Minnows rarely make the news.

Yet a quick search for “Virginia fallfish” turns up what seems to be a relentless pursuit among anglers of the commonwealth to find bigger and bigger  examples of Semotilus corporalis. Josh Dolin is the latest fisherman to get his name attached to this underrepresented species.

Yes. Fallfish are underrepresented. They rise to dry flies. They fight as hard, if not harder, than trout of equal size. And they are native to many eastern streams that are considered trout water… even though those trout happen to be from Europe or the American west.

Obviously, there are plenty of significant differences between trout and this largest member of the minnow family. There probably shouldn’t be an initiative to establish Fallfish Unlimited or carve out a few aisles at Bass Pro for fallfish gear. That doesn’t diminish the value of the species or the legitimate intrigue of a 3 pound, 9.5 ounce exemplar.

In fact, here are three reasons why you should celebrate this fallfish and other catches like it:

Celebrate Big Fish

Big, at the species level, is a relative qualifier. If you pursue trout in the mountains, you can appreciate a ten-inch fish. Under general conditions, a sub-foot trout isn’t remarkable. High up in the hills, ten inches is a trophy.  If you want to get picky, anything and everything anyone will ever catch is tiny compared to a whale shark. No one thinks in those terms, though. We should get excited about exceptional specimens. That largest catch reframes what we know about any given kind of fish. And it pushes our imaginations as we assume there is certainly a bigger one out there.

Celebrate Native Fish

A big, hard fighting fallfish isn’t anything to  look down upon. And in western Virginia, you’ll be fighting fallfish within their historic range. The same can’t be said about brown trout, walleye, and musky. Those species might be flashier, but they have an objectively artificial element when found in the same Appalachian waters where the fallfish in question was caught. Consistent conservation can’t be pragmatic: it has to exalt the native species even if they’re considered less desirable for sporting purposes or table fare.

Celebrate Fishermen

This gentleman, Josh Dolin, knew exactly what he was doing when he drove, hiked, and fished on that May morning. He was hunting a big fallfish. We get excited when someone stumbles into a record catch. We should give an extra tip of the fishing cap to the men and women who plan for such catches  and succeed. Pursuing big fish isn’t for everyone. The reason is the rigor that it entails. Whether it is a largemouth bass, a tuna, or a fallfish, those whose plans come through should be appreciated.

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Want to read the story of this fallfish? Head over to Outdoor Life‘s website.

The best line in the whole story, as pointed out by my friend who sent me the article: “I know there’s a bigger one in there.”