Variety Pack Fishing - Tell us what you've Caught this Year

[Johnsfolly]

Many of us keep track of the different fish species that we catch either over a lifetime or a given season. I wanted to set up a thread where folks can document what species they have caught this year. Include any photos that you may have.

I personally am targetting a goal of thirty different species to be caught from March 1, 2015 to Feb. 29, 2016 (based upon the Missouri license year). I have been keeping a photo record of each species that I have caught this year. I try to identify them on the water where possible, but may keep a representative to identify using various fish keys. This goal is forcing me to break away from fishing the same waters with the same techniques that I would normally use. Most of my focus so far has been on catching either new species or ones that I would not normally go after. Since I have been talking so much about this at home, my 11 yr old daughter has now set a goal to catch 12 different species. After three fishing trips, she is up to 6 total.

Let see what you've caught so far.

[Johnsfolly]

Through April 8, 2015. I have caught 15 different species.

Rainbow trout at Bennett's Springs in March

My daughters largest trout to date was 14.25" in length and weighed 1 lbs 4 oz

Banded sculpin from Bennett's Springs - smallest fish caught to-date at 2.6" in length. I won the competition with my daughter on the smallest fish for the day on that trip.

My daughter with the largest sculpin we caught on our trip to Bennett's in March

White crappie

My black crappie

Largemouth bass

My first largemouth of the year was unexpected since I was targetting minnow species in the Maries River in early March.

My daughter with her first LMB of the year.

I haven't caught any smallmouth bass yet this year, but did hook up with some kentucky / spotted bass fishing the Osage river near the Tavern creek confluence.

Sunfish

So far only bluegill and green sunfish this year.

My daughter with her green sunfish. We don't yet have a picture of her holding a bluegill though she did catch one already this year.

I have been targeting species that i would not normally go after. Here are several that I have caught since March.

I caught this golden redhorse sucker fishing worms at the Tavern Creek / Osage river confluence. It my largest of this species to-date. Measure 22.25" and weighed over 4 lbs.

A also caught a freshwater drum on this same trip using worms. I had never caught a drum before.

I caught this common carp also on worms fishing one of the pools at Eagle Bluffs CA in McBaine MO.

I know many folks on these forums have caught this species while targetting trout in particular. This is a creek chub I caught in the Maries River using a chartruese 1/125 oz microjig.

I also caught a hornyhead chub and a bleeding shiner on this same trip. I caught the chub on the 1/125 oz microjig and the shiner on a gold-ribbed hares ear nymph. Both of these were new species for me. I did have to bring back one of the shiners to id at home.

Here is the largest yellow bullhead I have ever caught - 13" and 1.5 lbs. I was targetting channel catfish, but didn't catch any of them.

[Kayser]

Channel cat

Blue cat

Rainbow trout

Brown trout

Bluegill

Redear

Green sunfish

Warmouth

White crappie

Black crappie

White bass

Largemouth bass

Freshwater drum

Bleeding shiner

Common shiner

Common carp

Creek chub

And I think that's all for right now. Suckers and smallmouth are next on the list.

[Johnsfolly]

Where did you catch the warmouth? Around Rolla or further south?

[Haris122]

Have pictures for some but most are not high quality so I'll skip the pics for now

Anyways this year so far I got

White Crappie (one tiny one)

Bluegill (few mostly tiny ones)

Largemouth Bass (potentially a Spotted in there too, but know for sure on the Largemouth)

Brown Trout

Rainbow Trout

Blue Catfish

Channel Catfish

Common Carp

Buffalo of some sort I think

White Bass (little one)

Goggle Eye/Rockbass

Sunfish of some species

[Kayser]

Warmouth was from a pond south of St Louis, in Illinois. They've been there since the creek was dammed way back when. There was a fish kill 3 years ago that suppressed the bass population, and the warmouth had a really good spawn, so lots in the 8" range right now.

I've also caught them at Lake of the Ozarks, near chunk rock in the back of a cove.

[Johnsfolly]

Thanks for the information. This is a speices that I have not considered until I saw your post. Was that a private pond?

[bs1827]

Great idea for a thread! I started out fishing a little later than I had hoped this year due to a very busy winter. Hoping to add a lot more to this list as the year progresses.

-Largemouth (biggest so far was 5lbs 3oz.)

-Smallmouth

-Ozark Bass

-Rainbow Trout

-White Bass

-White Crappie

-Bluegill

-Creek Chub

[Kayser]

Yep, in a subdivision my dad lives in. Always good to wet a line. There are only a few places to get one reliably on the pond, near overhead cover or rocks. I hear they like stumps in SEMO, but I've never had the chance to fish that area.

[Johnsfolly]

Thansk again for the warmouth information. I have been doing some more research and will try to find some and hopefully get one on the line this year. Good luck and keep a wet line.