FishnDave

Amen Dave. 😜 We all should be cognisant that each of us is on our own ride through this life. Some never eat what they catch, some only fish for food. Neither is wrong, as long as there are still fish to be caught. Heck, based on the struggles I encounter while fishing, with fish I know are there REFUSING to bite.... I know my way IS NOT necessarily the best way, or at least sometimes it certainly isn't. I still enjoy it.

Even a 2-year old can catch fish on live bait. If your goal is to catch fish to keep, there's often no better way. Put crispy bacon on my plate, I'm probably gonna eat it. If you want to learn more about the fish, I think the general premise is that it takes more knowledge, skill, and experience to fool a fish into thinking something artificial is food. But that isn't everyone's goal, and that's ok.

Was it like this? Black Vultures.

@Ham Stocked pond (triploid?) Grass Carp are BY FAR the toughest ones to catch. Spookiest fish I've ever seen, and super-picky feeders. Naturally reproducing stream fish are much easier to catch. Supreme skills, man! 🏆

White Bass

Kentucky Spotted Bass

More gar:

Common Carps While presenting a fly to one Silver Carp, I accidentally foul-hooked one I didn't see.

small Freshwater Drums

Grass Carps

Longear Sunfish

29.5" Shortnose Gar. New PB, I believe.

Warmouth

naturally-occurring Hybrid Sunfishes:

At the midpoint of the year... I have not reached any of the above goals, nor caught a lancetfish on fly. I can't find a post where I may have set more realistic goals for the year? I wanted to reach 100 Bowfin on fly. Accomplished. Currently sitting at 126 lifetime flyrod bowfin, and now just need 20 more to reach 100 in 2023. Also caught the Ruddy Bowfin species while @Ham and I were on our Florida fishing trip. Accomplished. I wanted to catch a bowfin on a Gamechanger and on a topwater fly. Accomplished. I wanted to reach 100 lifetime species on fly rod. Accomplished. Currently sitting at 108. I've caught 25 Flyfers (new species on fly) this year so far. Trying to get all "original" 13 species of Lepomis genus (sunfish). I've added Spotted Sunfish and Redbreast Sunfish this year. Last one I still need is Northern Sunfish. I needed to catch Koi on flyrod in July, in order to have caught them on fly in each month of the year. Accomplished. I want to catch all 5 U.S. species of Gar on fly. This year I added Spotted Gar and Florida Gar. Now I just need Alligator Gar to complete that list. I've wanted to catch Flier on fly for quite a few years. Had never seen one in the wild. @Ham put me on them this year! Accomplished. I don't know that I had a goal for number of fly rod species for 2023... but I've had my best year ever already, with 66 species caught on fly so far. Will I be able to get to 70?

We have one tomato plant on our deck. Its had a rough life. Blown over by a few storms...Cat keeps chewing the leaves and flowers. But we've had 2-3 ripen so far. Delicious! Not many green ones coming on...

What about buying/renting/borrowing some sort of packable inflatable watercraft?

Good luck! Have you picked a date?