My goal today was to target the Pumpkinseed sunfish. A little research suggested that although Pumpkinseed are not native to the Pacific Northwest, they are common in lakes throughout the region.

My son-in-law Luke, my daughter Meredith, and my grandchildren Nora and Henry—who all enjoy fishing—joined me. We all live in North Bend, Washington, with Meredith and her family just two miles from my second home.

We decided to start at a small lake called Borst Lake, just north of Snoqualmie. Pumpkinseed are said to be easily caught with a simple bobber and worm setup. Borst Lake looked promising, but after about 45 minutes without a single bite, we gave up.

We then considered other options. After a bit of internet searching, Meredith found Lake Alice, a couple of miles south of Fall City, so we headed there. It turned out to be a small but very clean lake, surrounded by beautiful homes. I felt optimistic.

I set up a small bobber, a size 8 hook, and a piece of worm, casting toward some docks and boats about 30 feet away. It wasn’t long before the bobber dipped under. I reeled in a small sunfish which, to my delight, turned out to be a Pumpkinseed—mission accomplished!

The fish was quite small, easily fitting into my son-in-law’s palm, and had the characteristic red rim at the end of its opercular flap. I posted a picture to iNaturalist, which confirmed the identification. We stayed a little longer and Meredith, Nora, and Henry all caught a Pumpkinseed. Luke and I also tried to catch largemouth bass but were unsuccessful.

I now have four sunfish species to my credit: Bluegill, Green Sunfish, Pumpkinseed and Rock Bass.