Saw a sculpin for the first time yesterday

Getting Started
1

I was fishing on a small stream up in the Sierras, approx. 7,000 foot elevation, about 6:30 p.m. yesterday, and looked down just as I crossed over a small channel. I saw what looked like a piece of wood on the water moving downstream past me. It was about as big as my hand more or less. I ignored it and started to get ready to cast into the adjacent creek. Then I heard an odd flapping sound and looked down again. The sound was coming from the wood, which apparently wasn’t wood and wasn’t a bird but was flapping on its sides. It was flat, dark brown and almost black in color and not a frog. It moved across the water and seemed to be faster than the current. It was something I’d never seen before. I went through all of my books trying to identify it. My Hatch Matcher Pocket Guide mentioned a sculpin and the matching flies. My Orvis stream book had a photo of it. Otherwise nothing else mentioning it by name. The sculpin seems to live in trout streams and is not uncommon. But…
Why is this the first time I saw this little creature? I’ve fished that creek for over 10 years and never saw anything like it before.
Any input would be appreciated as now I’m fascinated by the sculpin. Will I see it again?

2

Sculpin tend to hold close to the bottom where they are extremely well camouflaged. Seems to me that the one you saw was not entirely healthy. If you watch carefully as you wade the rivers you will see them dart from rock to rock.

3

Thanks. I’ll be looking for them.

4

Any chance it was a tadpole? They sort of have the big-headed shaped of a sculpin. I don’t know…maybe frogs don’t lay eggs in water that cold?

5

It was as big as my hand - including fingers. We do have frogs up there so that is a possibity. The appearance seemed more like a sculpin except it was visible. About an hour down the hill is Angel’s Camp: Home of the Jumping Frog Contest. They get some pretty good sized frogs down there.

6

Big trout love sculpins, especially browns, thus the muddler minnow fly. While fishing the Box Canyon of the Henry’s Fork one early summer I looked down to see a sculpin as long as my hand and it was rust colored, not olive as we normally see them. I tied some up, but they never caught anything, sigh…

Kelly.

7

This Sculpin is suffering a severe case of anthropomorphism don’t you think? A face only a …could love. :smiley: Musta had something bad to eat for breakfast ;).

8

Sure doesn’t sound like any sculpin i have ever seen. The size especially and the “on the water” part. Can you describe the “flapping” a little bit further ? You’ve got my curiosity up now.

Rich