HOPPER1000'S CATCH LOG (under construction!!!!!!!)

(for real, still adding journal entries and pics rn bear with me)

At the time, I had no idea how much of my fishing life would end up revolving around them. I had just moved back to Southwest Florida from Dallas, Texas. "Hoodfishing" had just blown up on Instagram, and he kept posting these colorful fish. I asked my brother about them, and he said, "Yeah, we just got them."

"What do you mean, 'just got them'?"

He told me these fish were originally prevalent in Miami, but someone had brought them over to Fort Myers. Enough had reproduced in our canal system for a large population to become established in Southwest Florida. He said we even had some in the canal across the street.

We walked over to the canal, and sure enough, I saw four or five of them right there. They quickly darted around in the sunlight. Big ones, too.

One thing worth noting is that these fish aren't actually native to Florida—they're originally from Brazil.

The story begins in the 1980s with the Mayan Cichlid and the illegal aquarium trade. People were importing exotic fish for their home aquariums, only to realize they couldn't properly care for them. Many ended up releasing them into Miami's canal system. One of those species was the Mayan Cichlid.

The Mayan Cichlid population exploded so rapidly that the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) devised a plan to help control these invasive fish.

Their genius idea? Introduce another exotic species—one even more aggressive—that would prey on the other invasive fish.

That fish was the Peacock Bass.

Because Peacock Bass are notoriously aggressive predators, the hope was that they would help clean up Miami's canals.

What actually happened was that the Peacock Bass thrived, reproduced, and established themselves as another exotic invasive fish in South Florida.

I had just moved back

My dream fish. A nocturnal and tropical fish, native to Southeast Asia. When I first came across photos of the Clown, I instantly connected with it. It looked so majestic, alien, and mythical. Powerfully surreal. Something about this fish spoke to me.

There is a small population of Clown Knife located in Southeast Florida, the only place in the USA where it's possible to catch them. But even so, it is a notoriously difficult catch. I researched waters to catch it. I dragged friends and lovers alike on extensive journeys through Florida, hoping to catch the mythical fish. Each one of these trips ended the same. The sun went down, and many hours and dollars later we had no Clown. No matter what bait we used, the Clown proved to be an elusive and challenging fish.

My birthday was coming up, and I knew that finally catching the Clown could be a special gift to myself. I was turning 30 this year, and all of my recent birthdays were wasted in alcohol-fueled nightclubs. I couldn't remember most of them. I wanted this birthday to be different. Me and my best friend took a 4-day trip to Miami, Florida.

We fished nonstop for 15 hours every day. We bounced around the East Coast of Florida, searching for Clown. We braved rainstorms and drove many miles. On night 2, during a heavy rain, i ran into my first Clown. It was hiding in some foliage outside of storm drain in Boynton Beach, Florida. It swam away quickly and gracefully, but this short sighting filled me with an intense longing. The Clown was real.

We spent days in Miami catching all sorts of fish. Peacock Bass, Snakehead, Catfish, Largemouth, but no Clowns. Eating Cuban food, sharing moments of laughter and reflection. Fishing with different friends along the way.

Day 3. We were fishing the E-4 canal system at 1:30am, when I felt a strong bite. It was a clown. after 40+ hours of fishing, I finally caught the Clown Knife fish. 3 days after my 30th birthday. A symbol and testament to my lifelong pursuit of adventure, and an oath to the endless preservation of myth-making.

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Sheepshead are very common. You can find them at just about any dock in Florida, eating the barnacles off boats and pilings. They feed on shellfish like shrimp, barnacles, and oysters. They have human-like teeth that crush open these shells, and even though they aren't predatory fish, their teeth can easily put you in the hospital. You can usually spot their black-and-white stripes from a distance, which is why sometimes we call them "convicts" or "jailbirds." The bigger ones can grow to be the size of footballs. They're one of my favorite fish to eat. I catch most of mine in Cape Coral, Florida, but you can find them anywhere there's saltwater. Super common.

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