Beasts

Caught a rare fish! Bull chub aka Nocomis raneyi

Found between the James in VA and the Neuse in NC. I caught this one on the James just below the fall line. Everything else from that day was more typical (smallmouth bass, redbreast sunfish, and white perch), so this was a fun find! This is the 124th iNat specimen and the only one logged anywhere near RVA. As always, the fish was held for just long enough for pics and then gently let go back into the river. Caught on a small circle hook dredged through some shaded ripples with a pinched nightcrawler.

Actually, here's the other fish from that day because they were also v cool.

Smallmouth bass aka Micropterus dolomieu, native to VA but introduced to the James watershed. I love the big eye and huge tail on this juvenile.

Redbreast sunfish aka Lepomis auritus, one of four native Lepomis species I caught since I started fishing in April of this year. This one has some tail fin damage.

And one of the two white perch aka Morone americana, a native species which is both the platonic ideal of a fish and also not really a perch. (It's a bass.)

Anyway, really been enjoying fishing and will probably share more of what I find in the future. I know that Tumblr doesn't have a huge fishing community but hopefully other people like seeing creatures.