Lepomis gibbosus

Here is the third fish in the project that has been succesfully landed.  This is our Pumpkinseed, of the sunfish family.  A hand tied fly was used for bait, a small woolly bugger.  Other baits were presented but the fish only were interested in looking today.  This fish was caught near some structure in roughly 10 feet of water.

Pumpkinseed : Lepomis gibbosus

This fish measured roughly 7 inches and was the only succesfully landed pumpkinseed of the afternoon.  I did land several other species today including bluegill, largemouth bass, a single emerald shiner, and a quantity of small perch.  I certainly hope some salmonids are on the near horizon.  All in all a fun 2 hours, got a small dose of spring sun as well.  More to come soon.

Micropterus salmoides

The second successfully caught and photographed specimen in the Great Lakes Fish Project.  I biked to a harbor today and fished in some sailboat slips, the bass were visible but very lethargic.  They would do little more than look at my bait and then move on.  After some adjustments to tackle and presentation I landed a couple and choose the most pristine and well proportioned to photograph.  Here it is:

Largemouth Bass : Micropterus salmoides

There were also some bluegull and a small catfish that wanted nothing to do with me, I'll have to get after them another day. The weather is looking nice this weekend, get out and fish.

The Urban Fitzgerald

I woke up to a sunny sky and moderate temperatures this morning so I decided a trip to the river near me could provide an opportunity to catch some fish in a Great Lakes tributary.

While exploring the bank and working a jig I stumbled across the bones of an old wooden boat.  This wreck is located right next to a school in an urban neighborhood.  I climbed out into some trees and took some frames of the wooden interior of the wreck.

I ended up landing zero fish, but I did explore a half mile of shoreline and get a work out on the bike ride to and from the river.

The Great Lakes Fish Project

Since moving to Chicago and getting the lay of the land (and the water) I've been looking for a new photography project, and as a first post here at great lakes angler it seems fitting to announce the great lakes fish project.

I've set out to photograph every species of fish currently residing in the great lakes.  I've been working on a small portable fish photo lab that I can bring to the water with me.  

Yellow Perch : Perca flavescens

The Yellow perch is the first in the list of great lakes species that I've been able to land and photograph.  Now that the ice is fleeting and average surface temperature of lake michigan is up around 37 degrees I should be able to target Coho, Brown Trout, Steelhead, Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass, as well as other panfish.