| Big news for all the minnow catchers of the | | | | catching small fish, I will soon be the world |
| world.In a recent article I read near the end | | | | record holder for smallest fish caught with a |
| of January, scientists think they have | | | | fly. Even as we speak I am contacting the |
| discovered what is the world's smallest fish. | | | | folks at Gamakatsu hook manufacturers, trying |
| The Paedocypris progenetica-a member of the | | | | to get them to make up a bunch of #173 size |
| carp family-has been found in a peat swamp in | | | | hooks, so that I can tie the world's smallest |
| Indonesia.The little fellar or "lady" as it | | | | fly.Provided the Paedocypris procrastinaticus |
| turns out, is a whopping 7.9 millemeters long | | | | will take a fly.I also am contacting G. |
| and has a complete vertebrae in it's tiny | | | | Loomis to see if I can get a .005 weight |
| little "micro-carp" body.This has the boys | | | | custom "A.J. Klott special" rod manufactured |
| down at the Raffles Museum of Biodiversity | | | | for what surely will become the next craze in |
| Research doing handsprings and high fiving | | | | the fishing world. You can almost see ESPN |
| each other in what must resemble a Super Bowl | | | | hosting the world's first Microfishing |
| like celebration.If I had known this was | | | | Championships of the World where heavily |
| going to be such big news, I would have long | | | | sponsored small fish enthusiasts compete for |
| ago invited the research team on one of my | | | | the BIG Bucks!!The markrting team down at |
| fishing adventures, because surely they would | | | | Intel better take note of this, because they |
| have gone ape every time I hauled in a one | | | | will want to surely get first crack at |
| inch fingerling on my three inch fly.Now that | | | | sponsoring a "micro event " like this.The |
| is something to get excited about.The article | | | | weigh in should be an extremely tense moment, |
| goes on to state that the new species was | | | | when contestants pull their Indo-Pacific |
| found in a highly acidic peat swamp on the | | | | Gobys, Paedocypris giganticas, and |
| island of Sumatra in water that most | | | | Schindleria brevipinguis, out from their live |
| fishermen will refer to as "frog water". Dark | | | | wells and leap high into the air as the |
| tea colored water that is 100 times more | | | | winning kilograms are announced. Sprinting |
| acidic than rainwater. More important than | | | | about fanatically with tweezers aloft, |
| that it states that the male "carplet" | | | | showing the world their impish trophy, and |
| evidently has an enlarged pelvic fin and | | | | tearfully thanking the folks at Trilby |
| exceptionally large muscles that it uses to | | | | Tropicals for supplying the brine shrimp bait |
| grasp the female during fishy | | | | that brought in the "smallie".Don't laugh-it |
| copulation.Outside of the facts that I am | | | | can happen!Anyway, next time you are out |
| extremly uncomfortable knowing that the Bio | | | | fishing and feel that frustrating feeling of |
| boys are engaging in fish voyeurism and that | | | | having another guppy stealing your bait, you |
| the male "mini-carp" is forcing himself on | | | | might want to just double check that fish |
| the smaller female of the specie, it is | | | | that appears to be half the size of your |
| exciting that in this day and age we can | | | | hook. You may have just earned your way into |
| still find any new specie of any sort.Of | | | | the annals of fishing history or better yet, |
| course the usual doom and gloom comes with | | | | earned yourself a place at the Royal Society |
| the finding, as peat swamps are under threat | | | | of Londons next big fish fry......A.J. |
| in Indonesia due to fires lit by plantation | | | | KlottAuthor, writer of fishing humor,and "fly |
| owners and unchecked development and | | | | tack" peddler.A.J. writes about the |
| farming.I for one, hope to make it to Sumatra | | | | people,characters and modern day events that |
| soon- because this may be my only chance to | | | | surround the fishing world. His first book is |
| make it into any record book of any kind. I | | | | due out in December of 2005. |
| am confident that with my past history of | | | | |