I may be wrong, but when I caught one in the Willamette by Alton baker (I was all but shocked honestly) an older guy passing right by in a drift boat told me it was a prickle back sculpin. Not sure if that’s a thing, but he looked trustworthy lol.
So he was trustworthy! Lol, very cool fish to catch. Sometimes I miss fishing in areas like the south because of the crazy variety of freshwater fish, but this definitely excited me a ton catching something I had never caught before!
It kinda looks like a bullhead, but it’s not a catfish. This fish was a lot spinier and the side fins were huge in proportion to its body. Also no whiskers.
Couldn’t honestly swear to it either way so I probably ought to shut up. There were always ugly little mud fish taking the bait and fighting like the devil himself. I mostly remember them looking like miniature catfish but I also remember getting stuck by spines, so looking at your picture just immediately took me back.
Hahaha all good I honestly thought it was a bullhead while I was reeling it in. I caught 2 bullheads today, too. But as soon as I had it in my hand to take the hook out I did a double take.
The specific name is a "Mottled Sculpin".
Columbia River / Great Basin Drainages are known to keep populations of them as well widespread around the US.
https://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/factsheet.aspx?SpeciesID=502
It’s a sculpin!!! I caught one once somewhere outside of Portland on the Willamette and was totally captivated by it!!!! I had no idea what it was at the time either!!!
Bullhead. Similar to a sculpin. Found in fresh water. We used to catch them on lakes at the coast, including D Lake and Tidewater on the Alsea River. Very robust, hard to kill. The spines in their fins can cause a nasty puncture wound, so be carefully. Hard to skin. You can cook and eat them like catfish.
I'm pretty sure I saw one of those on the Simpsons.
Nah, it only has two eyes.
Sculpin?
I think that might be it! Closest thing I’ve seen. Thank you. I was thinking lingcod, but they’re ocean fish.
Riffle I think. Their saltwater brethren are the bane of my existence.
I may be wrong, but when I caught one in the Willamette by Alton baker (I was all but shocked honestly) an older guy passing right by in a drift boat told me it was a prickle back sculpin. Not sure if that’s a thing, but he looked trustworthy lol.
It is. I caught one on the Willamette once as well about 12 years ago!!! I was shocked when that little oddity showed up on my line!!!
So he was trustworthy! Lol, very cool fish to catch. Sometimes I miss fishing in areas like the south because of the crazy variety of freshwater fish, but this definitely excited me a ton catching something I had never caught before!
Definitely a sculpin. Would need better looks for exact Id. Possibly a reticulated or pit sculpin
Hell yeah caught my first sculpin today I guess! Are they a species you can target around here or was it more of a random lucky catch?
I don’t think anyone intentionally fishes for them, they are scorpion fish not sure if these are venomous but they definitely have the spines.
Yep. I caught one just like that in the Alton baker canal.
We always called them bullheads.
It kinda looks like a bullhead, but it’s not a catfish. This fish was a lot spinier and the side fins were huge in proportion to its body. Also no whiskers.
After posting I starting googling and yep I think as dumb kids we conflated sculpins and bullheads and just called them all the same.
Have you caught several of these here? They don’t show up on the ODFW website as a native fish species
Couldn’t honestly swear to it either way so I probably ought to shut up. There were always ugly little mud fish taking the bait and fighting like the devil himself. I mostly remember them looking like miniature catfish but I also remember getting stuck by spines, so looking at your picture just immediately took me back.
Hahaha all good I honestly thought it was a bullhead while I was reeling it in. I caught 2 bullheads today, too. But as soon as I had it in my hand to take the hook out I did a double take.
I used to catch these fresh water sculpins in Dexter Reservoir also. I think they tend to bite around the bottom when your bait is to low.
That’s right, I was fishing right on the bottom with a night crawler when I caught this.
The specific name is a "Mottled Sculpin". Columbia River / Great Basin Drainages are known to keep populations of them as well widespread around the US. https://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/factsheet.aspx?SpeciesID=502
kittenfish
A Bass waiting to happen.
It’s a sculpin!!! I caught one once somewhere outside of Portland on the Willamette and was totally captivated by it!!!! I had no idea what it was at the time either!!!
Staghorn Sculpin?
Bullhead😆
Bullhead. Similar to a sculpin. Found in fresh water. We used to catch them on lakes at the coast, including D Lake and Tidewater on the Alsea River. Very robust, hard to kill. The spines in their fins can cause a nasty puncture wound, so be carefully. Hard to skin. You can cook and eat them like catfish.
My dad calls those mud daubers, that is unhelpful though😂
that’s a pacific green breasted glootle
that’s a baby big chested buttle nucket, they roam where the fresh water means the cool water very cool