></div><div>I've had pretty bad luck fishing this river and it's tributaries, so I won't offer any coordinates because I feel that the average angler could figure out something better than what I have to offer. It's a shallow and silty river, which may explain why I have trouble fishing it. That being said, it has some decent pools for Carp fishing and the few riffles I've found have had great micro-fishing for common species such as Creek Chub, Banded Killifish, and Common Shiner.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Hurons River:</b></div><div>For those of you that have read this far into this summary, here is your reward. I've kept this spot semi-secret for a while now, and it is one of my favourites. It can be accessed by boat from the Chambly basin if your rig can tolerate shallow water, or by descending a steep bank from the Shell on Chemin Richelieu (45.459269,-73.257062).</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr5dE1UiV7pLat9KsKCLqYb79uwrwvmakIEStwh7hTSRHN6EQXgxoqHpeFN4VP0mjTPh9ew6jmV1lwhorhQYNwO0ZzkrsxAdDfKVRYJqK1_21dDGy1xpE1W9D9opt16ZQUJeg_jC-UhcLM/s2608/189437349_491875962029916_135938704712387179_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1206" data-original-width="2608" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr5dE1UiV7pLat9KsKCLqYb79uwrwvmakIEStwh7hTSRHN6EQXgxoqHpeFN4VP0mjTPh9ew6jmV1lwhorhQYNwO0ZzkrsxAdDfKVRYJqK1_21dDGy1xpE1W9D9opt16ZQUJeg_jC-UhcLM/w640-h296/189437349_491875962029916_135938704712387179_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image Source: Alexis Desmarais</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>Spring is the time of year you want to be here. The river gets runs of Longnose Gar, Common Carp, Shorthead, Silver, and Greater Redhorses, and the mythical Quillback. Some of those also stick around for the rest of the year, and are joined by warmer water species such as Tench, Northern Pike, and Smallmouth Bass.</div><div><br /></div><div>My favourite way to target Longnose Gar is at night with flashy spinners. The unconventional technique consists of lightly twitching the spinner blades under the beam of your headlamp, right next to the snout of the Gar. Usually, it will see this as the flash of a small shiner and swipe at your bait! Set the hook hard and bring it to shore fast before it gets off.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgASJ7NASH1WlCB8JJl4J12Mvq16M36YrO1cD7h48H_9fKJvj0yRn7XeZd58bG2n2kKX1pUXfvjLGE5T7kgphK-4LzR3X9W_yLhDFmCoR67tuvvOpb1wl5M1V9WWL_mYGLjBbY6MJNtKpRy/s960/32664345_1794281437319269_4416194212513447936_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgASJ7NASH1WlCB8JJl4J12Mvq16M36YrO1cD7h48H_9fKJvj0yRn7XeZd58bG2n2kKX1pUXfvjLGE5T7kgphK-4LzR3X9W_yLhDFmCoR67tuvvOpb1wl5M1V9WWL_mYGLjBbY6MJNtKpRy/w640-h360/32664345_1794281437319269_4416194212513447936_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div>The Redhorses also put up great fights in the current here, I recommend targeting them during the spawn in the riffle area around the Route 133 bridge. Whatever rig you think will best present a worm to them in the fast current is best. When they're feeding up there, they'll often hit anything you can get in front of them and tear off downstream!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRwsEuG_2oN7ZNk0VQMQatyT_ZJJT0Zs_gsCnzHQTQGNbIOwejroZocxDGoT7CeefSL3sHxub4kk03SK4qP0WAlKLCDze3O12TEYI2F9Bkkb1KH6wYBwzX0CR2p0IWmr-eVJokCFCmtFj7/s2048/20190605_183009.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRwsEuG_2oN7ZNk0VQMQatyT_ZJJT0Zs_gsCnzHQTQGNbIOwejroZocxDGoT7CeefSL3sHxub4kk03SK4qP0WAlKLCDze3O12TEYI2F9Bkkb1KH6wYBwzX0CR2p0IWmr-eVJokCFCmtFj7/w640-h360/20190605_183009.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div>Let's not neglect the legendary Quillback, a Carpsucker species with a reputation for being dificult (if not impossible) to catch fairly. They do make a run up into this river, but only for a very short period of the year. In fact, I've only seen them here twice! Prior experience recommends using the most subtle worm rig you can think of, but you'll still need a huge amount of luck to get one. </div><div><br /></div><div>Finally, this is a great place to get into micro fishing. It has all the common species such as Mimic Shiner, Spotfin Shiner, Bluntnose Minnow, Johnny/Tessellated Darter, and Creek Chub, but also gives you a chance at some tough species such as Longnose Dace and Rosyface Minnow.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCe4SXiOfpQ2HVTVLKPG5AXwvd1Odj6_a85Xmsukc7e7zxUkfuUmjdoMYi9gUqU-sn4u4LcAc9uciN11x7wN8idmPWZPEVW7HLNjOsUqGppTlwLD4txzsJI0XsUPlJDAnWs5OkUJVOh9I7/s960/62214587_2355601231187284_6392199869586472960_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCe4SXiOfpQ2HVTVLKPG5AXwvd1Odj6_a85Xmsukc7e7zxUkfuUmjdoMYi9gUqU-sn4u4LcAc9uciN11x7wN8idmPWZPEVW7HLNjOsUqGppTlwLD4txzsJI0XsUPlJDAnWs5OkUJVOh9I7/w640-h360/62214587_2355601231187284_6392199869586472960_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>Conclusion:</u></b></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span></div><div>The Richelieu River is a very special place, and, in my opinion, has the best fishing in all of Quebec. At the very least, it certainly offers the best rough fishing in all of Quebec. I would also argue that it has the best Tench fishing in North America, and would have the best Redhorse fishing in Canada is it was allowed. Although it struggles with urban and agricultural pollution, and erosion from large boats, I hope that others can see how important this river is, and how it needs more protection. I've spent thousands of hours here, and I hope to spend many, many more.</div>Bradley Rasmussenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00544785080451763556noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6927283652049835307.post-38023328312158183992021-06-08T16:01:00.000-04:002021-06-08T16:01:02.563-04:00Backwoods Trout Fishing - 2021<p> No lifers here, this is a short report about some of the fishing I was able to complete in April and May of 2021. Covid has still put a damper with crazy travel restrictions, but I decided to make the best of it and use the opportunity to get back into exploring back lakes for Brook Trout.</p><p>A lot of people ask me for these spots, but finding them really couldn't be much simpler. All I do is look for higher altitude lakes that look deep enough to hold trout. Then I choose the ones that aren't accessible by road to ensure they haven't been fished out. Using this procedure, I figure I have about a 50% success ratio, but I certainly got lucky this spring!</p><p>I started my time off before fishing season opened, so Alex and I did some scouting and took a day trip down a local river, the Tomifobia. The water level was perfect, just high enough that we rarely had to portage. That being said, it was a bit muddy so we didn't see any fish. Here's Alex working to clear a logjam while I attempt to move the tree from shore.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8QDPGFvUHdjlnLfKMlLatJ8xeXKKODXHj9rf4Imfzoyc_xeJwZh7-B3_PtrQ1q2sE6egl6MWpQDo2XzATBw0-WNKnrpXTNQcnHGkxL2NP9OhKnKG_j9mP9lRR6_oeP-QHv1gUqYAoeflq/s2048/20210417_135451.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8QDPGFvUHdjlnLfKMlLatJ8xeXKKODXHj9rf4Imfzoyc_xeJwZh7-B3_PtrQ1q2sE6egl6MWpQDo2XzATBw0-WNKnrpXTNQcnHGkxL2NP9OhKnKG_j9mP9lRR6_oeP-QHv1gUqYAoeflq/w300-h400/20210417_135451.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><p>By the next weekend, season had finally opened! We made our way to the Outaouais region to spend an overnighter on a lake I knew could hold a rare population of landlocked Arctic Char. The lake required a decent portage to get in, and we were met with some pretty unfavourable weather. High winds, rain, and even hail slowed our progress. We waited out the worst of the weather and kept on fishing. The bite was slow, we couldn't seem to find the fish regardless of the technique used. Finally, on our third loop of the lake, something attacked a small jerkbait I was casting around laydowns. It was a beautiful wild Brook Trout, making all the effort finally worth it!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9JH-ZZ4Yd_q27LfmtgSLfjxlruaAome5L635PHsbHr4jMx3ch5UZ1q6aWNPcREPCKMW7U1-AL8f-jJetQQvS_We2trielRYUryGvyNtRfwlJtpx19pj_Uf1SkH0OkCBE4IDmz7PnZwzxl/s1343/184420269_4060633977350659_986231135162081918_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="1343" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9JH-ZZ4Yd_q27LfmtgSLfjxlruaAome5L635PHsbHr4jMx3ch5UZ1q6aWNPcREPCKMW7U1-AL8f-jJetQQvS_We2trielRYUryGvyNtRfwlJtpx19pj_Uf1SkH0OkCBE4IDmz7PnZwzxl/w640-h304/184420269_4060633977350659_986231135162081918_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>The rest of the trip was pretty uneventful. We didn't catch (or even see) any more fish, and spent some time on a short hike exploring the area. Nevertheless, we were plenty satisfied with the excursion.</p><p>Next, I headed out to the Townships to try and put my buddy Alexis on some new salmonid species. It would be a tough ask, but I knew he'd have a shot at Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, and Landlocked Salmon. We never saw the salmon, but he missed a Brown and caught his first Rainbow so it was a marginal success! I also took advantage of the day trip by finding a brand new patch of wild garlic and keeping some Fallfish for the freezer, which was actually pretty tasty :)</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8tqAd1Yhyphenhyphenb701rJYOsLAQ-OXfG0omHkobL78shzDDnXlReaI9-BeW_M7mstNv9lwu7eTixLCgDsyCsdeHslRooBJkvc9vo20rr8JecBND_IbhMG3sn7iesfQI39s0yHU9tPpeEgEVxZZq/s2016/180583942_4030861720327885_943929997544380729_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8tqAd1Yhyphenhyphenb701rJYOsLAQ-OXfG0omHkobL78shzDDnXlReaI9-BeW_M7mstNv9lwu7eTixLCgDsyCsdeHslRooBJkvc9vo20rr8JecBND_IbhMG3sn7iesfQI39s0yHU9tPpeEgEVxZZq/w640-h480/180583942_4030861720327885_943929997544380729_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>Another day trip took me back out to the Outaouais, this time with my good buddy Carl. As usual, the goal was to explore some more back lakes in hopes of finding wild Brook Trout. The first lake was a flop, but the second produced some of the nicest wild brookies I've personally ever caught! I caught a beauty male and female pair just by casting a spinner from shore. I also lost a third fish to some fallen timber that pulled just as hard as the other two!</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieohUPUJQzwo5qBFI_wz8Oap4WIOubN7xx8FOF-JSjh6CfKgHrOPKesdCiI5pV6zuntn31ac6xS4zlo5YghgzPswvmJVeGwtMbYMwpwWxfijMCC3JR2vLB1d1nkXMeqykJAUK-pEob3MWe/s1959/179736754_4030862046994519_7068039982471108112_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1470" data-original-width="1959" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieohUPUJQzwo5qBFI_wz8Oap4WIOubN7xx8FOF-JSjh6CfKgHrOPKesdCiI5pV6zuntn31ac6xS4zlo5YghgzPswvmJVeGwtMbYMwpwWxfijMCC3JR2vLB1d1nkXMeqykJAUK-pEob3MWe/s320/179736754_4030862046994519_7068039982471108112_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9SS40AsuqvPGaDHOs42egTjD8rMQKBldzWhSlixEID2QSf8iJn2KaQCseKLyssC81XyD6O8vk8kxEsgqtkB7TVKX2qkZwzvGKU0iup0nXJmIEXVuGOleBqoVJvG13B9eC3K-4zPiXmgwP/s2016/179886676_4030861933661197_2598034632728750017_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9SS40AsuqvPGaDHOs42egTjD8rMQKBldzWhSlixEID2QSf8iJn2KaQCseKLyssC81XyD6O8vk8kxEsgqtkB7TVKX2qkZwzvGKU0iup0nXJmIEXVuGOleBqoVJvG13B9eC3K-4zPiXmgwP/s320/179886676_4030861933661197_2598034632728750017_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>We even cut the day short and stopped to pick some fiddleheads on the way home! I now had a full limit of garlic, and more fiddleheads than I could count, making for lots of tasty meals.</div><div><br /></div><div>I still wasn't fed up yet though, so I planned one final day of back lake fishing with a friend from school. This time, it was a lake I had fished many times before and wanted to see if it still produced. I was dismayed to find new cabins on the lake and a few stashed boats, but we tried it anyway. The fishing wasn't as great as it used to be, but we caught 7 decent little brookies to round off the break :)</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Xk3FI6CVUPYlSDi2KLF6j7FZESFFOMigTLVCDzhDdRxqgWxQNPL0wiX2PNXtZ6xVmSyOGRi5ldyoSz7oew6LKmSBE9680o527e03zzCMXqtlbA2pHzxXFjMcSsH3seA4XHf3HAdaBCjw/s960/182707445_4044890502258340_6810064532520706730_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Xk3FI6CVUPYlSDi2KLF6j7FZESFFOMigTLVCDzhDdRxqgWxQNPL0wiX2PNXtZ6xVmSyOGRi5ldyoSz7oew6LKmSBE9680o527e03zzCMXqtlbA2pHzxXFjMcSsH3seA4XHf3HAdaBCjw/w640-h480/182707445_4044890502258340_6810064532520706730_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div>Oh yeah, and I picked some stinging nettle on the way home to add to my collection of wild forage in the fridge. It makes a pretty tasty omelette when prepared in an eastern European fashion with feta cheese.</div><div><br /></div><div>On my last weekend off, I took a break from fishing and went for a mini road trip with Alex. We drove out to Charlevoix and took in the sights.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRTCEvMy5dSuAmnf5GIOZrJcSxo-XvjX1cZVtejHG2wJ5guH5Qo1dl-k4GvfB69g4eVGwrBUx9OalzvpE9zhQKmHHNpYDYCe65boFUNWOXUg9NCdglkaDmtzk44mP2Dlk-vaqaX7aEj48p/s2048/20210501_160832.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRTCEvMy5dSuAmnf5GIOZrJcSxo-XvjX1cZVtejHG2wJ5guH5Qo1dl-k4GvfB69g4eVGwrBUx9OalzvpE9zhQKmHHNpYDYCe65boFUNWOXUg9NCdglkaDmtzk44mP2Dlk-vaqaX7aEj48p/w640-h480/20210501_160832.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div>Bradley Rasmussenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00544785080451763556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6927283652049835307.post-57311528354356625792021-05-06T18:42:00.003-04:002021-05-06T18:42:41.172-04:00Saguenay - Round 6It's certainly been a weird year, but that didn't stop Alex and I from making our annual trip to the Saguenay Fjord for a round of ice fishing. The covid restrictions put a damper on our fishing time, so we focused on catching some fish we knew we could target reliably.<div><br /></div><div>We started the first day at Anse à Benjamin where I figured we could get our limits of Deepwater Redfish pretty quickly. The fish were small, but the action was fairly consistent so it was a good time. We fished "à palier", a technique that presents lures at large intervals along your mainline, allowing you to cover most of the water column. After a few hours of jigging, we each filled up our daily limit of 5 Redfish!</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6K0G_Op1PYLhkh0gtijC_MH8GG_h21MSbowb_rc_dQdg0zGGI7py_U0dCQ7dxr1vzc0Y9ABtwp1ZLF5sK_XrKXEsNtfO6Y2zxgXNKbRD05QVhSibaSvSZsT8L9ye6f17UmSwGGlbtwcaF/s2048/20210207_123338.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6K0G_Op1PYLhkh0gtijC_MH8GG_h21MSbowb_rc_dQdg0zGGI7py_U0dCQ7dxr1vzc0Y9ABtwp1ZLF5sK_XrKXEsNtfO6Y2zxgXNKbRD05QVhSibaSvSZsT8L9ye6f17UmSwGGlbtwcaF/w640-h480/20210207_123338.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Deepwater Redfish</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>Unfortunately, we didn't end up finding much diversity. In fact, every single fish we caught was a Deepwater Redfish. Normally we would spend the night out on the ice to maximize our fishing time, but covid curfew meant we had to stay at a hotel after 8PM. We made the best of the situation and rented a tiny log cabin.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUNFHKqdK65zGFy7fCAwxTkg0NQrDQoaothl-M0x2adTwzCQOBIX6bdTQQRnoeSMo2YoI-gu0rgYEKBH0O1bCWmrxBxT4udJAFl0Cu240Pmwk4r4Qm_b-af1FZi8z8HLEBcbkTmsMdJhdk/s2048/20210208_081757.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUNFHKqdK65zGFy7fCAwxTkg0NQrDQoaothl-M0x2adTwzCQOBIX6bdTQQRnoeSMo2YoI-gu0rgYEKBH0O1bCWmrxBxT4udJAFl0Cu240Pmwk4r4Qm_b-af1FZi8z8HLEBcbkTmsMdJhdk/w400-h300/20210208_081757.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div>The cabin was an awesome place to stay, but I was itching to get back on the ice come morning. We'd have to be leaving early in order to make it back home for curfew, so I decided the best course of action would be to do a quick session of smelt fishing. That way, I hoped we could actually get a decent amount of fish on the ice in the few hours we had.</div><div><br /></div><div>Smelt fishing in saltwater is largely dependent on the tide, and the action was slow starting out. But, we kept at it, and slowly started piling up some fish. It was never hot action by any means, but we managed about 40-50 fish to make some tasty fish tacos :)</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiO043dsSM2kecL2eYWvmoBVL6wn-NovlhwhF8Imx5UCBkYJ58Gpof2fcWJC5J_9kPzG78sqLFvc0WRcpE37-fA_jQ1fh6EdYUGy5dHQZc_XsOlp91P-v0Y2riwKyHW-R0iuX6n11PwNpy/s2048/20210208_115105.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiO043dsSM2kecL2eYWvmoBVL6wn-NovlhwhF8Imx5UCBkYJ58Gpof2fcWJC5J_9kPzG78sqLFvc0WRcpE37-fA_jQ1fh6EdYUGy5dHQZc_XsOlp91P-v0Y2riwKyHW-R0iuX6n11PwNpy/w640-h480/20210208_115105.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rainbow Smelt</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div>Bradley Rasmussenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00544785080451763556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6927283652049835307.post-48496422790308415142021-03-17T23:40:00.001-04:002021-03-18T00:13:13.895-04:00Round Whitefish Rippin'<p> Crazy times call for crazy measures? Border closures, curfews, and constantly changing restrictions have really limited the fishing opportunities here, so Alex and I made the crazy decision to drive 12 hours, fish for 8 hours, and then drive all the way back... no sleep! Well, it was worth it.</p><p>I hatched the plan when I was at work a couple weeks prior, a way to maximize our fishing time all while beating the Quebec curfew and taking all precautions to avoid contact as we travelled. Driving overnight both ways allowed us to travel a long distance without having to spend a night anywhere. The destination: Lake Superior, the target: Round Whitefish.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijY7RQQoe1jMzQL9bc2O3UtLN8PxPw2W8eyRaFk-LUldIDPl1q7F7znoOn8sBfQ-yuDcidmWWYauzsTtYHpmTOAi3la2Zu-A9l2zyTNtrmxzJL2wGLe8HRrWWzxXg0gC8cYHJwjJPmiYBp/s2048/20210315_075724.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijY7RQQoe1jMzQL9bc2O3UtLN8PxPw2W8eyRaFk-LUldIDPl1q7F7znoOn8sBfQ-yuDcidmWWYauzsTtYHpmTOAi3la2Zu-A9l2zyTNtrmxzJL2wGLe8HRrWWzxXg0gC8cYHJwjJPmiYBp/w640-h480/20210315_075724.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>We arrived just before sunrise and Alex took a quick nap before we set out to our desired fishing spot, starting the day in about 10ft of water. We fished for a few hours and saw very few fish, and certainly no Whitefish :( The highlights were a big Lake Trout Alex hooked and a monster Rainbow that slurped up my jig... but both popped off.</p><p>As the day warmed up, a nearby pressure crack started making lots of noise so we made the call to move shallower in case the ice sheet should decide to separate. We were glad we did, within hours it was wide-open water!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1WZL_GPCmGeYEEfhOk4oFkmekDRbptF-NrPBTwMc_6qNDIpoIQWoPw74587BtJx1RcJjsLxw-EyBRt3RWYP9ou3EHplh20J813dZabQKGeWpmgb6Bhzc0S9GMfNtGN8sPwHQqWtTocFnI/s2048/20210315_145140.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1WZL_GPCmGeYEEfhOk4oFkmekDRbptF-NrPBTwMc_6qNDIpoIQWoPw74587BtJx1RcJjsLxw-EyBRt3RWYP9ou3EHplh20J813dZabQKGeWpmgb6Bhzc0S9GMfNtGN8sPwHQqWtTocFnI/w640-h480/20210315_145140.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>The move also proved fruitful fish-wise. We started seeing more fish come in and pay interest to our lures. Of course, all the big fish threw the hook. I think our ultralight Whitefish setups simply didn't have the backbone to keep them pinned. Then, after disappointingly dropping yet another Lake Trout, a slim shadow of a fish darter across the bottom and picked up my jig. I set the hook and immediately noticed that this was something smaller. In fact, I was freaking out and yelling "this feels small, this feels small"! Luckily, the fish in question was my much-desired Round Whitefish :)</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCe91FCYBFmECVtpFA2fUcncTu_s_JGnQFaq6iliQMyWNvsR9q6Go5htWvuxWV0QSIM29Z58h64C2QxwMi6UXlQCdNN8ckkkpIAuhrPrykM2NmIE22dAiPKfOvfhhuGS5ahrCO5gj9czDX/s2048/20210315_123915.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCe91FCYBFmECVtpFA2fUcncTu_s_JGnQFaq6iliQMyWNvsR9q6Go5htWvuxWV0QSIM29Z58h64C2QxwMi6UXlQCdNN8ckkkpIAuhrPrykM2NmIE22dAiPKfOvfhhuGS5ahrCO5gj9czDX/w480-h640/20210315_123915.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Round Whitefish</td></tr></tbody></table><p>That makes it one more QC species checked off my list. For those who don't know, the whole reason I got into lifelisting was to catch every species in my home province; I'm now at 107/111.</p><p>The trip wasn't over yet, Alex still had two potential lifers to catch! She kept fishing hard and saw two more Whitefish move in to investigate the lures. Unfortunately, both eventually spooked before shw could hook them properly. As the sun started to near the horizon, it was time to leave and make the long drive back home.</p>Bradley Rasmussenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00544785080451763556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6927283652049835307.post-22870421097463131502021-01-12T21:22:00.000-05:002021-01-12T21:22:08.662-05:00Lake Whitefish Camp-out<p> In October of this year, Alex and I made our way out to Ontario to fish for some Lake Whitefish at a lake one of my co-workers had been telling me about all summer. We left early in the morning, picked up a canoe at Alex's sister's, and finally got to the lake around 14:00. We were late but the water conditions were perfect and we couldn't wait to get out on the water.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE25oQs1GrpTP3_JFjJQ-XByI-TIepXFqTw8S8qvxp7GAqMgtr0Gd5R2o6AO7-QfvWfSdHVxM5-4U8StHRhoJlmzwr_zqc6t-tjf6NzQbvvLMp-qpEA44m77mUgfAmZ5o6beo75LqM9Uzj/s2048/20201003_143217.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE25oQs1GrpTP3_JFjJQ-XByI-TIepXFqTw8S8qvxp7GAqMgtr0Gd5R2o6AO7-QfvWfSdHVxM5-4U8StHRhoJlmzwr_zqc6t-tjf6NzQbvvLMp-qpEA44m77mUgfAmZ5o6beo75LqM9Uzj/w640-h360/20201003_143217.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>We launched the canoe and paddled out to find our friends. I cast out a spinner to try trolling our way out, but only saw some small perch that weren't interested. We met our friends at the far end of the lake, and quickly made the decision to spend the night at an awesome campsite they found. Unfortunately, that meant paddling all the way back to the car to get our gear for the night. We did see an otter on the way though!</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLzNWY-Iu-4C7BRpBCjB2_GubgJSbji3a_SSSboNCek5j8Y3Bi_TxXQXol3kNWgmMU917hR0mF2qP82Dqv5yWT_oxZMO3e0XGRyqSzFORJxwnTDe4BZlPByEG-OiPTsviNtpJsstZvsVLt/s2048/IMG_0279.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLzNWY-Iu-4C7BRpBCjB2_GubgJSbji3a_SSSboNCek5j8Y3Bi_TxXQXol3kNWgmMU917hR0mF2qP82Dqv5yWT_oxZMO3e0XGRyqSzFORJxwnTDe4BZlPByEG-OiPTsviNtpJsstZvsVLt/w640-h426/IMG_0279.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">North American River Otter</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>After returning to the car and getting back to the campsite, it was finally time to fish! We paddled out to a fishy area and casted out some small jigs for the whitefish. The fishing was slow, we saw a couple fish surface but saw no action on the end of our lines. After about an hour, I felt a small tap but missed the hookset. The bite was so light, it could very well have been some debris on the bottom. Just in case, I cast back to the same area and began slowly dragging the jig on the bottom, and... fish on! It was a spirited fight on my ultralight setup, but I got the best of it in the end :)</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfFxMYnNId8S05VYir3syZlA5KyNf59Pptqvp9XoG7uXoZ0S7KNQxGS9QnA_HngMA-cGv8eW26IkyE8N92mI-Zutif7nDhNUMoQHdAwd0KNphTUvU2Nxb7iagEhvCFo40QMVhGykJaSqRi/s2048/20201003_170707_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfFxMYnNId8S05VYir3syZlA5KyNf59Pptqvp9XoG7uXoZ0S7KNQxGS9QnA_HngMA-cGv8eW26IkyE8N92mI-Zutif7nDhNUMoQHdAwd0KNphTUvU2Nxb7iagEhvCFo40QMVhGykJaSqRi/w640-h360/20201003_170707_HDR.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lake Whitefish</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>We fished a while longer, but that would be the only fish of the evening; the whitefish bite just wasn't happening today. We returned to the campsite, enjoyed some nice sausages and beers around the fire, and went to bed.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi71m_TpEZgILZ8LaUcxHP43ehoFeXEHBIF-vjXKsUVNv0A1zu1zthbJS2-kwa8AFY85cY3KNg39Deese7g44qb3uyBqBbFVPPpu2Zbs4x00jAuc6pJuOVsbLFAb6JYH1U5iuzTpKKKacmH/s2048/20201004_080828.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi71m_TpEZgILZ8LaUcxHP43ehoFeXEHBIF-vjXKsUVNv0A1zu1zthbJS2-kwa8AFY85cY3KNg39Deese7g44qb3uyBqBbFVPPpu2Zbs4x00jAuc6pJuOVsbLFAb6JYH1U5iuzTpKKKacmH/w640-h480/20201004_080828.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>It rained a bit overnight, but not enough to completely soak our gear. We woke up bright and early, to make time for the day's plans. We fished a bit on the way out, but didn't catch anything for our efforts. The rest of the weekend was spent exploring the backwoods looking for waterfalls, abandoned mines, and those great Canadian fall views.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8VnDD8clmOXzhmiXqZa-JIq5okOA02hHJAbuy9QGDX7e9HQOrWEEiRFIKVAqQM5xAXPwbEJ4L_DvXSH4ppfBSZzfOXdFFPP2Av2h8EqjI1WovwooypWB_7ROImX0oFCFm5Nk0LaiyG4d4/s2048/20201004_145001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8VnDD8clmOXzhmiXqZa-JIq5okOA02hHJAbuy9QGDX7e9HQOrWEEiRFIKVAqQM5xAXPwbEJ4L_DvXSH4ppfBSZzfOXdFFPP2Av2h8EqjI1WovwooypWB_7ROImX0oFCFm5Nk0LaiyG4d4/w640-h480/20201004_145001.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKfecTWIXHN_bxvmTD0ZEZrwcc822SnYATaItCBu7E22RNzcBGrZRRPu2ujRTYKFMH2DbUDG7Iwuu-QCuoNesRkAekub-6WtRSw0KZZY6AU2DlBHuYMpRN53AXUSjenv6eATX8ufDzkRML/s2048/20201004_102356.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKfecTWIXHN_bxvmTD0ZEZrwcc822SnYATaItCBu7E22RNzcBGrZRRPu2ujRTYKFMH2DbUDG7Iwuu-QCuoNesRkAekub-6WtRSw0KZZY6AU2DlBHuYMpRN53AXUSjenv6eATX8ufDzkRML/w640-h480/20201004_102356.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEy6V-0Q0-jOBZIpacaraM3Ss_ouCWvC59q87i5QIlDhdwsOfYNsQnQv0AO9fA5ImnQnsqDs0YXT9YIiCKVbZ9MaWrMmir7cEuWEQ_y1ZZzU8V2XquXAl-jZtEfgxUH4PRlOPl060yguSo/s2048/20201004_125410.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEy6V-0Q0-jOBZIpacaraM3Ss_ouCWvC59q87i5QIlDhdwsOfYNsQnQv0AO9fA5ImnQnsqDs0YXT9YIiCKVbZ9MaWrMmir7cEuWEQ_y1ZZzU8V2XquXAl-jZtEfgxUH4PRlOPl060yguSo/w640-h480/20201004_125410.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Bradley Rasmussenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00544785080451763556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6927283652049835307.post-2754188097477202412021-01-11T20:56:00.001-05:002021-01-11T20:56:11.957-05:00Cross-Canada: The Long Way Home<p> It was now time to head back home. Of course, we had to break up the long drive with a couple of stops. The first of which was fishing session on the Fraser River, to try and knock off a couple new species. This was a huge system and I soon realized I was severely under-gunned. The current ripped my 4oz sinker downstream in seconds and I could tell by the size of the fish jumping that I would never be able to land a big one.</p><p>The biggest fish we saw were, of course, White Sturgeon. As cool as it would have been to catch one, it wasn't meant to be on this trip. Just seeing them jump was cool enough!</p><p>It wasn't all bad though, there were smaller species to be had and I soon started pulling in smallish Northern Pikeminnow that were hanging out near shore. Soon, between all the pikeminnow, I pulled in something that looked slightly different! I noticed the bump on it's snout and realized this had to be a Peamouth, another new one!</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUg7WiT1A9YxsMMeASMwSfobsRcpoFr8iKv1PxjNuZ48n9QkFBso1Eg7hl_B1uTUsPcs20AVhybkcG7zOaJDfNN53eihRliBiugScX0Mu9MAOvRkK4H7RtxGtdGv1UQrjO6j-yMqzAHksn/s2048/Peamouth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUg7WiT1A9YxsMMeASMwSfobsRcpoFr8iKv1PxjNuZ48n9QkFBso1Eg7hl_B1uTUsPcs20AVhybkcG7zOaJDfNN53eihRliBiugScX0Mu9MAOvRkK4H7RtxGtdGv1UQrjO6j-yMqzAHksn/w640-h480/Peamouth.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peamouth</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>I took some pictures of the new species and released it on its way. I quickly cast my bait back out and managed to catch several more, amongst an equal amount of pikeminnow. However, on one cast, I got extremely lucky and somehow hooked a micro on my conventional tackle. Superficially, it looked like a Longnose Dace, but I could tell something was off. I sent the photo off to a few friends, who told me this was in fact a Leopard Dace! A relatively rare species endemic to the west coat :)</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUJ76KDofzlnwbZtmroV4GQtHCcKtFHDZaFcNvD4h5foQB4ggFh7h3epXM9H9Iuj_r1ZNfirMkvA9m_Wz6COU8y0vk1wFjiObRZgLGHHU-Jn1WZmd6V-SvP-kieG0vSKcwA30ToCkGboKu/s2048/Leopard+Dace.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUJ76KDofzlnwbZtmroV4GQtHCcKtFHDZaFcNvD4h5foQB4ggFh7h3epXM9H9Iuj_r1ZNfirMkvA9m_Wz6COU8y0vk1wFjiObRZgLGHHU-Jn1WZmd6V-SvP-kieG0vSKcwA30ToCkGboKu/w640-h480/Leopard+Dace.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leopard Dace</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>I fished a while longer but the sturgies never showed up, it was time to move on and we still had a couple stops left out in the prairies. After a scenic drive back through the mountains, we found ourselves in the middle of nowhere in central Alberta.</p><p>We pulled up to an unassuming pond in the farmlands, with polluted water, an algae slick, and all. But, I could see some fish milling about in the shallows. This reservoir was stocked with giant Tiger and Rainbow Trout, but I obviously wasn't here for those. The fish I really wanted were Prussian Carp, an invasive species that has been ravaging the prairie ecosystems in Canada.</p><p>Catching one was pretty well instantaneous, and well, that was that. I tried to catch a bigger specimen but only the little ones seemed interested. Maybe I could have stayed longer, but we wanted to make some good driving time. Anyway, here's the photo:</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHDCoUBhrgACunvj8YSkhQ1QsBVB4alzUPADvrLhP2qx16NpUmH-ebYcjfEvdmhtF076Zzbh5lp8yS5zb3EDaikgB9j1bx1FTZpT5vP-4MaSuKSVPjJ2dYHxiZqwPrN2O3UEFTiey0V3mY/s2048/Prussian+Carp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHDCoUBhrgACunvj8YSkhQ1QsBVB4alzUPADvrLhP2qx16NpUmH-ebYcjfEvdmhtF076Zzbh5lp8yS5zb3EDaikgB9j1bx1FTZpT5vP-4MaSuKSVPjJ2dYHxiZqwPrN2O3UEFTiey0V3mY/w640-h480/Prussian+Carp.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Prussian Carp</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Next, we headed south to the town of Medicine Hat to fish with Adam, another angler I met online. He had been catching lots of Flathead Chub in the spring, a species I haven't been able to catch yet. As it turns out, it would stay that way... no chubs for me!</p><p>Adam did give me a spot in Manitoba though, for Black Bullhead! It was only a short eight hour drive until we got there (JK, it took until the next day haha), but we did make it eventually. Excitedly, we rigged up and baited a line, and I dropped down under the dock. I waited a few minutes but nothing seemed to be biting so I re-cast into the middle of the river. It didn't take long before I got a bite and reeled in my target! Shortly after, Alex got one too :)</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh374mygjZrb5WwgZ-XvrT6XdSivQKtBBA0q-dGwkcPb-DxA01pEichdy3cgq0KwrYt6zIfMMi0AH4jQJ-0gsQOt-CpE4M5j_5F2hZiSwKrah3pZpnZODoYnqT_qBKCERvSEcKWhd8j0EbQ/s2048/Black+Bullhead.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1537" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh374mygjZrb5WwgZ-XvrT6XdSivQKtBBA0q-dGwkcPb-DxA01pEichdy3cgq0KwrYt6zIfMMi0AH4jQJ-0gsQOt-CpE4M5j_5F2hZiSwKrah3pZpnZODoYnqT_qBKCERvSEcKWhd8j0EbQ/w640-h480/Black+Bullhead.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Black Bullhead</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>And, just like that, we had caught the final lifer of the trip. We would try a few more spots on the way home in Ontario, but to no avail, so here's a final picture of the long way home:</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjScDgrYHRkw094DuZSNHreMY3Bl23TQvT_WhzP9ettw55ONn12Dqr8UExcSiUz6F9JiM81wDJEW3Hz4F5weB39xMu6SIEZERMBqCItW3fUI_RdbKxPCOrpYUBT1u58aZ4u6e7lLWqapoFO/s2048/20200828_095425.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjScDgrYHRkw094DuZSNHreMY3Bl23TQvT_WhzP9ettw55ONn12Dqr8UExcSiUz6F9JiM81wDJEW3Hz4F5weB39xMu6SIEZERMBqCItW3fUI_RdbKxPCOrpYUBT1u58aZ4u6e7lLWqapoFO/w640-h480/20200828_095425.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trans-Canada Highway</td></tr></tbody></table>Bradley Rasmussenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00544785080451763556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6927283652049835307.post-85788507329174516512021-01-10T23:37:00.000-05:002021-01-10T23:37:38.456-05:00Cross-Canada: Coastal Lowlands<p>Last time we left off, Alex and I had successfully made our way across the country and ended up at the Pacific ocean in Vancouver. We made it to the city a bit ahead of schedule, and had a bonus afternoon to work with. Not quite sure where to go, we chose the closest pier and figured it might be worth a shot.</p><p>The first thing I noticed was a mass of thousands and thousands of small dark fish swimming around the base of the pier. I whipped out my tenkara pole and got to fishing the tanago rig, keeping my bait within the school. There were literally thousands of fish but all of them just ignored the bait. I kept at it a while longer, and eventually my perseverance paid off... my lifer Northern Anchovy!</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZQs6JufEdIoqTEKiUAy_mmCcNaSm8wqMlfOGYSZzfT8-4LD617RG5jS6Yf8V5DvWIXB4BiyJLA3I26YLbPYukHIAkgaZ6FniC_p3Rg8obHtEMMwxzWEkUHu_7caRPtTyfzjeSfQ8mlhKM/s2048/Northern+Anchovy.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZQs6JufEdIoqTEKiUAy_mmCcNaSm8wqMlfOGYSZzfT8-4LD617RG5jS6Yf8V5DvWIXB4BiyJLA3I26YLbPYukHIAkgaZ6FniC_p3Rg8obHtEMMwxzWEkUHu_7caRPtTyfzjeSfQ8mlhKM/w400-h300/Northern+Anchovy.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Northern Anchovy</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Not the most exciting fish, but apparently they're usually pretty unwilling to take a bait so no complaints here! But, having caught one of the anchovies, I switched gears started using my ultralight rig with a sz12 hook, tipped with a small chunk of squid. The fishing was rather slow compared to other saltwater fishing I've done, but eventually I realized there were fish that would only hit an actively moving bait. I started jigging and bites started coming! Unfortunately, they were all juvenile Coho Salmon, and needed to be quickly released to avoid injuring them.</p><p>I did manage to catch two new species between all the salmon though. The first was a Shiner Surfperch, caught while it was feeding right against the nearest pilon. The second was a Pacific Herring; a school passed through for a brief moment and I managed to capitalize along with nearly every fisherman on the pier.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz2vgI_KH1c4BTTT0pg62wUHOgB6Lcdx690C69XRkhkyiHs3-dF7Y4shjD0REprruEQwDtKyOuM2u9ZxqQLvyV_PPC2l1mRRUlJzp-RRthDE8L0PdHTntu03k_8qYpl0SMtW9HIaY_5D0h/s2048/Shiner+Perch.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz2vgI_KH1c4BTTT0pg62wUHOgB6Lcdx690C69XRkhkyiHs3-dF7Y4shjD0REprruEQwDtKyOuM2u9ZxqQLvyV_PPC2l1mRRUlJzp-RRthDE8L0PdHTntu03k_8qYpl0SMtW9HIaY_5D0h/s320/Shiner+Perch.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shiner Surfperch</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrQ1Xu5Np7aSSvv-FSkaWuyF6GE2ueHFmSfmcV2UW9bbcsHN010yGiKR8J8GyI_wX0Mg71q0FabOjVRPV9J00TndsiqJEihZmhmiqpLPViFR-MUMSzwvaBgh6G7oNBax68fN5uBUqoseqm/s2048/Pacific+Herring.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrQ1Xu5Np7aSSvv-FSkaWuyF6GE2ueHFmSfmcV2UW9bbcsHN010yGiKR8J8GyI_wX0Mg71q0FabOjVRPV9J00TndsiqJEihZmhmiqpLPViFR-MUMSzwvaBgh6G7oNBax68fN5uBUqoseqm/s320/Pacific+Herring.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pacific Herring</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>Eventually, the herring action slowed and I took the time to message some local fishermen I had been talking to online. I told them about my success at the pier and one of them said I should be able to land a Speckled Sanddab in the area if I dragged a small enough bait along the bottom. We still had some time to spare, so I gave it a try. It took a little while, but eventually I felt a small bite and lifted up the desired species :)</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ4haqmoirU4NObRGc1ZmfxT7yv81TmxX-kJoiLyjLjykz-u4puGXy93Wm774DY98x2_zV_u1mVHIoInZ-rZPsFnGzz-4eDxPq72wFKBRDb4HFHYPXzwPfXBHbH29NoLOy7snkdJ3YrBuI/s2048/Speckled+Sanddab.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ4haqmoirU4NObRGc1ZmfxT7yv81TmxX-kJoiLyjLjykz-u4puGXy93Wm774DY98x2_zV_u1mVHIoInZ-rZPsFnGzz-4eDxPq72wFKBRDb4HFHYPXzwPfXBHbH29NoLOy7snkdJ3YrBuI/w640-h480/Speckled+Sanddab.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Speckled Sanddab</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>Having exhausted the species available at the pier, we packed up our gear and enjoyed a nice coleman-grilled steak dinner on the beach. The plans for later in the evening were what I was really waiting for. We were going to be shark fishing with the lifelisters I mentioned above, right in downtown Vancouver!</div><div><br /></div><div>We packed up our cooking gear, drove over to the shark spot, and found parking in the busy downtown area. My new friends were running a bit late so they told me to bait up and take a cast while I was waiting for them. I didn't expect much, but, five minutes later, my rod doubled over and it was fish on! About a minute into the fight, our second rod started going off and Alex was forced to leave me alone to fight her fish. These were proper fish (compared to the ones above lol), and it took a little bit to fight them in. Our next obstacle was the seawall and fence we were fishing off of, there was no way to get to the fish. On top of all this, we had amassed quite a crowd of spectators, and it wouldn't be easy to land both fish. I handed my rod to Alex, who was now holding a rod hooked to a shark in each hand, and hopped over the fence to land each fish. Incredibly, it all went smoothly and we both got pictures with our first Pacific Spiny Dogfish!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3tSdc4aINfYqwnAnMA_uompktpn44BN1tYdrPtVu_GJEVFl3QMh9IMN5OsKLyAXV8E6XnrfMqAupXbDAWFaqHh4eSMeCKW37rz9Pu_wL-zGP9ypPH78nnmKY6Ytjbp6P_pEXbCBNsw3Fb/s2569/Pacific+Spiny+Dogfish.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1224" data-original-width="2569" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3tSdc4aINfYqwnAnMA_uompktpn44BN1tYdrPtVu_GJEVFl3QMh9IMN5OsKLyAXV8E6XnrfMqAupXbDAWFaqHh4eSMeCKW37rz9Pu_wL-zGP9ypPH78nnmKY6Ytjbp6P_pEXbCBNsw3Fb/w640-h304/Pacific+Spiny+Dogfish.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXhIApmzE7yrk0qFIp2-odXGXPMkmQHweCmzifTZxgjA3xE_0vS_SRp64MnHrcAWpPIitqtThr_so5xDMMFGDY58QPjpk4IIDxECKa9-AKuYJCVCFNFcdjhRvWbU5zUmwngbQrPHVRvt0N/s2048/20200821_194246.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXhIApmzE7yrk0qFIp2-odXGXPMkmQHweCmzifTZxgjA3xE_0vS_SRp64MnHrcAWpPIitqtThr_so5xDMMFGDY58QPjpk4IIDxECKa9-AKuYJCVCFNFcdjhRvWbU5zUmwngbQrPHVRvt0N/w640-h480/20200821_194246.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div>Our friends showed up after we had released both our fish, and we spent the rest of the evening with relatively few bites. If I remember correctly, we collectively caught one more dogfish and a sea cucumber.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDH9zmNbqXb1iV4Q8camYFBcgsqKbz8Jy1GdEvmLbiGwgkLvf0EVGvbsQPzabCapya5ayyHBE5G9j6Tr980REKoyfMh55gMl0iWUqb_juhYmV8dLiga8D2WyBMtNUKxOeoOf2qKzue-VHA/s1024/large.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="488" data-original-width="1024" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDH9zmNbqXb1iV4Q8camYFBcgsqKbz8Jy1GdEvmLbiGwgkLvf0EVGvbsQPzabCapya5ayyHBE5G9j6Tr980REKoyfMh55gMl0iWUqb_juhYmV8dLiga8D2WyBMtNUKxOeoOf2qKzue-VHA/w400-h190/large.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Giant California Sea Cucumber</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>Ending the night, we said goodbye to everyone and headed away from the city to try and find a free campsite for the night.</div><div><br /></div><div>The next day started bright and early because it was Saturday and I knew our first destination would get busy fast. We arrived at the lake right when the access opened at 8:00, and it was already lined up! We didn't let this ruin our optimism and quickly made our way onto the dock to claim a small area to ourselves.</div><div><br /></div><div>If you didn't already know, I'm a lot more into freshwater fishing than I am into marine species, so I was happy to be back in my element. There were a number of new species I could catch here, chief among them being the Largescale Sucker. I didn't see any suckers around, but there were a lot of small minnows that bit readily and turned out to be small Northern Pikeminnow (lifer for Alex), and Redside Shiner (lifer for me!).</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQdcWkfqnNgJahgqEqYotmCLyhMgdraf9JpfHNx_R3wu8YI8KTiPWO3SOnmsEm8pb9N_s6eKehv0xLe6joSzjoq5MQj5iJjSL7jjpgLjg6z3Jz2-0QhTXDX0EvZqprvx12R8fUS0wrOQcj/s2048/20200822_091000.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQdcWkfqnNgJahgqEqYotmCLyhMgdraf9JpfHNx_R3wu8YI8KTiPWO3SOnmsEm8pb9N_s6eKehv0xLe6joSzjoq5MQj5iJjSL7jjpgLjg6z3Jz2-0QhTXDX0EvZqprvx12R8fUS0wrOQcj/s320/20200822_091000.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Northern Pikeminnow</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjegGKCOIh4QkR51FdOo0TlJBRYGFki2YEk8VKCtDUAwyWxt_nXEIJyrGuzXG6rDwQIbcsYu1gIz_NrpNIih0hH9fFrEG9HeLZkacVzSyH8VcBDRvYjLvaEpDfLXY-3X2abuib67aKdccM7/s2048/Redside+Shiner.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjegGKCOIh4QkR51FdOo0TlJBRYGFki2YEk8VKCtDUAwyWxt_nXEIJyrGuzXG6rDwQIbcsYu1gIz_NrpNIih0hH9fFrEG9HeLZkacVzSyH8VcBDRvYjLvaEpDfLXY-3X2abuib67aKdccM7/s320/Redside+Shiner.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Redside Shiner</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>There were also some Threespine Stickleback in the shallower part of the lake, so I took the opportunity to take this scenic photo of one the little beasts:</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ5-FuNUH52IRz9qTZqD4M_I_GMkreuwHi8wplxgiJBlTkzJIvSE9unK5SQTWvzLWJ-wa8GfFJ6ANSvI1uaITkByhZsImT7XpT6CgEf2_Vvt6oeX9obU0haiiKp5j067m4N2DysYXU0bS5/s2048/20200822_091248.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ5-FuNUH52IRz9qTZqD4M_I_GMkreuwHi8wplxgiJBlTkzJIvSE9unK5SQTWvzLWJ-wa8GfFJ6ANSvI1uaITkByhZsImT7XpT6CgEf2_Vvt6oeX9obU0haiiKp5j067m4N2DysYXU0bS5/w400-h300/20200822_091248.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Threespine Stickleback</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>Eventually, I had found all of my targets except for the sucker I wanted so badly. The water was very clear so I could see that there were none around. I scanned and scanned the bottom, and finally saw one after an hour of searching! Aaannddd... it spooked right away.</div><div><br /></div><div>Luckily, it didn't go too far and I was able to keep track of it while I re-baited my hook. I placed a cast about three feet from it's snout, and it immediately swam over and took the bait! I fought it back to the dock and nervously swung it onto land, lifer caught!!</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdG9rMVp7G8xLNXekrpDhCkKBtsKlR7SeFwRRQmt2Z86wpnkqZIiBT45OPm0QRAjQeti99d2wtfcfrrXpkTr0V8j0EtVRkhN_QH_Dmf7Ph8NmU2h7W3Mp3M-tLQSwTjBlpxrPoOWKPfSA9/s2048/Largescale+Sucker.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdG9rMVp7G8xLNXekrpDhCkKBtsKlR7SeFwRRQmt2Z86wpnkqZIiBT45OPm0QRAjQeti99d2wtfcfrrXpkTr0V8j0EtVRkhN_QH_Dmf7Ph8NmU2h7W3Mp3M-tLQSwTjBlpxrPoOWKPfSA9/w640-h480/Largescale+Sucker.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Largescale Sucker</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>Catching the sucker took a little more time than expected so we were off as soon as the fish was properly released. It was time to head back to saltwater.</div><div><br /></div><div>This next spot was our last stop before taking the ferry to Vancouver Island. It was supposed to be one of the more diverse fisheries in BC, but I must be lacking some skill because I only ended up catch one new species, a Pacific Staghorn Sculpin. I'll also tag on a Tidepool Sculpin I caught the next day in Victoria, just because.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgecm4aDo0v043_reTzV5cNGfIWSIVuaFz1sXhlvMAW4uOBYsSi-9MxRoYY3wNoJHpV6T55iUE_4IYyR56BMMB_wyI_GzVXjGP6h10lDEbjnYuYkUh1S5UJwwgS0SuwjgJ_x_O70y4iIiGa/s2048/Pacific+Staghorn+Sculpin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgecm4aDo0v043_reTzV5cNGfIWSIVuaFz1sXhlvMAW4uOBYsSi-9MxRoYY3wNoJHpV6T55iUE_4IYyR56BMMB_wyI_GzVXjGP6h10lDEbjnYuYkUh1S5UJwwgS0SuwjgJ_x_O70y4iIiGa/s320/Pacific+Staghorn+Sculpin.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pacific Staghorn Sculpin</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgnlCSXbLBV3jg4vE-1JOqDk166EB30ikNJvLgSqX3h4NeJx8NR0F_lxONdHPew84gyH41yKh9e6wFcp3MA2OREhevOKcYWtZXH-oe8DC0uAz3o-XFTzPWWMExEAHGCILQqsnKaLKEovr8/s2048/Tidepool+Sculpin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgnlCSXbLBV3jg4vE-1JOqDk166EB30ikNJvLgSqX3h4NeJx8NR0F_lxONdHPew84gyH41yKh9e6wFcp3MA2OREhevOKcYWtZXH-oe8DC0uAz3o-XFTzPWWMExEAHGCILQqsnKaLKEovr8/s320/Tidepool+Sculpin.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tidepool Sculpin</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>The scenery on Vancouver Island was spectacular, but the fishing was less so. Most of the spots I wanted to try were overcrowded and the only catch of note was the Tidepool Sculpin in the photo above. I'll end off this post with a few scenery shots taken on the island, and finish the trip in the next one :)</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFOfDdfIfZ9-JaAJg3cKlmqo5kiF64rkskwRAt-1Te1WP1OWhGrauaGSGbSeMgwWLSM_Y-XewAbww7p-q4s9DEEh0jPRdH5EU03YUtnxYAmM3kQDYm7pc5Eh6WAIXLk4rPw9fAI1RKvJSk/s2048/20200823_143437.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFOfDdfIfZ9-JaAJg3cKlmqo5kiF64rkskwRAt-1Te1WP1OWhGrauaGSGbSeMgwWLSM_Y-XewAbww7p-q4s9DEEh0jPRdH5EU03YUtnxYAmM3kQDYm7pc5Eh6WAIXLk4rPw9fAI1RKvJSk/w640-h480/20200823_143437.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">East Sooke Regional Park</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5AfFXmCHbUhhMOdyZwXL3VQZp-OfUfmud7rJ75f_dPmcTxA2iUAJTADiQzaEL6ZqCtCBOo9SNrpONeyo7NbZv-7VuSDTvG8-QuIT_8U1GTUenrBzyvs24WD_diMDk0pcTsRtQP5tbLXuO/s2048/20200824_090012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5AfFXmCHbUhhMOdyZwXL3VQZp-OfUfmud7rJ75f_dPmcTxA2iUAJTADiQzaEL6ZqCtCBOo9SNrpONeyo7NbZv-7VuSDTvG8-QuIT_8U1GTUenrBzyvs24WD_diMDk0pcTsRtQP5tbLXuO/w640-h480/20200824_090012.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rainforest Walk</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZUtkm-NSG31KeI0G-M4Chn_FmUhv-J7K4eDs_2ZKn9x8pehs5ZCpXnuHhyphenhyphenV7JbvBiVARgDqmhU3T3m-CC8BBpvWwFAAtTGOK6yL-dnoT_PG6h7F6RVrNJR-kZ0dPc3D_BSZwjJoeKxn13/s2048/IMG_0195.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZUtkm-NSG31KeI0G-M4Chn_FmUhv-J7K4eDs_2ZKn9x8pehs5ZCpXnuHhyphenhyphenV7JbvBiVARgDqmhU3T3m-CC8BBpvWwFAAtTGOK6yL-dnoT_PG6h7F6RVrNJR-kZ0dPc3D_BSZwjJoeKxn13/w426-h640/IMG_0195.JPG" width="426" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Little Qualicum Falls</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div>Bradley Rasmussenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00544785080451763556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6927283652049835307.post-69740911908446055742021-01-05T23:00:00.002-05:002021-01-05T23:00:36.245-05:00Cross-Canada: Into the Badlands and Across the MountainsThe Covid pandemic has pretty much shut down travelling worldwide so many travellers have been stuck in their home countries for most of 2020. Alex and I decided to make the best of the situation (and of our summer), by taking a second road trip across Canada. This trip would allow us to knock off some species we missed last time and explore some of the less touristy parts of the West.<div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixil9YxvUh0Wb_Q_y81YZDTdrxQqab_JNlENdDdsZbzrIpMGGsE2JGNO47bM6BGpxdMjagfWlxLlEPZ5oc7FfceCgNqiJdtbZmngNnYKIEbWBnRegeNMnkyJmLfjZzRpiYRncWjLC9-lYv/s2048/20200816_162507.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixil9YxvUh0Wb_Q_y81YZDTdrxQqab_JNlENdDdsZbzrIpMGGsE2JGNO47bM6BGpxdMjagfWlxLlEPZ5oc7FfceCgNqiJdtbZmngNnYKIEbWBnRegeNMnkyJmLfjZzRpiYRncWjLC9-lYv/w640-h480/20200816_162507.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saskatchewan Scenery</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br />The first portion of the trip was pretty much gunning it across the prairies to the city of Lethbridge in southern Alberta; we made it in two days. There were sampling reports of Spoonhead Sculpin in the irrigation canals around the city and I knew there were some populations of sterile Grass Carp in two urban ponds. But... we failed on both fronts :(</div><div><br /></div><div>The Spoonhead Sculpin were nowhere to be seen, I bounced around several spots any never saw any sculpin at all :( However, our Grass Carp efforts proved slightly more fruitful. I finally saw some in the second pond and actually got two to bite! Unfortunately, both got off after screaming runs and that was as close as I'd get. At least we saw some!</div><div><br /></div><div>The whole time we were in Lethbridge, the Rockies were on the horizon beckoning us closer. It was only noon of the second day when we decided to continue west into the mountains. Our destination was Castle Mountain Provincial Park, the newest park in Alberta and one of the least visited. Access was free and there was even organized free camping!</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEino0mFqssovML3OQYwQdWhq6ICP0PJCBp92X8vZSS9RDMj32cLgT6BMiX9su8JC_-R-jU6mFCbVNqR6bbjphZ-faEF-sMAcIRjr6z1TGDl6VMHR7MqdaGBQ5Hg4Rg5plts3mxJyCtV7-8w/s2048/20200817_175134.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEino0mFqssovML3OQYwQdWhq6ICP0PJCBp92X8vZSS9RDMj32cLgT6BMiX9su8JC_-R-jU6mFCbVNqR6bbjphZ-faEF-sMAcIRjr6z1TGDl6VMHR7MqdaGBQ5Hg4Rg5plts3mxJyCtV7-8w/w640-h480/20200817_175134.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Castle Mountain Provincial Park</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br />The park didn't have the world-famous views of Jasper or Banff, but was beautiful in it's own, unique way. The mountains here seemed to support far more greenery, and the streams much clearer and full of life.</div><div><br /></div><div>At this point, we were far enough ahead of schedule that I knew I could squeeze in some bonus fishing time. We scouted out the trailhead for the next day's hike and fished the river we'd have to cross in the morning. I mistakenly left my waders in the car but I toughed out the freezing alpine waters and waded my way down to some nice pools. I had been casting a small Mepps spinner when I finally saw a trout follow the lure out of an especially deep pool. It didn't strike but I casted again and it hit right away, my lifer Cutthroat Trout!</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4jEUWc4W13v5U6mFLqU19vk6rbOwBysfq7JehVfz6QLVGhh7-lwr_yLMswVvh7j8qHzvokjl2WadPbPaAbjiOs0eiQSlKOtbQGJUwChPrKdSLZ-lC2jZ86_MJUTRW38r2g_mchweoV3cJ/s2048/Cutthroat+Trout.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4jEUWc4W13v5U6mFLqU19vk6rbOwBysfq7JehVfz6QLVGhh7-lwr_yLMswVvh7j8qHzvokjl2WadPbPaAbjiOs0eiQSlKOtbQGJUwChPrKdSLZ-lC2jZ86_MJUTRW38r2g_mchweoV3cJ/w640-h480/Cutthroat+Trout.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cutthroat Trout</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br />It wasn't huge, but a beautiful fish nonetheless. Cutthroat Trout are actually one of the fish listed on the Quebec list of freshwater fishes found within the province. They were introduced into a few rivers in the early 70's, and were caught occasionally over the next couple decades, but seem to have disappeared during my lifetime. I haven't totally given up on catching one near home yet, but it was definitely nice to catch this one!</div><div><br /></div><div>Spurred on by my success, Alex braved the frigid waters and started casting a spinner of her own. It didn't take too long before she had her lifer Cutty as well :) We ended the night at our awesome campsite right by the river shortly after.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGODwxLWSX3GlOrCyVTwRn08H7JsGGnHzbNjdi5CMGLuYNI9OmgG9IrY9e5440cCRcuNFVYMtTQaO0hN7hTUg4ygXOwWOQHmlZC9Xucn-z3ju067FU-nVglKVi1E3ICK17mjj_mfPwc9rB/s2048/20200817_185748.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGODwxLWSX3GlOrCyVTwRn08H7JsGGnHzbNjdi5CMGLuYNI9OmgG9IrY9e5440cCRcuNFVYMtTQaO0hN7hTUg4ygXOwWOQHmlZC9Xucn-z3ju067FU-nVglKVi1E3ICK17mjj_mfPwc9rB/w400-h300/20200817_185748.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The next day involved a big hike up to a set of alpine lakes supposed to hold Golden Trout. The trail was less maintained than we were used to seeing in provincial parks, and we loved it! The hike started with a stream crossing, before heading through the woods and then starting a steep climb up a barren mountainside. The view was awesome but unfortunately the fishing wasn't so great. I only saw one fish the whole time and it was way too small for any of my lures. There are a couple of other Golden Trout lakes in AB I'll have to try next time :)</div><div><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIr1hsBh3lCMgWdSImKi9AuLYSVY1MrtO8mm4tZR0_wgsqKqQIRyKKNLxHwhQMS5W25eESvLoZ0Ci8gvWzl5l6IKKIkl7-Hp1xZQUNrjn4oS2EJb9Yg9pc1P4kZi73zQYpwUhKouEzGdDv/s2048/20200818_142433.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIr1hsBh3lCMgWdSImKi9AuLYSVY1MrtO8mm4tZR0_wgsqKqQIRyKKNLxHwhQMS5W25eESvLoZ0Ci8gvWzl5l6IKKIkl7-Hp1xZQUNrjn4oS2EJb9Yg9pc1P4kZi73zQYpwUhKouEzGdDv/s320/20200818_142433.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHNq0xEZ2ARdfdgmas56pNSnwA9Qq94QfXRfYjWSo9xU_dpESwfCfhLligCUeqORdejlwb1FyoET1Yk5Ko4qiHfG4jgcGyCsZMSzDQzknl2iACtVGUeGhSJkJF95yyjO0hlLUamDyrMFgy/s2048/20200818_115709.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHNq0xEZ2ARdfdgmas56pNSnwA9Qq94QfXRfYjWSo9xU_dpESwfCfhLligCUeqORdejlwb1FyoET1Yk5Ko4qiHfG4jgcGyCsZMSzDQzknl2iACtVGUeGhSJkJF95yyjO0hlLUamDyrMFgy/s320/20200818_115709.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>From there, we headed north out of the park on the forestry trunk road through more parts of the Rockies that most tourists never get to see. This was all crown land and beautiful free camping spots were abound. The road was a little washboard-y, but it was all worth it to have a spot by the river all to ourselves :)</div><div><br /></div><div>The next fishing adventure happened in Kananaskis Provincial Park, or "K-country". I had heard of an accidentally introduced population of Dolly Varden coexisting with the native Cutthroat Trout in one of the alpine lakes. They were originally identified and treated as Arctic Char, but then they discovered they were in fact Dollies. We were treated with a relatively easy hike up to the lake, and some impressive views:</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3_BHKkUzDg4d82E3XzEsnb3Nw5pL083HNAQ8Oc4DGdvMfQ4fqqfMx1q9i_4Bk8QZRs_iNfS2mjOEQsr4yAqCDKkxiGdGCk1VONxilt8pVLQ930l-ClWAa0vo6V9q59rKMbuGfsl9BrjAr/s2048/20200819_103144.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3_BHKkUzDg4d82E3XzEsnb3Nw5pL083HNAQ8Oc4DGdvMfQ4fqqfMx1q9i_4Bk8QZRs_iNfS2mjOEQsr4yAqCDKkxiGdGCk1VONxilt8pVLQ930l-ClWAa0vo6V9q59rKMbuGfsl9BrjAr/w640-h480/20200819_103144.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">K-country</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br />Finally, it was time to fish! I rigged up a small panfish tube and started fishing a shallow portion of the lake where it drains into a small tributary. I quickly noticed a small Char swimming in the shallows... my target! I couldn't get it to commit but seeing one was enough encouragement to keep me fishing. I slowly worked my way around the lake. As soon as I got to slightly deeper water, the Cutthroat Trout started hitting. It was some of the best fishing I've experienced; beautiful wild trout every few casts!</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSVlexGtD5frOO3vrR3DcpApSi3r0CNx_2mlwPR2e0zwenZ-3pTnGPca3xfqjkcSFprUHuwUW-zJThkTGoZBLAE2jnylaZyKKzu677zWZBfvVrVstqOPwRp8B1jQ-EdSyl5KeubSQJSU5c/s2048/20200819_111531.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSVlexGtD5frOO3vrR3DcpApSi3r0CNx_2mlwPR2e0zwenZ-3pTnGPca3xfqjkcSFprUHuwUW-zJThkTGoZBLAE2jnylaZyKKzu677zWZBfvVrVstqOPwRp8B1jQ-EdSyl5KeubSQJSU5c/w640-h480/20200819_111531.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cutthroat Trout<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br />Eventually, the grassy shoreline turned into loose scree and I got access to even deeper water. I tossed my lure into a deeper portion and got a hit on the fall. I figured I had yet another cutty, but this time the fish fought differently. It pulled hard and steady, without any of the rolling I experienced from the other trout. I got nervous when I saw the white leading edges on its fins... it had to be a Char! Thankfully, I landed it successfully and got to take a couple photos of my new lifer before letting it swim away.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfhK8myLPBgIrMqg9BkKRLlDTduWlZB9wsVq9HNsCOg-mTktYMezN5EzR3P4J-Ag8Q-HFUIJaTSLU3WIKRpPZhhAMarnKURXRdCWI2WIqd1oYmWLJjkJQmPbPV5HlwmEeofXW_U4DSyDEY/s2048/Dolly+Varden.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfhK8myLPBgIrMqg9BkKRLlDTduWlZB9wsVq9HNsCOg-mTktYMezN5EzR3P4J-Ag8Q-HFUIJaTSLU3WIKRpPZhhAMarnKURXRdCWI2WIqd1oYmWLJjkJQmPbPV5HlwmEeofXW_U4DSyDEY/w640-h480/Dolly+Varden.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dolly Varden</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br />Having caught my target, I handed the rod over to Alex so she could have a shot. Believe it or not, she got her Dolly on the very first cast!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5SxfOVBU-1pJKYEjFvrHY4NGhxDI2znV3vd6tzFRZmdRLL6PlIUxEezXipgvCRN3zlZhinff6b5MsIFYLgql8SwLe89liBfIetpauDj9hyphenhyphenlJ-vuxox2tdpJuci7V_SudH50gJIPxPzToE/s2048/20200819_114144.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5SxfOVBU-1pJKYEjFvrHY4NGhxDI2znV3vd6tzFRZmdRLL6PlIUxEezXipgvCRN3zlZhinff6b5MsIFYLgql8SwLe89liBfIetpauDj9hyphenhyphenlJ-vuxox2tdpJuci7V_SudH50gJIPxPzToE/w640-h480/20200819_114144.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div>The next portion of the trip involved a lot more beautiful mountain scenery but considerably less fishing. We skipped over the national parks, having explored them on our last trip, and focused on some new stops along the Coquihalla highway as we made our way down to Kamloops. I'll spare you the details to keep things fishing-focused here.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBYaS0gIk5aoocZpPFrEs4NAoNxvPQe9xQZSaDe6ea5Twykxm3jncwnn1W4-crzdBfLh6SL2j4iAJE6cqGhjCCIxH14av4AeXLkgaM0KFb8tOqFx1sJJ-U_I3dS0p0DEExj_JgXNvhyphenhyphenag_/s2048/IMG_9957.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBYaS0gIk5aoocZpPFrEs4NAoNxvPQe9xQZSaDe6ea5Twykxm3jncwnn1W4-crzdBfLh6SL2j4iAJE6cqGhjCCIxH14av4AeXLkgaM0KFb8tOqFx1sJJ-U_I3dS0p0DEExj_JgXNvhyphenhyphenag_/w400-h266/IMG_9957.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div>Kamloops wasn't quite what we expected, the Thompson River runs right through town but looked rather polluted and the locals watched us suspiciously as I started fishing. I don't think all that many people fish near town. Surprisingly, the fishing wasn't all so bad!</div><div><br /></div><div>First, I noticed a bunch of small fish darting in the shallows, the same way that invasive Round Gobies would near home, in the St-Lawrence. But I knew there shouldn't be any Round Gobies around! My hook was way too big but I dropped a small chunk of worm between the rocks anyway and caught this cool Sculpin! I sent off the picture to some of my fishing friends in BC and they identified it as a Prickly Sculpin for me. Another new one :)</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGRLW4_OcR5Z2yZUBCUTzMAKrLJv3RS44R7ISPHCzbLDEC8x_J9jwtuoB4vBluOd7mXktAhusv-q3d241jNSzBEENsqJbMN_BANuhSjuOShyphenhypheniMLTJpEpLoNCV-3EEzmDKCW2qQ3742IyDP/s2048/20200820_153331.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGRLW4_OcR5Z2yZUBCUTzMAKrLJv3RS44R7ISPHCzbLDEC8x_J9jwtuoB4vBluOd7mXktAhusv-q3d241jNSzBEENsqJbMN_BANuhSjuOShyphenhypheniMLTJpEpLoNCV-3EEzmDKCW2qQ3742IyDP/w640-h480/20200820_153331.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Prickly Sculpin</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br />After discovering the identity of the sculpins, I casted out into the main channel in search of some bigger fish. The bites didn't come fast, and the sculpin were incessant, but eventually I did get a good take. I was fishing downstream of some pilons and the fish took the every chance it could to keep itself in the current around the bridge. Nevertheless, I got it to shore soon enough and saw another lifer: the Northern Pikeminnow! I don't know why, but I have a thing for big minnows and catching a native one like this was pretty sick. I was sure I would run into more on this trip, but it was fun to get such a nice specimen early on.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsbFVw-NtULVkN0OqgfbQLVoA5fYUtZYTpXJf2BMqr-KSjCMhw7jkKXmZE1UyYruA5Y__Iz7VPTGiyhf9kC6sOJyytzYwXulxhMDq0iREludXovw_BWVZAd3PapDMTBMwdOQil89vHap8A/s2048/Northern+Pikeminnow.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsbFVw-NtULVkN0OqgfbQLVoA5fYUtZYTpXJf2BMqr-KSjCMhw7jkKXmZE1UyYruA5Y__Iz7VPTGiyhf9kC6sOJyytzYwXulxhMDq0iREludXovw_BWVZAd3PapDMTBMwdOQil89vHap8A/w640-h480/Northern+Pikeminnow.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Northern Pikeminnow</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>Eventually, it was time to move on from Kamloops and make our way west to Vancouver. We drove through the night, up and down the switchbacks north of Whistler, and through the thickest fog I've ever experienced. We made camp under some powerlines before continuing down the Sea-to-Sky highway to our destination.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'll end the post hear and hopefully not take another few months to write part II :)</div><div><br /></div>Bradley Rasmussenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00544785080451763556noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6927283652049835307.post-69419867091062055632020-08-31T16:16:00.001-04:002020-08-31T16:16:38.965-04:00Failure<p> After getting back from a long month shift at work, I was excited to do some fishing back at home. With few (none) lifers left near home, I decided to make the 6 hour drive out to Rimouski where I had seen some old Facebook posts about someone catching Round Whitefish. I made the trip with fellow lifelister Alexis and we arrived at a beautiful river with crystal clear emerald waters.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTEdq920tRS9DlDC4TZPqLFW1dqMW3C7qpjv4qZrYGvn1KL_-po6gJE9qh7a1oztJx2Vq8gsMlfMqDiWi_SJ3xa-uGEnBincnH0nmvhCOURQzOhtJ5yoEtjUXqmPfAKiHq-c9MhUiklK2g/s1440/117335868_1678529455658059_8483571086738091254_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTEdq920tRS9DlDC4TZPqLFW1dqMW3C7qpjv4qZrYGvn1KL_-po6gJE9qh7a1oztJx2Vq8gsMlfMqDiWi_SJ3xa-uGEnBincnH0nmvhCOURQzOhtJ5yoEtjUXqmPfAKiHq-c9MhUiklK2g/s640/117335868_1678529455658059_8483571086738091254_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>The clear water meant we could see every single fish in the river and soon we spotted some small schooling cyprinids. Alexis got out a small hook and disappointingly caught some Creek Chub. Fortunately, he soon pulled out a Lake Chub, a new lifer for him! I managed to catch some too :)</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikOSUEAHw5xVISGRyuY_Otue7xYXU6XX7Id-OuY0BQjFrLIU8I1vLGCvd7kcr82hSkv0faE8KgoNGkbX1qNvcg9668s9Hpx4R4XZbVCIhcVZH6Yvw5I493ZfGSb0IawJ23hsWr_ujpunAe/s2016/118627443_592999194912250_1176562934582468558_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikOSUEAHw5xVISGRyuY_Otue7xYXU6XX7Id-OuY0BQjFrLIU8I1vLGCvd7kcr82hSkv0faE8KgoNGkbX1qNvcg9668s9Hpx4R4XZbVCIhcVZH6Yvw5I493ZfGSb0IawJ23hsWr_ujpunAe/s640/118627443_592999194912250_1176562934582468558_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>We soon tired of catching endless chubs and made our way upstream to an area with a large waterfall. I split off from Alexis and was fishing a likely-looking pool when something slightly larger chased my bait! I cast again and the fish struck! It was a salmonid, an Atlantic Salmon smolt in fact! We had caught a few brookies but I never expected to see a salmon in this river :)</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib7Yc_AOB0axdLWex12rHpyR7Wwxc_gBXfk0DeKgeJ6Vl4Dt5Ih_tDHM0QPJFIQ_UOwV0FV3Ta00KtHSLRfyrTgIVoW0I7bKiurM7SQvkSxytXYix9U0lb6AzxvmHya_CtcxzGdJChR91y/s2048/original.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib7Yc_AOB0axdLWex12rHpyR7Wwxc_gBXfk0DeKgeJ6Vl4Dt5Ih_tDHM0QPJFIQ_UOwV0FV3Ta00KtHSLRfyrTgIVoW0I7bKiurM7SQvkSxytXYix9U0lb6AzxvmHya_CtcxzGdJChR91y/s640/original.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><p>Finally, I made my way right to the base of the waterfall (no pictures, sorry), and did my best to fish the deep pool between all the tourists. There were more minnows down there and soon I was pulling up a mix of Lake Chub and Longnose Dace. I even ended up catching the biggest Longnose Dace I had ever seen!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLKhpXngjffMMjmBEqNRFRcWGJwfTI5fH3OV9W6X51xvYAv0JVCJBWABwSnIsfGZ_0PBlCpSV9gm7rm6PbZtZxt8VZuuFJBpaZWY5S05AKWZTRr12cqkZlSQKv52jmDvnMRKRn-b7AZXmt/s2016/118586293_342506133795574_2086057620202156936_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLKhpXngjffMMjmBEqNRFRcWGJwfTI5fH3OV9W6X51xvYAv0JVCJBWABwSnIsfGZ_0PBlCpSV9gm7rm6PbZtZxt8VZuuFJBpaZWY5S05AKWZTRr12cqkZlSQKv52jmDvnMRKRn-b7AZXmt/s640/118586293_342506133795574_2086057620202156936_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>I then quickly rushed to find Alexis because I knew he needed a Longnose Dace for his lifelist. I found him about 30 minutes downriver, with Longnose Dace already in his photo tank.</p><p>That pretty much sums up my side of the excursion, a lot of cool little fish but no lifers in sight. Alexis made out pretty well with a couple new species and then continued out east to some saltwater fishing with a mutual buddy of ours. He finished his leg of the trip with 10 lifers, and a few I've never been lucky enough to run into! I'll have to follow in his footsteps someday haha.</p>Bradley Rasmussenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00544785080451763556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6927283652049835307.post-3494262883698777302020-07-11T22:02:00.004-04:002020-07-11T22:06:08.702-04:00Richelieu Fish Sampling ProjectSo I've been wanting to work on a personal fish sampling project for a while, and the covid pandemic gave me the perfect excuse to stay near home and so some consistent fishing in one single spot. I chose to fish the Richelieu River, one of the most diverse systems in Quebec. I would be bottom fishing with two rigs (slip-sinker and high-low), and keeping track of every catch to see how many fish I catch on average. This is the summary of the ten days I spent on the river.<div><br /></div><div><u><b>Day 1</b></u></div><div><br /></div><div>We spent the first day shore fishing two separate spots I had had success at in the past. In a total of 15.5 hours of fishing, we caught 16 fish and 5 different species. The best catch was a 15.5" White Sucker my buddy caught!</div><div><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi79fehLSHzDo3v68TF1pSMjjXFLMNYVnevLjfbi8cNwfnoLmxnjYragfaNL5Tdd_ieSV-wwspcy64lOgtIk2JITVKw0200RbKQkqlCdp1WlOwg8En0v0ZjYv5zh-uYHBcFT5IVrN84nZ7d/s2048/20200619_133135.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi79fehLSHzDo3v68TF1pSMjjXFLMNYVnevLjfbi8cNwfnoLmxnjYragfaNL5Tdd_ieSV-wwspcy64lOgtIk2JITVKw0200RbKQkqlCdp1WlOwg8En0v0ZjYv5zh-uYHBcFT5IVrN84nZ7d/s320/20200619_133135.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nice White Sucker</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtJi9wNsm8zL5aUK2H-98kQ5C9yxn9KQoQm49lahPHDaGdvhys2-LkLnC0iuqgk-oXmwJ0mrO0ojkiieDJ6daC5B7caBPAn8UYMQCw0nb64bCyVfiJaF1y-UiKBnEQF54OJEkYC5qPRfpZ/s320/20200619_142212.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pretty Shorthead Redhorse<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><u><b>Day 2</b></u></div><div><br /></div><div>Day 2 was the first day out with my boat for the year. I went out with my buddy Alexis and we hammered the fish!! Unfortunately, most of 79 fish were made up of annoying White Perch and Channel Catfish. That being said, Alexis still caught his lifer Lake Sturgeon which was super exciting. We certainly jumped for the net once we saw it surface!</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmgo9TRQ2prdQonDUX5h-f7D-7HIa7YI-5bc8VHGwC64-HwLDfjf-xsBD_TjFVtvZKLHwK2ixtTeWzrFmzksuG8QC1dlLgNd0Cip759pyv0Yu3_M9mQfLst-6q7TI6x8dBrngO6rKU590J/s2048/105031969_193355042026148_910158992432502830_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="2048" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmgo9TRQ2prdQonDUX5h-f7D-7HIa7YI-5bc8VHGwC64-HwLDfjf-xsBD_TjFVtvZKLHwK2ixtTeWzrFmzksuG8QC1dlLgNd0Cip759pyv0Yu3_M9mQfLst-6q7TI6x8dBrngO6rKU590J/w400-h200/105031969_193355042026148_910158992432502830_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lifer Lake Sturgeon!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><u><b>Day 3</b></u></div><div><u><br /></u></div><div>Today was quality over quantity, and another long, hot day out on the boat. Only 8 fish, but 7 different species! Some cool ones too: Greater Redhorse, River Redhorse, and American Eel, to name a few. The Eel was pretty fun but the Greater Redhose took "catch of the day" since they're quite rare in the river. My girlfriend's dad caught the Eel so he was initiated to their slime pretty quick :p</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6vh-a0w8p0yd69cYUel6wNbsFlxgVea8DTfm0Rw-uY8jNlsPT0bw_UCmY6MktF-tMCsQ2eweM_KOKesCOl5eTPU4xJnpQrENODNG0UQFv4AOSnVAsYqwwenaTvLrKVzINi_EvWYR_-Onf/s2048/20200621_085320.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6vh-a0w8p0yd69cYUel6wNbsFlxgVea8DTfm0Rw-uY8jNlsPT0bw_UCmY6MktF-tMCsQ2eweM_KOKesCOl5eTPU4xJnpQrENODNG0UQFv4AOSnVAsYqwwenaTvLrKVzINi_EvWYR_-Onf/w400-h225/20200621_085320.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Greater Redhorse</td></tr></tbody></table><u><b><br /></b></u><div><span style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><b>Day 4</b></span><div><u><br /></u></div><div>Back on shore again, and the worst day so far. Fifteen hours on the water and little of interest to show for it other than a single Tench Alexis caught. At least we could be in the shade of some trees this way! Did I mention it had been 35C with no cloud cover this whole time!? Anyway... here's the best pic of the day lol.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP75pvdIu9fimLAjyk9C8md5np5KRkBdIQFhk0Ob6UArqhLQ1uoqXjWEDQRlfe4s9ZI5tuFLQKi-x6C2MXqUdKkv_P62mp-_lbYY41yiKV44gLSGyFE3b_Bq-nvRyctcFtcc3KtQhJ6Zzz/s2048/20200622_081857.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP75pvdIu9fimLAjyk9C8md5np5KRkBdIQFhk0Ob6UArqhLQ1uoqXjWEDQRlfe4s9ZI5tuFLQKi-x6C2MXqUdKkv_P62mp-_lbYY41yiKV44gLSGyFE3b_Bq-nvRyctcFtcc3KtQhJ6Zzz/w640-h360/20200622_081857.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scenery pic... you know what that means!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><u><b>Day 5</b></u></div><div><u><br /></u></div><div>Better day out on the water today, 49 fish and 7 species! A storm was brewing up towards the end of the day which may have contributed to the great bite. Among others, we caught a big River Redhorse, big Channel Catfish, Drum, etc. The Redhorse was a favourite of mine :) I'm becoming pretty convinced that River Redhorse are one of the strongest Redhorses out there, they always put up such a great fight, ripping drag and all!</div><div><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe4YjF6SzLg97sgaFkm2dRBRF5aNJzKkP-iPzxR-1MBCuNmo2vOHBw9RUDFCkx1rDguMBIWtgQaFaA3w4KBgeD-vtrlRaOk3VXLhZpXT1zM9FiGL6Ztdy1cYfJo4RuPOQluMN7h_kgXIIg/s2048/20200623_175537.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe4YjF6SzLg97sgaFkm2dRBRF5aNJzKkP-iPzxR-1MBCuNmo2vOHBw9RUDFCkx1rDguMBIWtgQaFaA3w4KBgeD-vtrlRaOk3VXLhZpXT1zM9FiGL6Ztdy1cYfJo4RuPOQluMN7h_kgXIIg/s320/20200623_175537.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">River Redhorse</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgXl14xtwosMTlj-HcUCZH2fw4jpoj5cZtpA8Ydt_tQI2EO7k_RbWq9lyC47Mxzq2TaQExTAO4sxY2Z4Kx2CwUGGboCPoQQSHJ0nU076bn8yLZuo0CAfNftN-Y4wWQ0nr7RInXeHPiOpWo/s2048/20200623_175610.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgXl14xtwosMTlj-HcUCZH2fw4jpoj5cZtpA8Ydt_tQI2EO7k_RbWq9lyC47Mxzq2TaQExTAO4sxY2Z4Kx2CwUGGboCPoQQSHJ0nU076bn8yLZuo0CAfNftN-Y4wWQ0nr7RInXeHPiOpWo/s320/20200623_175610.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Release shot!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg_QsQixK8meRH_6UwAUJexC6O3dJb_23cpwFb9EdMfHCz8aleU-KqKaiVzuRCqE70Jif4xXquKLryPNL1xQ4NAz7oYhyvcctJtAMGcOkpn1tpeH16mpFE8QujqWqJSQOb_rkPP9g6c3vO/s2048/20200623_080625.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg_QsQixK8meRH_6UwAUJexC6O3dJb_23cpwFb9EdMfHCz8aleU-KqKaiVzuRCqE70Jif4xXquKLryPNL1xQ4NAz7oYhyvcctJtAMGcOkpn1tpeH16mpFE8QujqWqJSQOb_rkPP9g6c3vO/w320-h213/20200623_080625.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">26" Channel Cat</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0dysFgaDfOZPzBzZ5E8XWoQkKWVM8q_jK8F5qWyZ2ynm4bj16NWJjvMpKTwFk9SB6U0c8dlqXMgnMq2P6stGsqClfoW-E72uorpw9hhb1_TfGRpTO0h7CNs8vYFyxXsFZAi9fit4mwQh_/s320/20200623_153326.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">24" Freshwater Drum</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><u><b>Day 6</b></u></div><div style="text-align: left;"><u><br /></u></div><div style="text-align: left;">Sorry if this is getting repetitive, I meant to make separate posts for each day but time disappears quick when you fish all day! Day 6 was a great one though, the first day I caught all 4 legal Redhorse species in QC in one day! Big Smallmouth Bass also turned up as well as some surprise Mooneye :) The big smallie gave me a run for my money, thought I had something much cooler until I saw it jump haha.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEy2ticC1DW2zutovrDegoNtVAdt1yH__XGW9eBKKnGKPScqU3YPItJHperEdr9QmmsofB3RSUMK4Hhpzz7AVMuvouXqdjae042YC-Wm1Hmz2SR5N5NUTJrxeO65JHsQvrZFOcQFRM3gPc/s2048/20200624_105317.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEy2ticC1DW2zutovrDegoNtVAdt1yH__XGW9eBKKnGKPScqU3YPItJHperEdr9QmmsofB3RSUMK4Hhpzz7AVMuvouXqdjae042YC-Wm1Hmz2SR5N5NUTJrxeO65JHsQvrZFOcQFRM3gPc/s320/20200624_105317.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Silver Redhorse</td></tr></tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNbBglT5c4fYSwC6miL2eipSVJEGBT3OPme33lUAi1yL_oZVal_m8sCFVnq06F-21NK_9-Pk1UKJn1kRDc03ZRLO9hksHigq_Q-6wZHpn0Gll-l_1eQI9PWb3t5XGUkaCjYvjKCFDca-Rz/s2048/20200624_110312.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNbBglT5c4fYSwC6miL2eipSVJEGBT3OPme33lUAi1yL_oZVal_m8sCFVnq06F-21NK_9-Pk1UKJn1kRDc03ZRLO9hksHigq_Q-6wZHpn0Gll-l_1eQI9PWb3t5XGUkaCjYvjKCFDca-Rz/s320/20200624_110312.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shorthead Redhorse</td></tr></tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFT6C87JLLM2cvsnbQiVeJL7VYVRmxqvX0Sgi_173kEQ9YkAxgM4kHas5lxfwYGI5r36tbt7yJ-G1jiUmcrVsaVQNJ1k939v3hUiFX_RApnA0hgaiagZR-O91djLw-Usl63W39TfoXguXL/s2048/20200624_102430.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFT6C87JLLM2cvsnbQiVeJL7VYVRmxqvX0Sgi_173kEQ9YkAxgM4kHas5lxfwYGI5r36tbt7yJ-G1jiUmcrVsaVQNJ1k939v3hUiFX_RApnA0hgaiagZR-O91djLw-Usl63W39TfoXguXL/s320/20200624_102430.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Greater Redhorse<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBGkm6Hyno6ifl5Gvz2zaVAJ2cLKt4zLodNV_ZDeWBMvmd9mSRUW9xZ4ywDynrcCSWbHRf4ixIwhpJrkMjNYHdd8pQAsXLvMzeeks1uEVggW3-nZGeqTouCJz2Ec_0CXXc5bKG7zLHOZ_-/s2048/20200624_082904.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBGkm6Hyno6ifl5Gvz2zaVAJ2cLKt4zLodNV_ZDeWBMvmd9mSRUW9xZ4ywDynrcCSWbHRf4ixIwhpJrkMjNYHdd8pQAsXLvMzeeks1uEVggW3-nZGeqTouCJz2Ec_0CXXc5bKG7zLHOZ_-/s320/20200624_082904.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">River Redhorse<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><u><b>Day 7</b></u></div><div style="text-align: left;"><u><br /></u></div><div style="text-align: left;">Another decent day, but unfortunately the start of what we'll call the "Alexis curse". That's when one person on the boat catches all the cool fish and the other only catches Smallmouth Bass haha. And that's exactly what happened today... I got some cool fish including a big gnarly River Redhorse and Alexis only got Smallies. At least he got one big one at nearly 19"!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><u><b>Day 8</b></u></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Rest day! Could have done a bit of fishing, but I really felt like sleeping in and switching things up. I still did get out on the water but spent the time snorkeling, thinking I could learn about the fishes habitat preferences a bit more. I didn't learn much fish-wise, but I was able to remove a bunch of lures from the bottom!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCIdHUV7fMekQfrQhlgLjpUkvdrzRAwysqkSVS2C2sOu3k5mdse55i_bRE532eACmKS-19UvE0Y0uG1F_fta1H6le_Cgh1i7416AN_jJD61FQDpNG_35bYcUG5yse-6l1e-RyuV-7EJFsp/s2048/80239681_744462406360963_3878371100028544225_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCIdHUV7fMekQfrQhlgLjpUkvdrzRAwysqkSVS2C2sOu3k5mdse55i_bRE532eACmKS-19UvE0Y0uG1F_fta1H6le_Cgh1i7416AN_jJD61FQDpNG_35bYcUG5yse-6l1e-RyuV-7EJFsp/w320-h240/80239681_744462406360963_3878371100028544225_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><u><b>Day 9</b></u></div><div style="text-align: left;"><u><br /></u></div><div style="text-align: left;">Day 2 of the Alexis curse :o I took my friend Francois out for the day, he was hoping for pretty much anything that wasn't a Bass or Catfish... but you know the rest of the story. At the very least, I managed a nice Greater to keep things interesting!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><u><b>Day 10</b></u></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Finally back on some decent fish! It was Alex's turn for the Alexis curse, but at least I landed a couple cool ones to keep her hopes up. The two Greaters I caught put up pretty decent fights, and one was just immaculate! Alex got some nice pictures of it too :)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9kfBGVRcdqFj5a_SyJb6bMyOozVyDuEkHjxu0Kek1rP0GBwAOSe4fhKQGy7JNCmDBtd07cKp4Pyq8eFmlDGfx6RonwmDgZ1viq7iCihaAddoEHE6-XeHEvWmXclhf9Sx9ovvXqWTrrHGm/s2048/20200704_142056.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9kfBGVRcdqFj5a_SyJb6bMyOozVyDuEkHjxu0Kek1rP0GBwAOSe4fhKQGy7JNCmDBtd07cKp4Pyq8eFmlDGfx6RonwmDgZ1viq7iCihaAddoEHE6-XeHEvWmXclhf9Sx9ovvXqWTrrHGm/s320/20200704_142056.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Great Greater Redhorse!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgiGm8cKVBSD18XllmqlEABxuQgIJrydPzx6Mlnq_DRm76WzKuGayam0F5vsXw2TpyZYh9lliKKYCb7ghrXiG6gasPHINF1U6st4NsC7Dw6G6olUkjuqmvgqUs6n6U7hF8PhTTJeCp1Qq6/s2048/20200704_180314.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgiGm8cKVBSD18XllmqlEABxuQgIJrydPzx6Mlnq_DRm76WzKuGayam0F5vsXw2TpyZYh9lliKKYCb7ghrXiG6gasPHINF1U6st4NsC7Dw6G6olUkjuqmvgqUs6n6U7hF8PhTTJeCp1Qq6/s320/20200704_180314.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Catch & Release always!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><u><b>Day 11</b></u></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">One final day out on the water with an old coworker, before I had to head back up north for work. We both work 1 month shifts, so it was pretty nice that our breaks lined up for a couple days to make a day of fishing happen! Of course, he got the Alexis curse, but at least he enjoyed catching Bass haha. I caught a big Catfish partway through the day that really put up a big fight and kept us on our toes. I really didn't expect to see one in the middle of the day in only a couple feet of water! A big Freshwater Drum, that also put up a great fight, rounded off the program!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjmdpElIKtIn1VveC7a6aJKlAGfqhRK5_FG9zVhE0nBXF_9S_CQ_43nc-08YAjS_TjQOSjJBrky-jLiX0Oho7bbACpii-dlRw-4OnSelb2zi_Fx9yosS3XyTrTWzoWXIOTQmIcdbxoHkdU/s960/20200706_3.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjmdpElIKtIn1VveC7a6aJKlAGfqhRK5_FG9zVhE0nBXF_9S_CQ_43nc-08YAjS_TjQOSjJBrky-jLiX0Oho7bbACpii-dlRw-4OnSelb2zi_Fx9yosS3XyTrTWzoWXIOTQmIcdbxoHkdU/w300-h400/20200706_3.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Freshwater Drum<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><u><b>Results</b></u></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I analyzed the data for 5 main sets of results: general (daily) results, peak bite times, technique comparison, sampler (fisherman) comparison, and species catch likelihood. I'll add the graphs of my resukts below, but basically I learned that I'll need more data before I can say anything definite. That means more fishing!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font face="inherit">The peak bite didn't show much other than a possible slow-down in action from 11:00-16:00, but that bites remained consistent throughout the day. </font>As for the technique comparison, the slip-sinker rig far outperformed the high-low rig under these conditions. This result surprised me as I've always preferred the high-low! The sampler comparison showed that the hookup ratio remained even across the board, but that more experienced fishermen tended to catch more fish, and more technical fish (Redhorse, in this case). Finally, the species catch analysis showed what we all expected, Smallmouth Bass and Channel Catfish were most common, and therefore easiest to catch. I hope to eventually get enough data to find a bell curve and determine the likelihood of catching different species.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><font face="inherit"><font color="#1d2129"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></font></font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font color="#1d2129"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; font-family: inherit; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH4sRsgwgajAUjA5QJSE1mFrhAoHZvwM84xlWeHUmbKt2FmnNBpA1k0NeADwM8UGJ0NKwcnwT0UfSMhBOJqWiW16757ZaeybMifIcOt_x7twmXcSKWBPVeKUwLCMCcNmeCNoV5OuC5j4io/s482/107692408_3191570437590355_8240304374477110312_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="289" data-original-width="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH4sRsgwgajAUjA5QJSE1mFrhAoHZvwM84xlWeHUmbKt2FmnNBpA1k0NeADwM8UGJ0NKwcnwT0UfSMhBOJqWiW16757ZaeybMifIcOt_x7twmXcSKWBPVeKUwLCMCcNmeCNoV5OuC5j4io/s320/107692408_3191570437590355_8240304374477110312_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-family: inherit; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjojRUz5vcGFjCUiNmwkOvp_okfYawDHVfVTDVT33WFo_kri-hrqiHMVrGW9aA_rWC-fsmmGi6J6ZAfoyHh13sF_1YA4Zaalo8LFTXCakMGS1i3p7AWAdsQXmdr8hPfBCk0MieDq1z4hGQ4/s481/107092836_3191575700923162_7540987781578884269_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="288" data-original-width="481" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjojRUz5vcGFjCUiNmwkOvp_okfYawDHVfVTDVT33WFo_kri-hrqiHMVrGW9aA_rWC-fsmmGi6J6ZAfoyHh13sF_1YA4Zaalo8LFTXCakMGS1i3p7AWAdsQXmdr8hPfBCk0MieDq1z4hGQ4/s320/107092836_3191575700923162_7540987781578884269_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">BPUE = Bites Per Unit Effort<br />CPUE = Catch Per Unit Effort</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; font-family: inherit; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisFXOx9xPs6BkfA9DOY3Mn8gohpFiOMFtD2Tvkk9jJaX61bJcF5g5L45LjHpwiJMs3XUlykAbsLOQvDZidYOMc4rSh36b7nxlMUiZ9hsETkUlHQs83MzBRy1UB7_v0bC0z7M-yU4v0G3pP/s545/107812246_3191576054256460_1845250422623190789_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="288" data-original-width="545" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisFXOx9xPs6BkfA9DOY3Mn8gohpFiOMFtD2Tvkk9jJaX61bJcF5g5L45LjHpwiJMs3XUlykAbsLOQvDZidYOMc4rSh36b7nxlMUiZ9hsETkUlHQs83MzBRy1UB7_v0bC0z7M-yU4v0G3pP/s320/107812246_3191576054256460_1845250422623190789_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC_xXgNCrDgT9AMFqXzexBoUBILLelyBKTNGx_KgPGuaCfFv6Ob9vw8CNlGVSRsN2Svx0YQH82SibA13J3zFMM_keIPsgaEDYtt7x0SOG0S6vzhtJFqRDoTLWFct3CDkjA63qhR8k9WjNR/s481/107201718_3191576257589773_2753268788429241119_n.jpg" style="background-color: white; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><font color="#1d2129"><img border="0" data-original-height="289" data-original-width="481" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC_xXgNCrDgT9AMFqXzexBoUBILLelyBKTNGx_KgPGuaCfFv6Ob9vw8CNlGVSRsN2Svx0YQH82SibA13J3zFMM_keIPsgaEDYtt7x0SOG0S6vzhtJFqRDoTLWFct3CDkjA63qhR8k9WjNR/s320/107201718_3191576257589773_2753268788429241119_n.jpg" width="320" /></font></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><font color="#1d2129"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></font></td></tr></tbody></table></font>Overall, the important thing was that it was a great time spent with a lot of good friends! Catching all the awesome fish was just a bonus haha. I really hope I still get the time off next year for another 10 days on the river :)</div></div></div>Bradley Rasmussenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00544785080451763556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6927283652049835307.post-26906218091551741322020-07-07T13:38:00.001-04:002020-07-07T13:38:09.441-04:00Australian Fishing Adventures & Misadventures - Finally OutbackThe next significant fishing portions of our trip took place much further away from the coast than we had been so far, to a town called Theodore. The drive was long but we eventually did roll into town and I got to making my first cast on the Dawson River. We had come all this way in search of Saratoga, a sort of Australian Arowana, but apparently it wasn't to be. These Blue Salmon Catfish were still fun and made at least one lifer for all our troubles.<div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1ajBYkA72G_KuSxPyp9uGKHRgv7-03CdOADC3qNTxt2f93ZLZ6eQr1vXkdkv9BRgOKFNdc0HxZwo9XLjkaobvq9oUuZ8pcYCJ9aMwbPPJJzMexTG2dVwFPGkTEhUgwPO0CvMB62oiP6YA/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="975" data-original-width="2048" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1ajBYkA72G_KuSxPyp9uGKHRgv7-03CdOADC3qNTxt2f93ZLZ6eQr1vXkdkv9BRgOKFNdc0HxZwo9XLjkaobvq9oUuZ8pcYCJ9aMwbPPJJzMexTG2dVwFPGkTEhUgwPO0CvMB62oiP6YA/w640-h304/Blue+Catfish.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><font size="2">Blue Salmon Catfish (N. graeffei)</font></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>After a number of the Catfish, it became clear that I was unlikely to catch anything else in the area. We still made camp in Theodore that night, but quit town the following morning. We tried a couple other spots for Saratoga, but I just couldn't seem to make anything work :(</div><div><br /></div><div>I also tried the Mary River a bit closer to the coast to see anything new might show up. The most common catch remained the Salmon Catfish, but my lifer Australian Long-finned Eel broke up the monotony!</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi5JX-raOsbUQ6wn4z3V_h4f04syNrzaNlV4IEpO1p3H3ZkB1HSMGeFrNdwRGgNv1MBvXbonbHEVqnUiGNF8xO4reN8A22GdmVuXNBIgKiur6QXHfnUZezffHTonpVh5L9EOax22k7Up5R/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="488" data-original-width="1024" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi5JX-raOsbUQ6wn4z3V_h4f04syNrzaNlV4IEpO1p3H3ZkB1HSMGeFrNdwRGgNv1MBvXbonbHEVqnUiGNF8xO4reN8A22GdmVuXNBIgKiur6QXHfnUZezffHTonpVh5L9EOax22k7Up5R/w640-h304/Australian+Long-finned+Eel.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><font size="2">Australian Long-finned Eel (A. reinhardtii)</font></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>A couple hours and many Catfish after the Eel, I noticed a bite with a slow tap that was different from the others, more like a Sturgeon. I set the hook and once I had the fish in shallow water, I saw it was an Australian Lungfish :o It was absolute mayhem as, just then, my second rod started being dragged into the river. I lunged for the rod and called for Alex to come help me. Unfortunately, in the confusion, the Lungfish popped off and disappeared into the muddy water :( I reeled in the second line and caught a consolation Catfish lol.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBeCN8f9sDSh3V848lcvHhbVR6LvpeGJOxmsvrerXMT_2oFWnXPT7N_MPS0AkpH-E8Up3cRzkDVzK7Aw2jqVkeOch4vo_zU6_O6qod0LiVadN2ZWcwLoe5R6Y5wiaW120-tGTtBv4iphEb/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="975" data-original-width="2048" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBeCN8f9sDSh3V848lcvHhbVR6LvpeGJOxmsvrerXMT_2oFWnXPT7N_MPS0AkpH-E8Up3cRzkDVzK7Aw2jqVkeOch4vo_zU6_O6qod0LiVadN2ZWcwLoe5R6Y5wiaW120-tGTtBv4iphEb/w400-h190/original.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><font size="2">Blue Salmon Catfish (N. graeffei)</font></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>The Lungfish is a protected species in Australia so it popping off near shore was probably for the best, less stress on the fish that way.</div><div><br /></div><div>Unbeknownst to me, the night fishing session on the Mary River would be the last bit of freshwater fishing I would get to do in Australia. We soon headed back to the coast and I took two more opportunities to fish: once at Noosa Heads, and once in Brisbane. Both were very fruitful in terms of species, but typical so far as saltwater fishing goes (for me anyway). It all basically consisted of tossing around a sabiki rig tipped with dead bait. I ended with five new species from the Noosa area, pictured below. My personal favourites were the Diamondfish and Moon Wrasse :)
</div><div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi31hlqnxIhDT0VqM7Klmi6NHO9JeVMV0NQSuNz2LrSQsmMdNZ4BgJ73mRggi1qdDZE8C6M0T_LjD0NpcZapaGp9ZV1elosYNvImDCDlSOIh5ZWoHGmtGhLDL3_81637VyUz3jPwUynZKys/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi31hlqnxIhDT0VqM7Klmi6NHO9JeVMV0NQSuNz2LrSQsmMdNZ4BgJ73mRggi1qdDZE8C6M0T_LjD0NpcZapaGp9ZV1elosYNvImDCDlSOIh5ZWoHGmtGhLDL3_81637VyUz3jPwUynZKys/s320/Bengal+Sargent.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><font size="2">Bengal Sergeant (A. bengalensis)</font></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWJwfx20Tr2eJxDo1KzNUOivJeJlmZAhLAd_YP9QbvrqQDkD6mPHVylrtwNiJehpvGwbrSAqPi0JSBzQA2aDqccp7qk3Gx7mumZ5qenuHcRF6dZVS1D0VjhBwYjUP3ajb3C97F4K98ROKk/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWJwfx20Tr2eJxDo1KzNUOivJeJlmZAhLAd_YP9QbvrqQDkD6mPHVylrtwNiJehpvGwbrSAqPi0JSBzQA2aDqccp7qk3Gx7mumZ5qenuHcRF6dZVS1D0VjhBwYjUP3ajb3C97F4K98ROKk/s320/Yellowfinned+Bream.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><font size="2">Yellowfinned Bream (A. australis)</font></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYItw0xNqU31DYIyeKFQ-qrE2SkvNCFjMslC6uqADToFnDyVSr9D4LToVj2jRovdBoz8NBL0cs6LeetM2TE8Xw8F7NM5KSVKiHIaA_LuMImnePUS2iJtgH-0Yk9oexB51GLvyn3RLK_irU/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYItw0xNqU31DYIyeKFQ-qrE2SkvNCFjMslC6uqADToFnDyVSr9D4LToVj2jRovdBoz8NBL0cs6LeetM2TE8Xw8F7NM5KSVKiHIaA_LuMImnePUS2iJtgH-0Yk9oexB51GLvyn3RLK_irU/s320/Tarwhine.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><font size="2">Tarwhine (R. sarba)</font></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx3xC8CeJaQT786MyZp72vUJrinXn3zE6Qjsg92NHrr3w_wRsnr5bKII2CmH9tZd8W4yInnubhIOXFMsqBRXlvFj5ztqniok7840eIEU9kWM1s-aIXibHS_ZVsAWmPRuG4nhYmRLRboexV/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx3xC8CeJaQT786MyZp72vUJrinXn3zE6Qjsg92NHrr3w_wRsnr5bKII2CmH9tZd8W4yInnubhIOXFMsqBRXlvFj5ztqniok7840eIEU9kWM1s-aIXibHS_ZVsAWmPRuG4nhYmRLRboexV/s320/Moses%2527+Snapper.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><font size="2">Moses' Snapper (L. russellii)</font></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br /></div><div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn91wo0_lxOiz6mnkZytJ9w6aRaZ11Ppm2NvxBLaXJ04FgbLx-SCh2QDXnEaGpqbrPPehbw8kAO9G1mHLvHnmaqFhY9GP9fgH1IerLC1NatS3QgZGaJgssplgxGNXx2j3gh1MQo72yRDXR/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn91wo0_lxOiz6mnkZytJ9w6aRaZ11Ppm2NvxBLaXJ04FgbLx-SCh2QDXnEaGpqbrPPehbw8kAO9G1mHLvHnmaqFhY9GP9fgH1IerLC1NatS3QgZGaJgssplgxGNXx2j3gh1MQo72yRDXR/s320/Diamondfish.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><font size="2">Diamondfish (M. argenteus)</font></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxsNK9RDvJqHycLNcOzpFB0QwFLELBtIP4TR6apnPvW92QWzGCxTtvPMhC8ecFsWIWdJ9yZdolF7WTJHXsInkog51xXB8ebORwtOKjUNgqygrXVbEIHcXZpoHaKbak9vDSUOne3GXnAVl3/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxsNK9RDvJqHycLNcOzpFB0QwFLELBtIP4TR6apnPvW92QWzGCxTtvPMhC8ecFsWIWdJ9yZdolF7WTJHXsInkog51xXB8ebORwtOKjUNgqygrXVbEIHcXZpoHaKbak9vDSUOne3GXnAVl3/s320/Moon+Wrasse.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><font size="2">Moon Wrasse (T. lunare)</font></td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div>Brisbane was also pretty good to me, with an additional four species including my first Queenfish! The fishing here was actually surprisingly difficult and I think having a variety of bait could have helped me out. The cut Herring I was using just didn't seem to cut it.</div><div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNYM25LbvGFmSMSi92T8Lcjn3wtwHsOJMgrEz1EKpJmTNx0SzX9f2VnMknhZ0nsTvsqB7wdXWeQmWUVlKbgoAPewYxOVm0IKGpXIJLjQqBpAqYmeaBS8kFPFkPKxtoxIry9Sxm8qyOy-NW/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNYM25LbvGFmSMSi92T8Lcjn3wtwHsOJMgrEz1EKpJmTNx0SzX9f2VnMknhZ0nsTvsqB7wdXWeQmWUVlKbgoAPewYxOVm0IKGpXIJLjQqBpAqYmeaBS8kFPFkPKxtoxIry9Sxm8qyOy-NW/s320/Grass+Emperor.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><font size="2">Grass Emperor (L. laticaudis)</font></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPfagZJxlQ_0mSCVQ9b1ZBigXWw9-_M6ONuBdjBt8fenkl1h3BS-J_pEsYZ5JQPaKE76naw1b8V2KplC8BClkM-sz9G0wJcYqnKhvRZUMib1GmBKx5X5Xu7MBuERIXQAdB6SZwuzLKhgj_/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPfagZJxlQ_0mSCVQ9b1ZBigXWw9-_M6ONuBdjBt8fenkl1h3BS-J_pEsYZ5JQPaKE76naw1b8V2KplC8BClkM-sz9G0wJcYqnKhvRZUMib1GmBKx5X5Xu7MBuERIXQAdB6SZwuzLKhgj_/s320/Lesser+Queenfish.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><font size="2">Lesser Queenfish (S. lysan)</font></td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz_JLDAsbxlpkszfEr7YCgKxRnuhjdTsBjC6RDt3CyQ1Ze5P3B3TjP9avAYIjypv6G6magtZIZiW7b2_pscTOl9xtQ_1-vFl47vGyXLVXmn75p00F34w571ahW-WudXiN7jd4jFiObjBRi/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz_JLDAsbxlpkszfEr7YCgKxRnuhjdTsBjC6RDt3CyQ1Ze5P3B3TjP9avAYIjypv6G6magtZIZiW7b2_pscTOl9xtQ_1-vFl47vGyXLVXmn75p00F34w571ahW-WudXiN7jd4jFiObjBRi/s320/Sand+Sillago.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><font size="2">Sand Sillago (S. ciliata)</font></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlrx6skz053MB9Fph5Kx9qrYBl4mzy0NA9_IdNG3OkGPszwkC0hDocyeA7c1BmZd_qro3WMr6z4Vk_FQjNetSzsCz38pR4wAaNexoYMCXvBL4fs_XfPhSwOsc1TtpuwTJNL8rTgCmDtA9k/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlrx6skz053MB9Fph5Kx9qrYBl4mzy0NA9_IdNG3OkGPszwkC0hDocyeA7c1BmZd_qro3WMr6z4Vk_FQjNetSzsCz38pR4wAaNexoYMCXvBL4fs_XfPhSwOsc1TtpuwTJNL8rTgCmDtA9k/s320/Southern+Herring.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><font size="2">Southern Herring (H. castelnaui)</font></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br /></div><div>Also in Brisbane, we visited the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary. I'm not usually a fan of seeing captive animals, but this place was actually pretty cool! It was neat to see a lot of the Australian endemics that are difficult to find in the wild, and getting up close to some Kangaroos was pretty sweet too :)</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-MNT7nIILEhRz8BtXIgbvHAlbUtwEXufJjAOK_1c6_mmjJkn2cUKMnsJOqyigN2c9jyy5JjH5dxNRfF_StBEzawOFCJSC3UZcQlvF7o0aBElJUAxUaSARDpX58yq_4Tdx80Qsq5UVp3N7/s5184/IMG_0345.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-MNT7nIILEhRz8BtXIgbvHAlbUtwEXufJjAOK_1c6_mmjJkn2cUKMnsJOqyigN2c9jyy5JjH5dxNRfF_StBEzawOFCJSC3UZcQlvF7o0aBElJUAxUaSARDpX58yq_4Tdx80Qsq5UVp3N7/w400-h266/IMG_0345.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>After Brisbane, things sort of turned into a blur. We bounced down through Gold Coast and Byron Bay before gunning south to Coffs Harbour. We saw some huge coal mining machinery on the gold coast and epic ocean views in Byron Bay. Coffs was a failed attempt at chasing down some Australian Bass, and then I received <b><u>the</u></b> call...
</div><div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw_ZTmepAlN7t6yEvuZ0L_NvdUU5JfwBzjazjo7LaLj63oHxNhN1vvNDhZFt7bD4YkWDmKDg7aYl7jxLzasCC8aNUUlRgQd7k9w8c1OVuiczIEMPUTx9kMKIlUevqh5-3s3jM8APHM3P7z/s5184/IMG_0449.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw_ZTmepAlN7t6yEvuZ0L_NvdUU5JfwBzjazjo7LaLj63oHxNhN1vvNDhZFt7bD4YkWDmKDg7aYl7jxLzasCC8aNUUlRgQd7k9w8c1OVuiczIEMPUTx9kMKIlUevqh5-3s3jM8APHM3P7z/s320/IMG_0449.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><font size="2">Byron Bay</font></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRovg_BoHOp9H_bu8x9WdnrwO0dNi8gWUS6MaJX6b2K8LQc1LnyCyXZSeFdtxgDTREVeIXQZtXBBs2AByImdUilfedAG7-9BAuTgLuweAthQMzGTQ26Ofer4t34OscKsXS6O-DUDHk1xQz/s5184/IMG_0543.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRovg_BoHOp9H_bu8x9WdnrwO0dNi8gWUS6MaJX6b2K8LQc1LnyCyXZSeFdtxgDTREVeIXQZtXBBs2AByImdUilfedAG7-9BAuTgLuweAthQMzGTQ26Ofer4t34OscKsXS6O-DUDHk1xQz/s320/IMG_0543.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><font size="2">Coal Loading Equipment</font></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Unbeknownst to us, the COVID-19 pandemic had been spreading rapidly during our travels and airlines were beginning to seriously reduce flights in and out of Australia. We had been keeping busy so we had little idea of the scale of the issue, but it became apparent when my parents called to tell us we needed to get home early. Commercial flights were likely going to be ending in the next week or so.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Of course, this would cut our trip short but we were ahead of schedule and got lucky and had all of our money refunded to us for any activities we missed out on. We jettisoned ourselves southward to make it to Sydney and try and get on the soonest flight. The drive from Coffs was too long so we missed the boat but this gave us some time to explore Sydney.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCioC_iS3EfQLfBB1m03rGw21LjgY9I0JOcqKgfXSBtZpECshBsUaHUV8Hek-Rlv_CsZa4d8plOAz9m34NEMeqqPw9cMJJDsuc5RR5eGOQiQKlknBJvzhbROTM-JCuDK_YwFJnc0SHkDPY/s3264/107103633_2680922805460011_679867714342937526_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1552" data-original-width="3264" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCioC_iS3EfQLfBB1m03rGw21LjgY9I0JOcqKgfXSBtZpECshBsUaHUV8Hek-Rlv_CsZa4d8plOAz9m34NEMeqqPw9cMJJDsuc5RR5eGOQiQKlknBJvzhbROTM-JCuDK_YwFJnc0SHkDPY/w400-h190/107103633_2680922805460011_679867714342937526_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><font size="2">Sydney Opera House</font></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br />Alex was able to get on a flight the next day, but I had to stay to pack up our gear and take care of our rental car. This allowed me some extra time to do some fishing which resulted in one final lifer for the trip! The Eastern Fortescue! It was sort of a saving grace to catch a new fish in such dire times.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjANwox0fqLk3WbEyvZv9ac9BBij4qhCy_V1vNoFJg3Z8s09xCrdBpFqYX8-ZG4zqRnWOGWadygcEtvSxUFpsrPql2qzPR_ej60S-yzUNO4hjVFrEq-RUHtLbGUGJ9X7l9AxljiJSdjIELG/s2048/Eastern+Fortescue.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="975" data-original-width="2048" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjANwox0fqLk3WbEyvZv9ac9BBij4qhCy_V1vNoFJg3Z8s09xCrdBpFqYX8-ZG4zqRnWOGWadygcEtvSxUFpsrPql2qzPR_ej60S-yzUNO4hjVFrEq-RUHtLbGUGJ9X7l9AxljiJSdjIELG/w640-h304/Eastern+Fortescue.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><font size="2">Eastern Fortescue (C. australis)<br /></font></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>All's well that ends well, though, and I ended up on the next flight home! In fact, I checked-in exactly 10 minutes before departure!!</div>Bradley Rasmussenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00544785080451763556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6927283652049835307.post-69936166145285018892020-05-12T12:55:00.002-04:002020-05-12T12:56:12.844-04:00Australian Fishing Adventures & Misadventures - Far North QueenslandYes, I know every other Australia post up until this point has been in northern Queensland, but this one is detailing the remainder of our adventures in the state. We left off back in Cairns, having returned from our overnight on Fitzroy Island. The next portion of our journey was in the Wooroonooran National Park area, and we slept at a sweet free campground at the Babinda Boulders.<div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3_j22MSlXbEYtWS772445KsAbc5eb8PkYGEfUW0TxYjFdhcATANDOrnIKOsDF6-G0kfVAAuV-WJ7rS1vuiy-hyJKuLAMXJ2kcfGxlcvl87g7ijPyZ46WHS_lceFFpAj5yWsRCrmK4hQ7Q/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2988" data-original-width="5312" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3_j22MSlXbEYtWS772445KsAbc5eb8PkYGEfUW0TxYjFdhcATANDOrnIKOsDF6-G0kfVAAuV-WJ7rS1vuiy-hyJKuLAMXJ2kcfGxlcvl87g7ijPyZ46WHS_lceFFpAj5yWsRCrmK4hQ7Q/w640-h360/20200306_154817.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><font size="2">Babinda Boulders</font></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br />The first day, we visited the Josephine Falls swimming hole and stopped at our first fruit stand of the trip to buy some fresh papayas. The falls were my personal favourite swimming hole and it was lots of fun to slide down smooth granite slab. I also took the opportunity to do a bit more freshwater snorkelling and enjoyed watching the Eel-tailed Cats graze on the bottom, with Sooty Grunters and Jungle Perch swimming above.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-EXRzYBKPM3yWOeTUQXksusTnq88UpAgzoHib1FnP8QAikeyqb590aZ4HniDT8v4_xWUFCgQwnnjPhVhtfsSUIVRjQ17Rt1fEnSV1_19_H-XxzHE6euRQiFa64E1K28tG1WSYE3QN5RyV/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2988" data-original-width="5312" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-EXRzYBKPM3yWOeTUQXksusTnq88UpAgzoHib1FnP8QAikeyqb590aZ4HniDT8v4_xWUFCgQwnnjPhVhtfsSUIVRjQ17Rt1fEnSV1_19_H-XxzHE6euRQiFa64E1K28tG1WSYE3QN5RyV/w400-h225/20200306_125055.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqN1vWighDB91V9tv2L5MJShJrCnp0wFxNfXVM79j9Paeb_gig9KSO9KO623iSYbhZ5W5LYRXU2QOBPLODuTbcUr0Q6jFDS5VSQO_zlF2nlo60d9SlXhoierjFTkKolbAY9e6-PGCaRgDG/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="883" data-original-width="1323" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqN1vWighDB91V9tv2L5MJShJrCnp0wFxNfXVM79j9Paeb_gig9KSO9KO623iSYbhZ5W5LYRXU2QOBPLODuTbcUr0Q6jFDS5VSQO_zlF2nlo60d9SlXhoierjFTkKolbAY9e6-PGCaRgDG/w400-h268/Jos.PNG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><font size="2">Josephine Falls</font></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br />Feeling refreshed, we headed back to the Boulders and went on the short hike to check out the granite formations downstream before cooling off again at the swimming hole by our campsite. That pretty much rounded off our day, given the late start after taking the ferry back from Fitzroy.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaR53YY4q7agmgtopWZ2wf2ogTG6WzfrTvQ3BdzoHUEx40x8YNInGmb61BrkCplk36cTWz40N5JjdrwVwJna9XBYIfQb7FgCCcRcF7UpSR2b2fH6HAS5PPlbLU5GN9hcCyRTrNjhvVMZAb/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2988" data-original-width="5312" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaR53YY4q7agmgtopWZ2wf2ogTG6WzfrTvQ3BdzoHUEx40x8YNInGmb61BrkCplk36cTWz40N5JjdrwVwJna9XBYIfQb7FgCCcRcF7UpSR2b2fH6HAS5PPlbLU5GN9hcCyRTrNjhvVMZAb/w640-h360/20200307_174017.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><font size="2">Babinda Swimming Hole</font></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>The next day, we went on a quick tour of the Atherton Tablelands. This region featured the windiest roads we've ever been on, some spectacular views, epic waterfalls, and lots more fruit stands! Here's a quick collage of some of our favourite sights, not pictured is the Curtain Fig Tree which is epic in it's own right.</div><div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFI2ZGtfVbL9L0SCR5C937cJ9DYnY1I1B2jl-JVC5QuQRssY2TFsipU-Pjo1XZGjNEuxNSOkgV2SEXzGvV3FKFXj3-yr-ETyEgwmXGr7WHuRDHmLVytou5vhwIcXt4kjCNum4vCiYDbvqB/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFI2ZGtfVbL9L0SCR5C937cJ9DYnY1I1B2jl-JVC5QuQRssY2TFsipU-Pjo1XZGjNEuxNSOkgV2SEXzGvV3FKFXj3-yr-ETyEgwmXGr7WHuRDHmLVytou5vhwIcXt4kjCNum4vCiYDbvqB/s320/20200307_073025.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><font size="2">Atherton Tablelands</font></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3c0SHE834rlilXJO1sgfqykheBf4npcTc4oQ0dGC1JRLWsfz-Ncv94DdThYRUGI-QapsNsqMN-Db7JuYH1p6tiNiP8YuHDJpE9LB-kN0R7AaKDdh06AkrrwICv20bGk-vhipfFCYMuUD0/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3c0SHE834rlilXJO1sgfqykheBf4npcTc4oQ0dGC1JRLWsfz-Ncv94DdThYRUGI-QapsNsqMN-Db7JuYH1p6tiNiP8YuHDJpE9LB-kN0R7AaKDdh06AkrrwICv20bGk-vhipfFCYMuUD0/s320/20200307_104446.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><font size="2">Windin Falls</font></td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgquDRO5vtNZ_Q4Z7Ua1GKqoOuDvkvKOJIbvKY8-4GdwESFIq6he8i7M0JEpA9-bSftyFrsQy3VLxAhQVZ6i42H8MV1L0lrkVJHj2H-jZcj-Nd0PNarw2bzyPMVZEtucxcvpP6q3h3wdZ_n/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="889" data-original-width="592" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgquDRO5vtNZ_Q4Z7Ua1GKqoOuDvkvKOJIbvKY8-4GdwESFIq6he8i7M0JEpA9-bSftyFrsQy3VLxAhQVZ6i42H8MV1L0lrkVJHj2H-jZcj-Nd0PNarw2bzyPMVZEtucxcvpP6q3h3wdZ_n/w266-h400/Milaa+Milaa.PNG" width="266" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><font size="2">Millaa Millaa Falls</font></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br />I didn't spend too much time fishing the Tablelands (mainly because of surprise "no fishing" signs), but I did manage to get this <i>Tandanus tropicanus</i> Catfish at the base of a waterfall! Bonus, I also managed to get stung by said Catfish, which hurt worse than a bee sting and was a little unsettling.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpWNOuzE4Nu2cu1jsR_d5IedNQx-V4qAhKn7IRsL3cjc5qbuQDiREoH-nZyDCGcNWKx80IYpMc7Nv1GuDa2LXmBPXjIn_anhvjTHZ3GMxv9sqjQd8XS81rj_8UQIwZwqeVLQPGJby1iF0L/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2988" data-original-width="5312" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpWNOuzE4Nu2cu1jsR_d5IedNQx-V4qAhKn7IRsL3cjc5qbuQDiREoH-nZyDCGcNWKx80IYpMc7Nv1GuDa2LXmBPXjIn_anhvjTHZ3GMxv9sqjQd8XS81rj_8UQIwZwqeVLQPGJby1iF0L/w640-h360/Tandanus+tropicanus.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><font size="2">Tandanus tropicanus</font></i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>Returning to our campsite, I took some time after dinner to head back to the swimming hole and try for some of the micros I saw the previous day. Most of them turned out to be Pacific Blue-eye, but some were tiny Gudgeon that turned out to be a new one: the Southern Purplespotted Gudgeon!</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQQJBbqCL2qa_QSikca24HjvSJuf6ckFokBbhB7Srvm4CyE68Ay2S2chTpBU-FgMBrY3awO7kL9HZXS-ecB3NyfBhW1G_RmnQdTPvo-YFlVR8phvfsujxHlKnIvJ3Xha0E0Sjc85a1hxTB/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2988" data-original-width="5312" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQQJBbqCL2qa_QSikca24HjvSJuf6ckFokBbhB7Srvm4CyE68Ay2S2chTpBU-FgMBrY3awO7kL9HZXS-ecB3NyfBhW1G_RmnQdTPvo-YFlVR8phvfsujxHlKnIvJ3Xha0E0Sjc85a1hxTB/w640-h360/Southern+Purplespotted+Gudgeon.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><font size="2">Southern Purplespotted Gudgeon (M. adspersa)</font></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>Those couple days summed up our stay in the area, and we soon found ourselves back on the highway headed south. As usual, we were ahead of schedule, so we took some of our extra time to visit Wallaman Falls. We're super glad we stopped because it's one of the most impressive falls we've visisted.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5_sp_58yfuSQHhOW35vsuZ-pAhAnQeMg_EVfVcg5ybEFrIY0NTNXBhQbfOuvUzzt_jODS4Uevja5JCr8dyUca7OjHrA1XtrCfzAieo9Y802tPzvAt1cK3SFMud8OM4y1qTIHoqvLhZ78p/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4037" data-original-width="2965" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5_sp_58yfuSQHhOW35vsuZ-pAhAnQeMg_EVfVcg5ybEFrIY0NTNXBhQbfOuvUzzt_jODS4Uevja5JCr8dyUca7OjHrA1XtrCfzAieo9Y802tPzvAt1cK3SFMud8OM4y1qTIHoqvLhZ78p/w294-h400/20200308_105634.jpg" width="294" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><font size="2">Wallaman Falls</font></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>Continuing south, we visited the town of Rasmussen (mostly because of the name), but, to my delight, it resulted in two new species! The first one came very quick and was obviously abundant: the Barred Grunter.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMnVN59Y8azEXiJWeqevUB7Pbtx_Np6A-Ewvh5yDu9aBuJ-7xWoSCCqdRjG2a_7LsUChuM474wp5VWtHEDvR-FsZRuM13huyFbCj8HrC_wYmHi4Gi56FlTzUx2OebUyLvcmuITduqibUvr/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2988" data-original-width="5312" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMnVN59Y8azEXiJWeqevUB7Pbtx_Np6A-Ewvh5yDu9aBuJ-7xWoSCCqdRjG2a_7LsUChuM474wp5VWtHEDvR-FsZRuM13huyFbCj8HrC_wYmHi4Gi56FlTzUx2OebUyLvcmuITduqibUvr/w640-h360/20200308_135002.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><font size="2">Barred Grunter (A. percoides)</font></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>The next big goal was the Archerfish I saw swimming near the surface. These guys were getting high on my list because they seemed to get the better of me every time I tried for them. This was about to change. I could only get them to react when the bait was directly on the surface, so I removed my split shot and used a tiny piece of cutbait like you would a dry fly. This worked and the fish were clearly reacting to the new tactic. My hookup ratio was awful but I did eventually land my lifer :)</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM6k8dqljAEpMtcCu_Jhj7yknk2-tJViHAoU-QoK6Ii_9X68RCEOLstqwgyoc3YtymZ7QyBPVNu1jemQw_9aXDo9Sc6n9Hvbb64NzcrHwiSYYLTVNU3GgvN_rNqfRj9YXxD4Oek4FG1jOD/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2988" data-original-width="5312" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM6k8dqljAEpMtcCu_Jhj7yknk2-tJViHAoU-QoK6Ii_9X68RCEOLstqwgyoc3YtymZ7QyBPVNu1jemQw_9aXDo9Sc6n9Hvbb64NzcrHwiSYYLTVNU3GgvN_rNqfRj9YXxD4Oek4FG1jOD/w640-h360/20200308_140100.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><font size="2">Sevenspotted Archerfish (T. chatareus)</font></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>Happy with the two lifers, we hopped back on the highway and headed to Lake Proserpine, which was to be our campsite for the night. It was meant to simply be a convenient location for our next day's activities, but the views were pretty awesome and the lake had some huge Barramundi! I fished it for a couple hours and had one big take that cut my 50lb braid instantly :(<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5-jBODLPieDi0LdaHFBjMkN4v6DDwgB074A4VxGXuIKUuTOTP93PhcZ4l6D8wSQEOjG8JumHGbmrNaJV3ykdIEPc7txPkNRbJmw_FGmRI4eWpPRcb2VXRxpKpq_TkXCJfnw3uiyyCYxM5/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5-jBODLPieDi0LdaHFBjMkN4v6DDwgB074A4VxGXuIKUuTOTP93PhcZ4l6D8wSQEOjG8JumHGbmrNaJV3ykdIEPc7txPkNRbJmw_FGmRI4eWpPRcb2VXRxpKpq_TkXCJfnw3uiyyCYxM5/s320/20200309_061821.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Lake Proserpine Campsite</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixxclVxluZnyGNM71TgPWvUikG-CAM2W4xlWlRYg80dzpBzqmnvo0BtiwkHVvD9V7ahrfg8HvYoP4JcXFRT3_2Ec_voK7LYVXGAqQd4BiCFMoErBzL9wcllbAmnduuBnBcQvYzxRL7Z4Qt/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixxclVxluZnyGNM71TgPWvUikG-CAM2W4xlWlRYg80dzpBzqmnvo0BtiwkHVvD9V7ahrfg8HvYoP4JcXFRT3_2Ec_voK7LYVXGAqQd4BiCFMoErBzL9wcllbAmnduuBnBcQvYzxRL7Z4Qt/s320/20200309_182211.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Lake Proserpine Wharf</span></td></tr>
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>The next day was a boat tour in Whitsundays, which was very exciting but also very expensive. The iconic views were a bit underwhelming because of the high tide and rain showers, but I'd say the experience was worth it overall. This is also apparently where I broke my phone because it would not charge for the rest of the trip which made quite a challenge for the both of us.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS3MRDf5ZUOOyOpQ6tiQA2O-nEr29c8cQp6XAgd6td6y7_l0mEGBxVpDRkMhGbwnywIJ4-gw7IgXJOIrpFZgSGWKI3LuMyRRmkyQGs2b-EVnp0DBvolFS3sxkiJ_lY8yBGo3RcrsVv51Fo/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2988" data-original-width="5312" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS3MRDf5ZUOOyOpQ6tiQA2O-nEr29c8cQp6XAgd6td6y7_l0mEGBxVpDRkMhGbwnywIJ4-gw7IgXJOIrpFZgSGWKI3LuMyRRmkyQGs2b-EVnp0DBvolFS3sxkiJ_lY8yBGo3RcrsVv51Fo/w640-h360/20200309_113140.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><font size="2">Hill Inlet Lookout</font></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>The plan was to continue on to Cape Hillsborough after our boat tour, but the lost Barramundi last night left me sour and wanting to make a second attempt. We knew it would make driving hell as we'd only arrive at our next campsite after midnight, but still made the effort and returned to Proserpine. This time, equipped with wire leaders and some local knowledge, I had better luck! FYI, live Barred Grunter is the bait of choice for these guys, huge! I just caught a "small" one, but the power of these fish is incredible and rivals any other freshwater fish I've ever caught! Here's a picture of me and my Barramundi with the son of the local man who helped me finally catch one :)</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1U3oBqFbbaxOkk5gcQ4cgz3PnTcMHHJsKcsc7qBb3qvJCuiEeZphtB5UL2Wn2sbGc31I_9KsDbGmjCwrFDPGsriF8FUnumlH1Cay3n6pZVBnpJ47DJ2-NEOEN_KSV4-Fz__yhacLFQuMm/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2988" data-original-width="5312" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1U3oBqFbbaxOkk5gcQ4cgz3PnTcMHHJsKcsc7qBb3qvJCuiEeZphtB5UL2Wn2sbGc31I_9KsDbGmjCwrFDPGsriF8FUnumlH1Cay3n6pZVBnpJ47DJ2-NEOEN_KSV4-Fz__yhacLFQuMm/w640-h360/20200309_193957.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><font size="2">Barramundi (L. calcarifer)</font></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>The driving was indeed hell for the rest of night... but so worth it!</div>Bradley Rasmussenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00544785080451763556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6927283652049835307.post-83272449683821098592020-05-12T00:51:00.002-04:002020-05-12T03:35:15.161-04:00Australian Fishing Adventures & Misadventures - Fitzroy IslandWith our run up to Cape Trib and back complete, the next big activity of the trip was an overnight adventure out to Fitzroy Island. This required paying to park the car for 2 days, a ferry to and from the island, as well as one night at the campground since there's no free camping allowed on the island. The boat ride to the island was pretty beautiful and the employees took the time to point out a historical fort as well as the large aboriginal community of Yarrabah along the coast.<br />
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The views and fishing from the island exceeded expectations but the campground most certainly did not! The $40/night was steep but we expected little based on the reviews and figured we were better off than staying at the only other accommodation, an expensive resort. Thankfully, we weren't here to spend time at the campground!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Fitzroy Island</span></td></tr>
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After getting our tent set up, we soon made the hike over to Nudey Beach, where a friend from Instagram recommended I start fishing. The beach was full of other tourists, but thankfully I had the large rocks to the side all to myself. The numerous rocks and reef structures in the water made the fishing very difficult, and it took some time getting used to. Eventually, I figured out how to drop my rig into specific holes between boulders to avoid becoming snagged repeatedly. There would be no long casts here! In fact, I only found about 2 sq ft of fishable area, but thankfully they held fish! All the fish were caught on the same three-way rig tipped with cutbait, as there was a limit of one hook per line in the area.</div>
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I won't go into detail for each catch since they were all caught about the same way, but I will say the fish here were especially beautiful. In particular, the Harlequin Tuskfish and Orangestriped Triggerfish really blew us away with their stunning colours. These were reef fish like I had never seen before, not even in Florida!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI4pNuRszpzcCRHeJWEfMbJZfuVb05Np9GZGfPoKQ8TfBYBNqOkAdmBb0qEBgwjZyIevO6jB_2GanjsC8cfKUrqG0DFyYVGFSMiQXECEx4nXjEbbdth7TTmnvhI1hoBxMXa8_8KC5nxUpx/s1600/Bigeye+Snapper.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI4pNuRszpzcCRHeJWEfMbJZfuVb05Np9GZGfPoKQ8TfBYBNqOkAdmBb0qEBgwjZyIevO6jB_2GanjsC8cfKUrqG0DFyYVGFSMiQXECEx4nXjEbbdth7TTmnvhI1hoBxMXa8_8KC5nxUpx/s320/Bigeye+Snapper.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Bigeye Snapper (L. lutjanus)</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzrBt1O8Ift0fdx9QuXxqNi-Jw1GhrXLXaSA0ktMqxXmwTcJHsQFSIrV6uQjpkyZHlPPoFGDen0vXs0zAY-N1qcJnAhc2OqMUchlt9vrdtKG2BW5bfEx-E7TCeSEntZ9LHm7InvfaJMm6D/s1600/Bluespotted+Grouper.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzrBt1O8Ift0fdx9QuXxqNi-Jw1GhrXLXaSA0ktMqxXmwTcJHsQFSIrV6uQjpkyZHlPPoFGDen0vXs0zAY-N1qcJnAhc2OqMUchlt9vrdtKG2BW5bfEx-E7TCeSEntZ9LHm7InvfaJMm6D/s320/Bluespotted+Grouper.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Bluespotted Grouper (C. argus)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWZmZ_CciPJQpDdovlbNpYbCQ0hTQyVyNn2jvX4WwqeWBhVo5B-vzbZk7bJkmlxUrKjp_Ef7OQEdCuAcj-2SODhQmOLwKWcWts2USYN4WtKEGeSc0rgPdlkAfG2I3YR23C8CN9eWpyECRm/s1600/Blacktail+Grubfish.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWZmZ_CciPJQpDdovlbNpYbCQ0hTQyVyNn2jvX4WwqeWBhVo5B-vzbZk7bJkmlxUrKjp_Ef7OQEdCuAcj-2SODhQmOLwKWcWts2USYN4WtKEGeSc0rgPdlkAfG2I3YR23C8CN9eWpyECRm/s320/Blacktail+Grubfish.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Blacktail Grubfish (P. queenslandica)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI-gvYGSiVS9mBW9RthckkwaKooohz0K-2Z_TFBGC0Ln6XeXJJ8PghbD0C4GY961LaPd1x1YI_gCZE4wCKjG9YYtE-F9cRYWACy3sAB3jUcSpiO-gsSo2gH93QoSys9nXMq9iXaIRm_aRv/s1600/Floral+Maori+Wrasse.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI-gvYGSiVS9mBW9RthckkwaKooohz0K-2Z_TFBGC0Ln6XeXJJ8PghbD0C4GY961LaPd1x1YI_gCZE4wCKjG9YYtE-F9cRYWACy3sAB3jUcSpiO-gsSo2gH93QoSys9nXMq9iXaIRm_aRv/s320/Floral+Maori+Wrasse.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Floral Maori Wrasse (C. chlorourus)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN5aj8jKx5awKKhJPeryZN4qIUf1TX_UwAloKgkOIcGkaim_hXzmJDdViLl6u3YCNq9XnEb6T5CjUhD_xtQzAxI_V1cuckTdHAZ86nqtpthslHQx3UVBksxovyjVuRiPi8uq6M-XnhXSRy/s1600/Harlequin+Tuskfish.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN5aj8jKx5awKKhJPeryZN4qIUf1TX_UwAloKgkOIcGkaim_hXzmJDdViLl6u3YCNq9XnEb6T5CjUhD_xtQzAxI_V1cuckTdHAZ86nqtpthslHQx3UVBksxovyjVuRiPi8uq6M-XnhXSRy/s640/Harlequin+Tuskfish.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Harlequin Tuskfish (C. fasciatus)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOggfDG9MAWKiGBiFk_eV4AIntSH0Aajh8oZhqxeEqtySDBsxMAtgM99E95Oy2AFBfzluSCwcoTXLW9HYuXeVzkTWaDODsasKxpUBHmm0gwiS18paKc1jgBTpAsE4Hd7rOLZNwuF7j5Tya/s1600/Orangestriped+Triggerfish.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOggfDG9MAWKiGBiFk_eV4AIntSH0Aajh8oZhqxeEqtySDBsxMAtgM99E95Oy2AFBfzluSCwcoTXLW9HYuXeVzkTWaDODsasKxpUBHmm0gwiS18paKc1jgBTpAsE4Hd7rOLZNwuF7j5Tya/s640/Orangestriped+Triggerfish.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Orangstriped Triggerfish (B. undulatus)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div><div>We spent most of the day soaking up the sun at the fishing spot, only returning to our campsite after being thoroughly sunburned. We had some snacks and Alex relaxed but it wasn't long before I started getting bored and wanting to make a cast. I caved and decided to make a cast from the beach near our site as we waited for the sun to set. The bites were instant, as they often are in saltwater, but I kept pulling up the same fish. They all had a dark blotch on their sides but actually turned out to be two new species: Blackspot Snapper and Thumbprint Emperor!</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt6fWoDs2Ov7QXes3-OFwboyhHrAgHstuJRFeD24GYQEVmbssUZH-UbZgvYenpi000usubJ8nZz96WyIW51TIyrE13ZhebIDfmhha8PW0zSfUcaQwN2xy_1OoWxS2kCAX1ocm0PFent8XP/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt6fWoDs2Ov7QXes3-OFwboyhHrAgHstuJRFeD24GYQEVmbssUZH-UbZgvYenpi000usubJ8nZz96WyIW51TIyrE13ZhebIDfmhha8PW0zSfUcaQwN2xy_1OoWxS2kCAX1ocm0PFent8XP/w320-h180/Blackspot+Snapper.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Blackspot Snapper (L. fulviflamma)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdxC6p5ikP9tpmstAGXYUDG1FN3b__NM8znBBMLe0jpPHni_dLzNhmgz4c1o3YWUsnKy8ElOt9onBgut_RSITIayQPuBU1hybNsfusdZV1PEeuNoKlzU7AYgajtx5ergb5Gg0NeH7fhtXf/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdxC6p5ikP9tpmstAGXYUDG1FN3b__NM8znBBMLe0jpPHni_dLzNhmgz4c1o3YWUsnKy8ElOt9onBgut_RSITIayQPuBU1hybNsfusdZV1PEeuNoKlzU7AYgajtx5ergb5Gg0NeH7fhtXf/s320/Thumbprint+Emperor.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Thumbprint Emperor (L. harak)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div>My friend who had given me the spot from earlier in the day also suggested casting some bait out for sharks, apparently the bite was supposed to be instantaneous! Apparently, I am not a very good shark fisherman because I ended the night with a few takes and 0 sharks.</div><div><br /></div><div>An incoming thunderstorm pushed us off the water and we returned to our tent for the night, only waking up to make our ferry ride back to the mainland the next morning. It was good stay overall, in a beautiful area with plenty of beautiful fish, I only wish the facilities were nicer given the expensive cost.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOSgwXknp2D0fccsJ1u2WgRx6VRw5uaJtxxMS_ZU-aOV23aEMuHuzoRXW3c6k-YptsE43c_6E_ls1AIxMwpUomStTeMVUj3McYDQOMGwURnTn4uNWdxdk-wR4jIP49RKaAc0zrwC9Ng24A/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="881" data-original-width="1331" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOSgwXknp2D0fccsJ1u2WgRx6VRw5uaJtxxMS_ZU-aOV23aEMuHuzoRXW3c6k-YptsE43c_6E_ls1AIxMwpUomStTeMVUj3McYDQOMGwURnTn4uNWdxdk-wR4jIP49RKaAc0zrwC9Ng24A/w640-h424/Fitz.PNG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Bradley Rasmussenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00544785080451763556noreply@blogger.com0