Of Many Names...

Lota lota, aka burbot, bubbot, mariah, freshwater ling, the lawyer, coney-fish, lingcod, freshwater cusk, or the eelpout is the only freshwater gadiform (Cod family).

I love a fish with a lot of names! I think that the number of names a fish has is an indication of its interest to people. Anyway, We were having a slow morning and the Silver Salmon bite completely shut down by mid-afternoon. Earlier that week, I noticed an eel-like fish coming up to the surface and sipping air just below the silt line; where clear runoff river water met the cold glacial runoff river water. The night before, I had a client sink some salmon eggs to the bottom in an attempt to catch newly arrived silver salmon. However, we hooked two fish that were a little too small to stay on the hook, definitely not Salmon! I had a sneaking suspicion I knew what it was, so I talked my crew into deadsticking some lines on the bottom over lunch. 

Needless to say, lunch did not go well that day. Burbot slime everywhere! The Burbot bit was on! However, it was a blast and landed loads of Burbot. 

A Peice Of History.

The Longnose Sucker!

In Ichthyology at Frostburg State University, I first learned about the interesting range of the Longnose Sucker. I was immediately enamored by the idea of a few isolated populations leftover from the ice age; that were located right close by! While I am not a so-called, 'lifelister,' I do enjoy encountering new species and always wanted to go fish for one. Unfortunately, I moved out of Frostburg in May and was kicking myself the whole ride back to Jersey for not trying to catch one. 

Check out that little speck of green in Western Maryland, WV, and PA!! I was surrounded in Frostburg!

Fast forward a month, I am guiding in Alaska and what do I see creeping along the bottom of the river, Catostomus catostomus. I knew the moment I saw it, that the longnose was the only sucker within range. It was a little piece of Frostburg that had followed me all the way to Alaska, I had to get one. We, pretty much, only fished for Salmon and I knew I would have very little opportunity, if any, to try and catch one, but it couldn't be a coincidence! 

While in my personal time I almost always fly fish, I was a guide and had to fish a variety of ways. This particular week, the Salmon were almost exclusively hitting eggs, this was my chance. I had spinning tackle, I had Coho salmon eggs, and I had a fish I needed to catch... the Longnose Sucker, Catostomus catostomus. 

I am not going to lie, I was pretty excited to see my first Longnose Sucker. I may have been more excited to catch this fish than any other in Alaska. I think that they are beautiful and cool and can not wait until I catch another one. 

Soooooooo, I went to Alaska...

I spent the summer guiding Salmon fishing in Willow, Alaska @ Deshka Landing Charters and Lodge. 

I arrived on July 1st to record heat and some tough fishing conditions.  With King Salmon fishery closed in all the rivers accessible to us from the Lodge, we spent the early part of the summer waiting for the pink salmon bit to heat up.  

 However, my favorite thing to do was to get way upriver and hunt for Arctic Grayling and Native Rainbow Trout... Yes, I said NATIVE RAINBOW TROUT! I was pretty stoked about catching Rainbow trout that were not derived from some hatchery stock.  

However, Greyling were totally my favorite.  This was the first one of the season. Much more on Alaska later...