Bluntface Shiner!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

<p>Josh and I just got back from a journey of epic proportions. Though these photos will be seen in the upcoming parts 2 and 3 of our expedition, I wanted to take a little time to single this catch out for those who might not read about our entire journey.&nbsp;</p> <p>This is a bluntface shiner, a spawning male. It is one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen in my life. I was lucky enough to come across it on, fittingly, the most beautiful river I have ever seen in my whole life. Deep in the Ozarks on the Finley River in Missouri, Josh and I were searching for the elusive Ozark bass. We had to journey up a river with a bed made of algae-covered bedrock that is extremely treacherous. Halfway to our destination, I fell in the river and cut my left hand which left me bleeding badly. Refusing to acknowledge that I should probably go back and try to patch up my sliced fingers, I kept following Josh who had forged on quite a ways ahead. When we finally got to the destination and discovered the Ozark bass (see Josh&#39;s upcoming report for those beauties) I found a frenzied school of black redhorse and white suckers furiously feeding in a shool very closeby. I could not get any of them to turn, but one EXTREMELY aggressive fish came flying out of the school and repeatedly attacked the small hook and crawler I had on over and over. This fish was as aggressive as a Green Sunfish on steroids... and I had absolutely NO idea what in the heck it could possibly be. The water was clear like glass and i finally was able to hook the fish and bring it in. What followed was stunned disbelief as the two of us tried to figure out what in the name of god I had just caught.</p> <p>This joins my Black Redhorse and Highfin Carpsucker with the Ozark and Shadow Bass at the top of my list of most amazing and memorable super-rare catches. I have never seen colors like this on a fish before - and I am glad the camera was able to capture the iridescents that made it blaze like it was part of a northern lights show plucked from the sky and given form as a fish. The dorsal fin on this fish was huge. If I am never blessed to come across another one in my whole life I am thankful that I got one chance to experience holding this beautiful jewel for the brief amount of time I did before sending him back to the waters from which he came.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;<img alt="" src="http://roughfish.com/~roughfis/sites/default/files/Bluntfaced%20Shiner.jpg" style="float: left; width: 960px; height: 335px; " /></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><img alt="" src="http://roughfish.com/~roughfis/sites/default/files/Bluntfaced%20Shiner%2002.jpg" style="margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; float: left; width: 960px; height: 548px; " /><img alt="" src="http://roughfish.com/~roughfis/sites/default/files/Bluntfaced%20Shiner%2003.jpg" style="margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; float: left; width: 960px; height: 451px; " /><img alt="" src="http://roughfish.com/~roughfis/sites/default/files/Bluntfaced%20Shiner%2004.jpg" style="margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; float: left; width: 720px; height: 960px; " /></p> <p>&nbsp;</p>