Bucket List

[Ham]

I've been thinking about my outdoors bucket list. My son graduates High School in a week. My daughter will been done a few more years. I'm not waiting on them to leave the house before I start living, but once they are away at college, I'll be a little more free to wander.

So here's what I'm thinking about,

1) boundary waters: canoe camping and lots of smallies.

2) tarpon on a fly. Doesn't have to be a big one. I'm leaning towards kayak fishing mangrove backwaters.

3) King Salmon. See the Northern Lights. swat a billion mosquitoes. Ship some halibut fillets home.

4) American shad fishing on the East coast. I'll sneak in some more east coast smallies while I'm there.

5) Sturgeon.

6) Devil's River in Texas.

7) Kentucky Lake. Multi species festival

8) Niagra River. See above.

9) Yellowstone. Brook Trout. See some bears and mud pots.hike a bunch.

10) Water Town,NY / St Lawrence seaway.

[Danoinark]

Mine would have to include wilk brookies in the small streams of the Appalachian Mtns.

[flytyer57]

I've always dreamed of going to Belize for Tarpon and Permit.

Now I'll just settle for getting out of the house with no rain and flooded rivers to catch some smallies.

[Wayne SW/MO]

Mine would include redfish on the Texas coast, from a kayak of course. A trip on the lower Deschutes in Oregon, which I have done, for the white water, the wild redbands, and the summer steelhead would be a worthy trip. The lower John Day river for smallmouth is another worthy trip, 32 miles of smallies and canyons.

I had several buddies who did the boundary waters and I always intended to, I regret not doing it.

[laker67]

Mine would be to catch 1500 lunkers, and 50 trout over 10 pounds before I die. If I don't make it, I have had a great trip along the way.

[Ham]

I'm certainly open to suggestions.

I love Redfish. I'm sure they would be a hoot from a kayak. Kelly Watson keeps inviting.

[RSBreth]

Some of the ones listed I've already done, but I have my own list now, all have me taking my son along - more to watch him catch his "fish of lifetime" than anything I feel I need to do.

[Wayne SW/MO]

Kelly's invitation would certainly be something to consider. Does he do Redfish? I know he's not all that far from the gulf. I suppose if it ever recovers your home state might be a source also.

[Al Agnew]

Ham, worthy list...I've done some of them. Just one point of fact...Yellowstone would be Yellowstone cutthroats, not brook trout. If you ever get a trip planned to the Devils River, I'm in.

I have had a goal of many years to fish at least one premier river in each state. I've done rivers in more than 30 states so far. Some I still want to do:

Black River in Arizona--smallmouth fishing on the Apache Indian reservation.

Missouri River in South Dakota below one of the dams--mostly unfished for smallies.

Niobrara River, Nebraska--not even sure what I can catch there but it's about the only river in Nebraska worth floating.

I haven't figured out a good river in Kansas yet!

Devils River, Texas--see above. Would also like to fish whatever river it was that was Kelly Watson's home river with Guadalupe bass and hybrids as well as smallies.

Menominee River, Wisconsin--big smallies.

Big South Fork, Tennessee

Chattooga River, Georgia--just to say I did it.

Atchafalaya River, LA--before the Mississippi finally takes it over.

And other than that, peacock bass in the Amazon!

[Brian Sloss]

I've got a few and since I've done a lot of the rivers in Montana, Wyoming and Idaho, they are not included.

1. Argentina or Chile for trout or salmon.

2. New Zealand trout

3. Mongolia for Taimin

4. Smokies trout and Brook Trout

5. Boundry Waters smallmouth and pike

6. Slovenia marble trout

7. Bone fish, Tarpon and Permit location open

8. Alaska

9. Russia

10. Back to England and scotland to the birth place of modern fly fishing.