10 months and 6 days ago…

May 12, 2013
10 months and 6 days ago I set out for my first ever attempt at microfishing.  It was the the day I first began tracking my fishing species lifelist. The target on that day was sticklebacks and I had returned empty-handed. Through the summer and the fall I continued to pursue my first ever microfishing target:  the brook stickleback. Hours were spent hunched over and still, watching one or two swim past my hooks. Fast forward to now.  Picking my car up from the mechanic I decided to have a look at the small streams in the area. I connected with some blacknose dace: DSCN3101.jpg DSCN3111.jpg Things were looking up, but that's about all I could find! Blacknose dace everywhere and one odd common shiner. I reached an impasse in the stream and, on my way around it, I noticed a still pool of water that had been filled by previously high water levels. There were some fish in there, so I decided to give this new habitat a try. Most were spooked away from me, and I could see more of the ever-present blacknose dace swimming about. I decided to try poking the worm under the log by my feet.  It looked like a likely hiding spot for small fish. And this little guy popped out to bite my hook: DSCN3124.jpg Followed by his partner: DSCN3146.jpg New species for me, the Brook stickleback!  A "long time" nemesis and my first ever micro-fishing target has been accomplished.

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