Matt L. Johnson
LightNews LightNews
banner
alta-aqua.bsky.social
Matt L. Johnson
@alta-aqua.bsky.social
120 followers 17 following 89 posts
I like to take pictures of fish.
Posts Replies Media Videos
alta-aqua.bsky.social
A bear navigates the netting at the Sooke River fish counting ladder.
The netting ends like 15’ to his left.
October 15, 2025 at 7:50 AM
alta-aqua.bsky.social
This jellyfish is a little lost.
October 12, 2025 at 12:50 AM
alta-aqua.bsky.social
A variablelined fusilier snagged on a Malosi Rougue while searching for other reef species.
If you’re snagging baitfish you know you’re casting in a good spot.

Sometimes I really miss working in Oman.
August 17, 2025 at 11:38 PM
alta-aqua.bsky.social
I’m thinking about Kob.
April 23, 2025 at 4:57 PM
alta-aqua.bsky.social
The koningsdam, the John Franklin and the Laurier.

I was walking between guard posts today and saw this neat little line of ships.

Shot on an iPhone 13 and processed over lunch on Lightroom mobile

#photography #ships
#VictoriaBC #BC #lightroom #coastguard
April 4, 2025 at 11:46 PM
alta-aqua.bsky.social
A big ass milkfish that are a rapala X-plode popper (you read that right). It was a little overpowered by the GT gear and was fresh when it made it in the net. Which is why it took both of us to hold it.

#milkfish #GT #fishing #fish #popper #idontknowhowblueskyhashtagswork
March 21, 2025 at 6:13 PM
alta-aqua.bsky.social
My 30th trip around the sun starts today.
March 18, 2025 at 8:25 PM
alta-aqua.bsky.social
A small lemon shark I caught in a little estuary back in Oman.

#shark #oman #lemon #fishing #fish
March 5, 2025 at 4:45 PM
alta-aqua.bsky.social
The boy had fun in Tofino and Ucluelet.
#westcoast #dogs #beach #tofino #vancouverisland #pomsky
March 3, 2025 at 8:08 PM
alta-aqua.bsky.social
An epaulette grouper.
These things are usually pretty timid ambush predators but will surprise you every once in a while with an eat on your sinking stickbait.
February 22, 2025 at 4:30 AM
alta-aqua.bsky.social
On a brighter note, a shiny talang queenfish! These things were very prevalent in Omani waters. The largest I weighed was over 17kg but we would occasionally catch larger ones.
Importantly, GT would lurk near schools of queens and steal food or lures from them.
#photography #queen #fish #travel
A talang queenfish in an angler’s lap. The picture is cropped in to show the fish’s head. A solid sparkly white surface lure hangs from the fishes mouth by its tail treble hook. The queenfish is a deep bodied but otherwise very thin fish with a dark grey color along its top, a bright silver side and a white belly. The angler is holding the fish still by its jaw so you can see the inside of the mouth. There are very small teeth along its jaw.
February 18, 2025 at 8:25 PM
alta-aqua.bsky.social
A male and female broomtail wrasse. Male is darker with the more feathered tale.
All of these are born female and transition to male later in life. Sometime you’d catch one in between both colour phases.
#fish #flyfishing #fishing #oman #redsea #travel
The male brromtail wrasse. It has a vibrant green head with purple speckling. Its eyes blend in with its skin and even share the speckling. Its body is much darker green with a yellow vertical stripe and hot orange pectoral fins. The rear of the body continues to darken up to the tail which is blueish purple and spiked like a crown tail betta. The female broomtail. Its head is much more pointed than the male, and the entire fish is light green or sand colored. Its pectoral fins are still orange but not as vibrant as the male’s. Its tail is also blue and purple but very faded compared to the male.
February 16, 2025 at 7:58 PM
alta-aqua.bsky.social
A black tip trevally from 2023. This fish ate a big GT popper. I like this iPhone shot because of the healed injury to the fish’s upper jaw. I assume this fish was caught when it was younger and the lip was damaged. Makes for a mean mugshot.
#fish #fishing #mugshot #travel #popping #trevally
February 15, 2025 at 9:18 PM
alta-aqua.bsky.social
Weird shit can happen fishing. These are BKK GT-Rex tables both opened on a GT after only being hooked for a matter of seconds. It was a monster fish, but I’m not sure how it did that.
This was from my first season in Oman.
#GT #poppers #fishing #oman #travel #bkk #fish
February 14, 2025 at 8:39 PM
alta-aqua.bsky.social
A shortnose Redhorse from years ago, caught by my friend James on the North Saskatchewan River while fishing for sturgeon. I always admired how well these fought.

#fish #canada #edmonton #rivervalley #travel #fishing
February 13, 2025 at 3:05 PM
alta-aqua.bsky.social
A Cobia, also called a prodigal son for its tendency to show up and save a slow day of fishing.
This one was jigged off a rock I spotted in the middle of nowhere on the fish finder while I was guiding in Oman.

#fish #cobia #jigging #fishing #photography #Lightroom #oman #travel
February 12, 2025 at 6:43 PM
alta-aqua.bsky.social
A silly moment from a couple years ago in Oman.
#flyfishing #fishing #squid #cuttlefish #cuttlefishnandasparagus #oman #travel #skinnywaterculture
February 10, 2025 at 7:39 PM
alta-aqua.bsky.social
Big ass red bass ate this BL Arise boatside. Nearly took the rod out of my clients hand.
Then a monster potato grouper tried to eat the bass before I netted it.
The big teeth and lure made for a memorable photo.
#fishing #blackledgelures #stickbait #salty #photography #lightroom #oman #GT
February 7, 2025 at 9:51 PM
alta-aqua.bsky.social
These sea catfish are very underrated. This one was caught swarming a bait ball with a dozen of its friends. We thought they were small sharks from a distance because of their dorsal fins sticking out of the water.
This was in 80m of water.
Plus look at that pattern!
#fish #oman #fishing
#travel #catfish #ocean
February 6, 2025 at 11:20 PM
alta-aqua.bsky.social
A striped marlin swim release from a double up just over a year ago.
We’re still fighting the other one one a popping rod off the starboard side.
#marlin #stripes #swim #fishing #billfish #travel #Oman #gopro #lightroom #adventure
February 5, 2025 at 11:21 PM
alta-aqua.bsky.social
In the face of growing economic and political pressures, I must perfisht.
Big ass Blacktip trev. The black tip is on its tail. These remind me of Jack Crevalle. But these are long and slender where jacks are stockier.
#badjoke #fish #trevally #topwater #oman #alta-aqua #travel #lightroom
February 4, 2025 at 5:30 PM
alta-aqua.bsky.social
A chunky Kosi Rockskipper, Pereulixia kosiensis, caught in inches of water while exploring an Omani desert island in late October, 2023.

This was just bycatch but I thought it was neat.

#fish #fishing #flexo #flyfishing #travel #oman #travel #desert
January 31, 2025 at 7:50 PM
alta-aqua.bsky.social
#tbt the day my clients and I pulled off a double up of 60kg+ GT in rough weather conditions.
Talk about stressful 😮‍💨
Both released.

#gt #fishing #oman #travel #fish #ocean #poppers #stickbaits
January 30, 2025 at 3:38 PM
alta-aqua.bsky.social
There was a snafu with the boat this morning that kept us off the water, so I decided to enlist my father into taking pictures of GT lures for an article I’m writing.

#fish #fishing #GiantTrevally #GT
January 27, 2025 at 12:55 AM
alta-aqua.bsky.social
A lunar fusilier caught off the back of NoBoundaries Mothership, Notus Temptress.
They would school in the hundreds in the ships lights.
This picture has had its color saturation turned up as the lights wash out the colors.
#fishing #flyfishing #travel #salty #oman #fish #photo
January 22, 2025 at 8:23 PM