I really thought this fish was going to go well over 5. It was long enough, and had a big enough frame, that it could have gone a solid 6 lbs pre-spawn, but she was spawned out, and kind of flat like a pancake. Ended up only going 4.9 lbs. Still not a bad one I guess.

I do like the photo a lot though. What I would give for that sky, in a lot of my nature shots !

Oh, and what the hey, let me squeeze in a few of my other shots from this week....

White Necked Stilt

Meadowlark closeup

And hey now, this is a lousy, 100% crop.... I intend to do WAAAY better with this guy in the future. But for now....

This is a 3 year juvenile Golden Eagle ! It lives only a few miles from my house. These dudes are ENORMOUS ! They can have a wingspan up to 8ft ! Yes... 96" ! I think this guy is at least 80" or so.

I want a dead-ringer shot of him, like I want a 19 lb Bass !!!! One of these days....

Hope you enjoy them

Peace,

Fish

PS, BTW, in case these shots are too large to view on your monitor, without scrolling, did you know that if you hold the control button (bottom left) on your key pad, then hit the - (that is, the minus button, above, and just to the right of the "P" button) it will instantly shrink the image down on your screen to whatever you need for easy viewing. To size back up, simply hold the control button again, and then hit the plus button a time or two Really quick and easy little trick.

Awesome pics, very crisp.... That must be a top notch camera!

Thank you SmallieFever

Well, the Smallie shot was taken with my trusty Canon A650IS... Only $230 when I bought it 3 years ago. But then again, when your shooting up close (for fish shots) in good lighting, a decent point and shoot is all you need.

As for my DSLR, it's still only Canon's entry level T1i... about $500. It's the lens on that camera that makes all the difference. My birding lens is a 400mm 5.6, and it cost $1200 ! {and it's considered the "poor mans birding lens". A 400mm 2.8 is going for about $10,000 !!!}

Peace,

Fish

I was rooting for a picture of the new California

State Record. Maybe you will have a shot again

next year.

8-)

Nice fish,great shots,the meadowlark d**n near jumps off the screen.The eagle looks like it was just cruising through checking out your fish....heads up!Thanks for the tip.

Awesome fish, awesome pics! thanks for sharing.

Great pics! I always enjoy your fish and nature shots.

Great fish and other photos.

nice one

That's what fishing is all about...a fat pig smally and NATURE!!!  I love this time of year 'cuz all the flowers will be in bloom and the rivers/creeks will smell the best of the best.  Nothin' like sittin' back and takin' a break from fishin' and takin' a gander at what's out there--birds and animals everywhere.  Good pics and a great fish.  Fish on.  John.