All American Fish on 4th of July Eve

I took a quick break from writing yesterday's post to go catch something. And get devoured by mosquitoes. The place, a small warm water stream. The tackle, a 6'6" 3wt fly rod. The fly, a simple featherwing streamer. The fish, very hungry.

Lepomis auritus

Semotilus corporalis

To make the trip fitting of the date though I had to catch some fish that are distinctly American. That was my mission. And it was a success. These two fish are both not only American by range but American by name. Of course, ideally I would have liked to have been in Florida and caught an Amnerican flagfish to celebrate Independence Day, but these two are fittingly gritty, tough, and sometimes way too good at populating a places.

Redfin pickerel, Esox americanus americanus

White perch, Morone americana

I hope you all had a fun and safe 4th of July. And please do take time to be thankful for one of the things that truly does make America exceptional: our vast areas of protected public lands.

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