Johnsfolly

Nice bass Pete!

There is a Wrasse that is really common in south Florida that is a rival to eels but they don't leave that thick nasty slime like an eel. I know that @Ham has caught one or more of those wrasses and maybe @FishnDave has as well. They even have slippery in their common name😉

I'm at the point that I don't watch live sports that often. If there is a game that interests me I'll DVR it then watch the highlights and fast forward the rest. I watch most football games in 30 or 40 mins. I will note that I really don't watch any baseball anymore.

I'm sure you'll get that opportunity😉

Sometimes I just cut the line ,🤣

I have no issues with handling, carp, bowfin, suckers, etc. Their slime washes off😉. But eels take their slime to the next level😆!

X-ray Wrench's ball sack 🤔? Don't think anyone wants to do that 🙄

Another state record fallfish has been caught this week. This is the third record for this fish in the last two to three years. These are really fun fish to catch. https://news.maryland.gov/dnr/2024/04/03/allegany-county-angler-catches-maryland-state-record-fallfish/

Can't beat just going out to catch a few😉. Good Luck and post photos... for Pete😁

I saw photos 😁! Good luck on this next trip Pete!

Here's a target for those that like to chase and catch those swamp muskies😉 https://www.mariettatimes.com/news/local-news/2024/04/record-fish-caught-in-ohio-river-giant-bowfin-record-hooked-in-area/

I was going to add some coomentary since I may be one of the few on this forum that have actually driven on this bridge. All I will say is that I miss fishing the upper Current River 😌

FL trips always make you wish that you had more time

We fished in south Florida at the end of Feb. - photo of a happy rental car😁 Both a lifer and one of the four minnows for the year. Livie and I caught these cool liverbearers down in the Keys after a failed snorkel trip attempt (that's a different story) - Mangrove Gambusia My female Livie's male sealed the deal on the id. Mimic shiner - #1 Mangrove Gambusia - #2 Midas Cichlids #3 - Caught in a Miami Canal - these were the first fish caught on this trip. Livie with one Fished the intercoastal water way and a pier in Dania FL. Yellowfin Mojarra #4 - I thought that I caught these in Jupiter but pulled them from the life-list - Caught this in Intercoastal Bandtail Puffer #5 - this was a target fish for this trip and we all caught some. We go into a bunch of crested gobies in the intercoastal and both Sue and Livie caught their lifers. Also saw this cool ragged seahare in the intercoastal. Another target species was a planehead filefish. Sue caught the only one on the trip. I lost a scrawled filefish. Livie caught a lifer yellow chub. Fished a pier in Key West Bluestriped Grunt #6 - this was a target species and we all caught these guys Black margate - #7 Lane Snapper - Not a lifer but I keep trying to get photos of fish on my lifelist that I just have a name. Livie finally caught her first needlefish - a redfin needlefish. I tried to catch one since it would be a lifer for me, but only caught Atlantic needlefish 😐 We did have fun catching gray snapper while dropping weightless live shrimp on circle hooks. We went to a favorite spot in South Miami that we have named "Sue's Corner". Tomtate Grunt #8 - also a target species and we all caught some Livie did catch another needlefish species - a houndfish Also another one of my targets - a puddingwife wrasse Sue caught a new parrotfish which still needs full id - it's a possible princess parrotfish I caught another photo needed species - mutton snapper that I caught using the yellowfin mojarra as cut bait. Fished a canal on the edge of the Everglades - Tri-colored (salvini) cichlid - #9 I only caught 8 lifers on this trip. Livie ended up with 17. We still need to get into jacks and missed out on barracuda. Just ran out of time.

We love dumplings/pot stickers. Did you make your own dough or were these wonton wrappers?

I'm going to be targeting them on a couple of business trips in TX this fall😉. Did catch this cichlid in FL. Didn't eat it.

When I used to keep brown trout a couple of decades ago, my heaviest brown at the time was an 18 inch fish that was 3.5 lbs. I pulled a big brown out from an under cut bluff cliff on the Current. It followed my jerkbait then this the 3.5 lb fish came up from the deep and torpedoed my bait. That fish took a F11 rapala and it had two six inch suckers in its gut. I'm always amazed at how gluttonous those bigger browns can be.

What's not to love about a fish that hits with a strong thump and then gives it all in it's fight😉? I hope that I can get a skipjack soon. I catch a lot of their bigger cousins and enjoy every minute of that fishing. Shad season is going to get here soon😁.

Look at the curves on that one😆. Great fish Pete!

I have to say that it is much easier to hit a bunch of states here in the east. I can fish in five different states within a three hour and eight within a four hour one-way drive. The last three years I have caught fish in 9, 11, and 14 states. It also helps that I can piggyback some fishing onto my business travel that has picked up over the last couple of years.

Thanks @Quillback I thought about posting this MDC article but then got busy.

Just looking at base license, I paid $15 for one day in OK. Most other were about $10 per day (typically for 3 day license) or less for longer time periods. Delaware is the cheapest. Nonresident casts $20 for a year or $0.055 per day. That covers saltwater and freshwater fishing. Our 7 day FL freshwater and saltwater license cost close to $65 for each of us.

Since most states have short term and annual licenses, do you want the state with the highest expense in terms of an annual or per day basis? Also do you want to include other fees like a trout stamp or access permits?

Hey Devan think about whether you include the sea "trout" like speckled sea trout, weakfish or white sea trout in your totals for those states that may not have a freshwater trout alternative. Using that criteria I have caught trout in 14 states with 3 that I have only caught sea trout and one, i.e., Maryland, where I have caught both freshwater (brown, rainbow and wild brook trout) and sea trout. Right now I am at 31 states and counting. I do not have a photo of any of the Lousiana crappie that I caught near Baton Rouge. I may be going to CO this fall and hope to get another state fish then.

I have a long handled minnow net, but haven't used it much since it is cumbersome to carry especially in the woods. I have seen a few YouTubers using pool or minnow nets to catch those drop off fish.