Oh I made another embroidery. This one was for my dad’s 75th birthday because he loves to fish.
@sassy1121 yeah…his birthday was actually in april when this was just a fish, a splash, and a couple of rocks with no scenery at all. *Luckily* me, my spouse, and our kids all got covid and couldn’t visit for Easter and his birthday, so I had lots of extra time.
Strange salmon So after the Pink salmon I promised some bonus fish, and here they are! These three were also featured on the poster. They’re all a bit unusual; they’re either a salmon but don’t behave like one, or vice versa. In order they are:
Steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss irideus) Also known as: Rainbow, redband (trout)
Steelhead are the anadromous form of the Rainbow trout. Meaning they, just like salmon, live at sea but are born and return to spawn in freshwater. However, unlike salmon, they don’t die afterwards. After regaining their strength at sea they may return multiple times, and Steelhead as old as 11 years have been found spawning. Unlike regular rainbows these fish develop very salmon-like heads when spawning, with long faces and slight kypes. Their beautiful spotting is very fine and unusually regular on the tail. This unique patterning is always present and can be used to identify them even at sea. Thanks to the rich marine environment, Steelhead grow big: 48" (122 cm) and 55 lbs (25 kg) is maximum, but 20-30″ (50-75 cm) and 5-20 lbs (2.5-9 kg) average.
Coastal cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii clarkii) Also known as: Sea-run cutthroat, Harvest (trout)
Coastal cutthroat are the anadromous form of the regular Cutthroat trout. Unlike Steelhead and Pacific salmon, Cutthroat do not make lengthy migrations out to sea. Often they just hang out in estuaries for a few months, spending much of the rest of the year in freshwater. Not all upriver migrations are to spawn either; sometimes they just want to overwinter or feed. When fresh out of saltwater Cutthroat can be quite silvery, with pale throat slashes. But as they approach spawning they become more and more yellow and the slashes that give them their name more pronounced red. Coastal cutthroats don’t grow very big: 24″ (60 cm) and 8 lbs (3.5 kg) is the recorded maximum, but average is 10-16″ (25-40 cm) and 1-5 lbs (0.5-2 kg).
Kokanee salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) Also known as: Kennerly’s salmon/trout, Kokanee trout, Silver trout, Little redfish, Kikanning, Walla
Kokanees are the landlocked form of the Sockeye. Instead of venturing to sea, they spend most of their time in lakes, swimming upriver from them to spawn. Their pocket size and habitat should make identification easy enough. Interestingly, they often bear spots on their back and tail, something Sockeyes never have. The red on their gill covers can also be more extensive. The comparatively nutrient poor lake environment keeps Kokanees at an almost dwarf size compared to Sockeyes. Maximum size is 20″ (50 cm) and 6.25 lbs (3 kg), but don’t expect more than 9-12″ (23-30 cm) and 1-3 lbs (0.5-1 kg) on average.
Here’s a fly storage cabinet that’s heading to MT tomorrow! It is stained in golden pecan with a painted brown trout on top. Up to 72 compartments to store flies! www.creeknuts.com #creeknuts #flyfishing #flytying #trout #browntrout #montana
Some dream kit heading to Montana from Creek Nuts!!
We introduced the Lightning Bug luminous Kebari in late winter in anticipation of warm weather, twilight and nighttime pond fishing. Now is that time! A small pond, some bluegill & bass and a cold beer or 3 are the makings of a memorable summer night!
“The little rod wore tenaciously on the rainbow, growing stronger, bending less, drawing easier. After what seemed an interminable period there in this foot-deep water, the battle ended abruptly with the bend off the rod drawing the fish head-on to the wet sand.
Certainly I had never seen anything so beautiful in color, so magnificent in contour. It was mother-of-pearl tinged with exquisite pink. The dots were scarcely discernible, and the fullness of swelling graceful curve seemed to outdo nature itself. How the small thoroughbred salmon-like head contrasted with the huge iron-jawed fierce-eyed head of the male I had caught first! It was strange to see the broader tail of the female, the thicker mass of muscled body, the larger fins. Nature had endowed this progenitor of the species, at least for the spawning season, with greater strength, speed, endurance, spirit and life.”
Zane Grey, from “The Dreadnaught Pool,” The Best of Zane Grey, Outdoorsman: Hunting and Fishing Tales, ed. George Reiger (Stackpole Books, 1992)
