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

[MOPanfisher]

Well not a stellar day but I did add black and white crappie, wiper, and a hybrid bluegill of some sort.

[Ham]

Well, I ended up with 41 species for the year. Certainly, the best year for me in terms of species caught. I was so close to my long standing goal of 52 species, but in the end settleed for more trips catching smallies rather than a lot of driving here and there to chase some odd little fish.

There's always 2016. I'll try to do better somehow.

 

[Guest]

23 minutes ago, Ham said:

Well, I ended up with 41 species for the year. Certainly, the best year for me in terms of species caught. I was so close to my long standing goal of 52 species, but in the end settleed for more trips catching smallies rather than a lot of driving here and there to chase some odd little fish.

There's always 2016. I'll try to do better somehow.

 

what are the other 11 species that you target to reach 52? Im guessing the need for that Tenkara rod?

[Ham]

Well, I did not catch a hybrid striper, black bullhead, brown bullhead, logperch, yellow perch, banded sculpin, ozark sculpin, gizzard shad, rainbow darter, Bowfin, American eel, or any of the other suckers besides the Northern Hogsucker and maybe a White Sucker.

I only got as close as I did with a lot of water and a trip to salty water.

52 is a LOFTY goal.

[Johnsfolly]

Ham - congrats on the 41 species this year.

I'm sitting 15 shy of that total at 26. I did catch a northern hog sucker and we confirmed (using Pflieger's fishes of Missouri guide) that my daughter and I caught both Ozark and banded sculpin this year. I'm four shy of my goal for the year, but since I follow the MO fishing license dates I still have until the end of Feb to land a couple of more species. My daughter caught an orange-throat darter by hand pushing her year total up to 11 with a goal of 12. It's her goal so she can decide her "fish catching" methods. She had fun chasing them around in the shallow water on our trip down the North Fork.  The rain this spring and summer really hamstrung my bank and wade fishing efforts this year. I was also disappointed that my trip to PA did not add to my species total. I was targeting yellow perch and chain pickerel, but only caught sunfish and crappie.

I bought my daughter an ice fishing rod and some lures this Xmas, since she says she really likes ice fishing for trout. I'm not sure we will have enough ice to safely fish around here. If I can afford it, I would like to do some ice fishing up in Iowa or MN to target yellow bass and perch, maybe even a walley or pike.

[Ham]

JF we can get you a Chain Pickeral on our Current River trip. No problem. 11 pt is a sure thing as well. You just need to throw a jerkbait in backwater areas long enough and its a done deal.

 

[Quillback]

JF, I believe you are about the first person I have heard that wants to go north in the winter to go fishing.    I've done the ice fishing thing before, and if I can help it, I'll never go ice fishing again.

[Ham]

1 hour ago, Quillback said:

  I've done the ice fishing thing before, and if I can help it, I'll never go ice fishing again.

[dtrs5kprs]

1 hour ago, Quillback said:

JF, I believe you are about the first person I have heard that wants to go north in the winter to go fishing.    I've done the ice fishing thing before, and if I can help it, I'll never go ice fishing again.

Last time I did it was in college. Lake in southern Iowa, drilled about 18" of ice for bluegill and crappie I would not bother to fish for in April. That was enough for me. 

Ice jigs under a slip bobber are great for gills at TR though.

My suggestion...do the perch trip in the summer. They eat then too. 

[Quillback]

Yep, I could fish Minnesota in the summer.