King of the Pond

A curious, photogenic frog who popped up next to me. It posed for a few shots and disappeared....

Green Sunfish-St.Louis Ponds- July 27

Three Green Sunfish, twenty Bluegill and one Black Crappie- a great evening hooking fish and throwing them back.

Redear Sunfish- Reynolds Pond- June 22

Orange shadow bordering black gill spot confirms it- a Redear Sunfish.

Black Bullhead- Reynolds Pond-July 22

One of several small Black Bullhead caught and released at Reynolds Pond near Alfalfa, OR.

Kokanee- Wickiup Reservoir- July 21

A landlocked relative of the Sockeye salmon. In an effort to escape, this kokanee jumped into the boat-a vertical distance of three feet!

Landlocked Atlantic Salmon- Hosmer Lake- July 20

Caught and released this fly caught Atlantic Salmon on a warm, summers day on Hosmer Lake. A procession of kayakers, rafters, canoes in the channel kept the fish down most of the afternoon. A late afternoon hatch of damsel flies saved the day.

Reynolds Pond- Oregon- 2008

Redear\Bluegill Hybrid-Reynolds Pond-June, 2008

Caught and released from Reynolds Pond, Alfalfa, OR, on bobber and worms fished close to the bottom on a weed bed edge. This sunfish required a great deal of research to identify. The coloring is that of a redear sunfish, known to be in Reynolds Pond but with no red border on the black gill spot. There is a yellow border which may be a local variation of a redear. Or this may a hybridized redear\bluegill cross. Bluegill characterstics; barred back and black mark on rear dorsal fin are absent, the mouth appears larger than a bluegill too.( There is a known bluegill to compare this with in an April posting in this blog.) Anyone recognizing this sunfish is invited to comment on what you think it might be.

Blue Heron- Willamette River

Chinook Salmon-Newport, Or July 3

One of three chinook caught and released trolling on the "Kayden" six miles out of Newport. Chinook have been identified by ocean fisheries managers as in short supply this year and all chinook caught require release. The next day I caught and released three more....maybe chinook are more plentiful than we think!

Crabs! Newport Bay- July 3

Charlie and Frank working the gear. Crabbing was good- crabs dipped in butter and lemon- better!

Kelp Greenling-South Jetty-Newport, OR July 4

Fished with Casey off the South Jetty using light weights and sandshrimp fished as close to the rocks as possible. We both caught one of these beautiful fish. Greenling are related to the bigger Ling cod-

Bridge Span-Newport, OR

Ling Cod-Seal Rocks-July 3

A mooched sardine just above the bottom hooked this nice Ling Cod.

China Rockfish-Seal Rocks-July3

This one came from a deep reef and was hooked on a lead jig.

Black Rockfish- Seal Rocks- July3

This fish was in a school of Blackie's chasing baitfish on the surface and was taken casting a jig with light gear to the boiling school of fish. The jig hit the water -bam- "fishon"!

Quillback Rockfish- Seal Rocks-July 3

Bottom fishing the reefs off the Seal Rock, OR coastline I came up with this Quillback.

Herring-Yaquina Bay-July 2

Herring were running in Yaquina Bay and were taking jigs readily. Compare these with the sardine and notice the similarities and differences- Herring don't have spots!

Sunset-Yaquina Bay Bridge

Pacific Sardine- Newport- July1

Bait was boiling on the surface, I lowered a "binky" jig and came up with this guy. My first ever sardine on hook and line.

Coho salmon- Newport, OR July 1

One of two coho caught today. Notice the clipped adipose fin....a keeper! The other coho was a native and was released. This fish took a trolled "hoochie" behind a flasher-I was fishing six miles out of Newport- it was barbecued on a cedar plank several hours later.