Russian Gulch adventures

Nice bucket-head Juan!!!

NICE Juan:  as for that fish, I too am stumped.   

Jim

I know its not but the head shot of that little guy looks like a cute miniature yellowtail . What does a baby seabass look like?

Fishshim, I was thinking the same on the yellowtail, but won't allow myself to believe it.  I'm going to hit the books tonight.

Brian

Mark, you're right, it does look like a yellowtail. I couldn't put my finger on it till you mentioned it.
I wish I had better pics of it. Next time...

nice job Juan, we keep saying we are gonna try a launch from there, looks like we have to now.

-Patrick

Juan!!  Yeah man!!  Thats a helluva ling.

My guesses were also baby yellowtail (but then again its summer and I grew up fishing the Channel Islands and kelp paddies for them and I miss fishing for them and...), but yeah, just can't believe it, then maybe a jack mackerel, not that uncommon here, but just doesn't look right to me, but how about baby sablefish?  Just can't find a description of juvenile sablefish for color but juveniles can be found near the surface nearshore according to fishbase.  I don't know though, the coloring doesn't seem right.

Well I think I'll just rule out yellowtail with this link to a picture of a kingfish (thats what New Zealanders call yellowtail:
http://www.kingfishgowild.co.nz/images/juvenile_in_hand_11-15121.jpg

I am not quit sure but it looks like a baby sea bass.

Yep, it's not a yellowtail.  The operculum is too pointy as well.  Jack mackeral and sablefish where also on my short list.  Another one I was thinking of was Atka mackeral.

Anyway, what do we know? 

Green back and white bottom
Long and skinny
It doesn't seem to have an adipose fin.
spiny first dorsal
first and second dorsal fins seem separate
scales small
medium sized mouth in terminal position
tail slightly forked or at least straight or indented
pelvic fins? location?
not particularly toothy

This fish is going to keep me up tonight.

Brian

I sent the pix to Dr. Milton Love at UC Santa Barbara.  Hopefully he can help us, but the head does kinda look like a white sea bass, but I just don't know.

Jim

Great report and congratulations on the hawg.

Very nice trophy.



Jack

Nice job Juan, way to make the time off count.  Keep the roll going!!

Norm

By the way, I would also rule out White Seabass.  The head looks similar, but juvenile seaball do not have green backs that i have seen and typically have pronounced verticle black to grey bars on their side that fade with age, but can still be seen in many adults.  I spent some time with one of the grow out pens in Newport Harbor years ago.  I'm sure Dr. Love will be able to find it.  He has a great book that I have not been able to find.  A friend of mine had it and i always meant to get one, i think it was titled, "More Than You Evern Wanted to Know About the Fish of the..........(i think it was California Coast, but may have been the West Coast)."

Norm

I heard back from Milton this morning and he thinks it is a sablefish Anoplopoma fimbria.  Last night Brian and I had it narrowed down to sablefish as well, so I think that is probably what it is.  Milton wasn't sure though.  But I feel pretty good that Brian and I came up with the same fish that Milton Love came up with. SO I think that's the best we can do.

Jim