Good luck Devan! I appreciate that I have influenced the way that you want to fish. It is addictive.
I used to fish for just bass, sunfish, crappie, trout and would fish the same spots the same times of year year after year. I was kind of jaded. I always kept track of different species that caught. In 2009 I read in Bassmaster of guys going to catch all of the black bass species at that time. That looked interesting. I found that the majority could be caught in Georgia. My dad lived in GA at the time. So I researched spots to fish when I went with my family to visit. Before going I caught a 17 inch smallmouth on an excaliber spit n image WTD bait in MO. I had caught a spottrd bass with that bait earlier. I used that same bait and caught a northern largemouth, shoal bass, and a redeye bass in GA. I had hoped to catch all species with that one bait but lost it in GA😢. Later that week I fished in FL and missed a couple of suwannee bass in FL that I still need to catch. I haven't gone after the guadelupe in Texas. Now they have added four more redeye species as well as the choctaw bass. So I have more work to do to catch them all.
Back in MO I began a quest to catch a trout in each of the designated trout waters including the "wild" trout streams to the trout parks. Drove well over 2000 miles to get that accomplished. Goals became a big part of my fishing.
Targeting multiple species began in earnest in 2014. Microfishing began in 2016 when I figured out how to catch darters in a creek in Columbia. I continue because it is a great way to catch a high number of species as well as a way to fish more creeks, ponds, lakes, etc. It allows me to bond with my daughter who likes to catch the little fish. Since 2014 I have caught 74 new life list species.
With travel for work I get to fish the east coast as well as the midwest. So the tracking states with fish caught just works for me. I love the research in field guides or internet to confirm species or research areas to fish for target species. I have met a few guys that help me a lot on confirmation of species. I have some guys that won't count fin rays or lateral line scales. So they send me photos to give my opinion of what they have caught. I am willing to help where I can with folks that want to microfish or find new species.