C6
OUTSIDE
East Oregonian
Saturday, June 1, 2019
CAUGHT OVGARD
Chasing ‘common’ fish can be exercise in frustration
By LUKE OVGARD
For the East Oregonian
PORTLAND — “Com-
mon” is a rapper, the least
valuable Pokémon card des-
ignation and the most preva-
lent stock you can buy.
It’s a word that gets
thrown around a lot, and it
can be very frustrating for
those who hear it — espe-
cially for anglers who rou-
tinely try to catch “common”
fish and fail miserably.
For those looking to catch
something new for a change,
those common fish present
a great opportunity. They’ll
usually take a worm, can be
found all over and can stave
away the skunk on an other-
wise slow day.
For a species hunter such
as myself, someone who is
constantly trying to catch
new species in an eternal
#SpeciesQuest, “common
fish” are irresistible.
In Oregon’s Columbia
River Basin, two of the most
common native fish are the
peamouth chub, Mylocheilus
caurinus, and the largescale
sucker, Castostomus macro-
cheilus. These fish are found
all over the Pacific Northwest
and well into the Rockies.
Chubs and suckers aren’t
terribly popular as gamefish
or food fish and tend to be
bycatch.
Peamouth chubs live up
to their name. They are small
fish with small mouths that
only grow to a maximum of
around a pound.
Largescale sucker, on
the other hand, feed on the
bottom and can grow quite
large. In some circles, larges-
cale suckers actually quite
popular as food fish given
their firm, white flesh.
Neither is regularly tar-
geted by anglers.
Neither is supposed to be
hard to catch.
Both proved to be a strug-
gle for me.
Rare
I’ve caught dozens of
fish in Oregon supposedly
rarer than these two. Within
the Columbia system alone,
I’ve caught chiselmouth,
threespine stickleback, trout,
sturgeon, salmon and half a
dozen species of sculpin —
all of which are native.
To make matters worse,
I’ve caught common carp,
largemouth and smallmouth
bass, bluegill, green sunfish,
pumpkinseed, black crappie,
Photo provided by Luke Ovgard
Largescale sucker are a widespread western species capable of reaching nearly 30 inches in length. They are allegedly a good food fish, though I had nowhere
to cook mine, so I let both go.
yellow perch, brown and yel-
low bullhead and even banded
killifish — all of which are
invasive species and almost
all of which are popular with
anglers.
But no peamouth and no
largescales.
It’s infuriating, really.
Any time I was in Portland
for work, I’d plunk worms
with my free time. When the
sturgeon weren’t biting, I was
waiting on the shores of the
Clackamas, Willamette or
Columbia hoping for a dif-
ferent bottom-feeder. I saw a
dozen largescales and a hand-
ful of peamouth caught by
anglers fishing right next to
me, but I never caught one
myself.
When my brother, Gabe,
lived in Corvallis, I spent
hours at the nearby Willa-
mette hoping a sucker would
take a worm. None did.
Some people have a fish
they just cannot catch, a
“nemefish” of sorts. I had two.
In fact, I’d caught all but
three native fish found in the
Lower Columbia Basin (sand
roller, Paiute sculpin and mar-
Photo provided by Luke Ovgard
Peamouth chub are a common native fish throughout the Co-
lumbia system. They’re often confused with native northern
pikeminnow and chiselmouth but can be differentiated by
the short, rounded head and jaw that ends well before the
front of the eye.
gined sculpin) before I finally
caught these “common”
species.
Salt
Throwing a pinch of salt
over your shoulder is said
to be lucky. I don’t know if
that’s true, but I know Morton
Salt’s slogan “When it rains, it
pours” certainly is.
On a rainy day in late
March, I decided to yet again
try for my nemefish.
I was fishing far enough
downstream that I knew I
could luck into a starry floun-
der (one of my saltwater
nemefish that often ventures
into the river), so I was con-
fident. I was bound to catch a
new fish.
I connected a 1-ounce
weight to the bottom of what
I’ve most commonly heard
called a “fishfinder rig” or a
“crappie rig” with two hooks
pointed in opposite direc-
tions. For me, No. 8 hooks
each baited with half of a
nightcrawler were the ticket.
I quickly caught a prickly
sculpin. Then a juvenile
salmon. Then a northern
pikeminnow.
All fish were released
unharmed, but my patience
was suffering.
When it started pour-
ing rain, I lamented leav-
ing my rain gear in the car
a distant walk away and set
the timer on my phone to
15 minutes.
Apparently, my ultima-
tum worked because my rod
bounced, and I landed my
first largescale.
Minutes later, I got another.
Not only had I defeated a
nemefish, but I’d caught two
in under 15 minutes. Not bad.
Rain
“When it rains, it pours,”
I mused to myself, running
to the car minutes later com-
pletely soaked but incredi-
bly happy with my morning
so far.
I drove to the other side
of the river and set up fishing
the public docks.
It was more of the same
as prickly sculpin found my
bait almost immediately.
After almost two hours
of moving along the shore-
line,
battling
intermit-
tent rain and more consis-
tent hunger, my rod dipped
again.
Imagine my surprise
when I reeled in my other
nemefish:
a
peamouth
chub.
Here I’d spent years chas-
ing these fish only to get them
both in the same morning.
Amazing.
They just might be com-
mon, after all.
———
Read more at caughtov-
gard.com; Follow on Ins-
tagram and Fishbrain @
lukeovgard; Contact luke.
ovgard@gmail.com.
Northern Gentian a hidden
Blue Mountain gem
By BRUCE BARNES
For the East Oregonian
Courtesy photo
Zoos and aquariums with outdoor exhibits make for wonderful, family-friendly weekend getaways.
Kid-friendly weekend getaways in the outdoors
Metro Creative Services
Weekend getaways in the
great outdoors can be a great
way for families to break
from the norm and spend
some quality time together
while getting some fresh air.
Such trips are popular, as the
U.S. Travel Association notes
that nearly three out of four
domestic trips are taken for
leisure purposes.
Families looking to get
away from home on week-
ends often look for activi-
ties or locales that appeal to
kids and parents alike while
getting everyone out of the
house. The following are a
handful of outdoor getaway
ideas the whole family can
enjoy.
Hiking: By 2015, the
United States was home to
nearly 240,000 miles of hik-
ing trails on federal and state
lands. Hiking opportunities
also are abundant in Can-
ada, where the 2016 Gen-
eral Social Survey found that
44% of Canadians go hik-
ing in a given year, making
it the country’s most pop-
ular outdoor activity. Hik-
ing is a rewarding, healthy
hobby that also happens to be
free, which can be especially
appealing to budget-con-
scious parents. When explor-
ing potential hiking destina-
tions, parents should look for
parks with kid-friendly trails.
Many parks have paved trails
on flat surfaces, which are
ideal for families with small
children.
Rivers/lakes: Escaping
to a nearby river or lake for a
day on the water can make for
a memorable, family-friendly
getaway. Look for activi-
ties like fishing and bring
your own rods or rent from
nearby bait and tackle shops.
If cruising is more your fam-
ily’s style, look for boat tours
that offer a chance to explore
local history while giving
the whole family a chance to
relax on a boat and soak up
some sun.
Zoo/aquarium: Accord-
ing to the Association of Zoos
& Aquariums, there are more
than 220 accredited zoos
and aquariums in the United
States and Canada. That
makes it easy for families that
live just about anywhere to
plan day trips to local zoos,
where they can spend the
day soaking up some sun and
marveling at exotic wildlife.
Zoos and aquariums with
outdoor exhibits make for
wonderful, family-friendly
weekend getaways.
Theme parks: Theme
parks make for a great week-
end getaways for families.
Many theme parks even
offer rides and attractions for
young children, but parents
should call ahead to confirm
this before planning their
trips.
Weekend getaways are
great ways for families to
spend time in the great out-
doors and take advantage of
local attractions. With some
simple investigation, families
might find there are lots of
local attractions within driv-
ing distance of their homes.
Name:
Northern
Gentian
Scientific Name: Gen-
tianella amarella
This is a small plant
about a foot high that I
found and photographed
in 2005, but I haven’t seen
this plant anywhere since.
It was along the north-
west border of Emigrant
Springs State Park in fairly
dense woods. It is known
to grow across Alaska and
Canada, and in the western
half of the U.S. to Mex-
ico, and is native to that
area. Northern Gentian is
one of 13 species of plants
from the Gentian family
that are found in the Blue
Mountains.
The Gentian plant
family, and three genera
in the family, Gentian,
Gentianopsis, and Gen-
tianella, were named for
King Gentius of Illyria.
He was credited with dis-
covering medicinal uses
for the plants. Illyria
refers to European tribes
of antiquity in the west-
ern portion of the Balkan
Peninsula.
The “ella” at the end of
Gentianella is Latin for
small, likely referring to
the small flowers of this
plant. Amarella is Latin for
bitter. So the name of this
plant translates as a small,
bitter gentian.
The leaves are some-
what egg-shaped, are
attached directly to the
Photo provided by Bruce Barnes
Northern Gentian,
tianella amarella.
Gen-
main stems, and have
acutely pointed tips. The
stems branch freely to cre-
ate a somewhat bushy over-
all shape for the plant. The
flowers are about an inch
long or less, and are pink
to blue or purple in color.
The flowers are somewhat
funnel-shaped, with four
lobes, which is consistent
with other species in the
same family.
In spite of the efforts of
King Gentius, I am unable
to find any information
indicating medical treat-
ments or other uses for this
plant.
Where to find: Though
I’ve only found this plant
once, it should be more
common than my luck
would indicate and should
be in moist soil in mead-
ows or in dense woods.