Did two weekend road trips recently, one to southern Illinois and the other to southeastern Missouri. A friend of a friend wanted to catch gar, bowfin, and sturgeon, the prehistoric fish of the Mississippi. He flew in to the St. Louis airport, and I picked him up. I was able to deliver on the first two, but the Mississippi itself was 10 feet above normal levels so we weren't able to fish my go-to spot for sturgeon.
Gar and bowfin habitat.
My shortnose gar.
My Bowfin - and my first on a lure!
Gabrielle's Bowfin - note the lucky t-shirt.
My spotted gar.
My first spinner-caught freshwater drum.
Bighead carp - foul hooked, they weren't actively feeding.
Silver carp - also foul hooked.
Second trip was with Steve Wozniak, the guy who has ~1600 species on his lifelist. He roped me into going down to SE Missouri to go after a few tough species. I did the trip hobo style, sleeping in my car next to a spillway.
Shortnose gar.
Green sunfish.
Warmouth.
Rattletrap flathead.
Creek chubsucker - a very tough new lifer!
Another one, just to show off.
Underwater shot of the release.
Gilt darter - second new lifer.
Ozark chub - third new lifer.
Rainbow darter.
Logperch.
Northern Hogsucker.
Under water shot.
