(SALEM, Ore.-April 5, 2024) β April Foolβs Day was no joke for Oregon angler Rebecca Jones when she caught a monkeyface prickleback weighing 4.8 pounds and 28 inches long, potentially the new world record.
Jones dug sand shrimp earlyΒ MondayΒ morning then headed to Barview Jetty near Garibaldi hoping to catch rockfish for dinner. Instead, she hauled in an eel-like fish sheβd never seen before, the monkeyface prickleback.
βIβm relatively new to fishing and was losing bait off my line, but I kept at it. Within an hour of fishing, I felt another hit. It wasnβt a hard fight, the fish came right up,β Jones said. βBut it was a very strong fish though, I had to sit on it to get the hook out.β
Once Jones realized what she caught, she weighed and measured the fish, knowing this was a keeper and a potential record fish. She is applying toΒ the International Game Fish AssociationΒ to see if her catch could be a new record. TheΒ current world record monkeyface pricklebackΒ is three pounds four ounces, caught in Yaquina Bay in 2008.
Often called monkeyface eels because of their eel-like bodies, they are a species of prickleback fish that live in Oregonβs rocky shores within a small (15 feet) home range. More common along southern Oregon shores, anglers have reported catching them along the central and north coasts over the last 20 years. These hardy fish can survive out of the water for at least 35 hours.
Jones began fishing and hunting a few years ago, learning some basics from friends but is mostly self-taught. She watches hunting and fishing videos, reads books, magazines and the Oregon sport fishing and hunting regulations cover to cover.
βIβm passionate about fishing, hunting, crabbing, and clamming. And encouraging women to have and use these skills to pass on to the next generation. Taking advantage of the opportunities Oregon offers gives you self-confidence and self-efficiency,β Jones said.
Jones mostly hunts and fishes alone. She keeps safety at the forefront letting friends and family know where sheβs going and when to expect her to return, learned compass and map reading skills, uses GPS, and wonβt take a shot at animals she knows she canβt safely get to.
Sheβs been hunting deer, elk, and bear for three years. This year, sheβs trying her skills at spring turkey season. Living in Tillamook, Jones takes advantage of trout fishing and ocean fishing, landing ocean salmon, rockfish, and Dungeness crab.
If youβd like to learn more about hunting and fishing in Oregon, ODFW has plenty of information. Check our articles on how and where to get startedΒ fishingΒ ,Β big game huntingΒ , andΒ game bird huntingΒ . Or sign up forΒ a hunting or fishing workshopΒ .
