The Push for 100 Species in 2021

[FishnDave]

On 12/18/2021 at 7:24 PM, Johnsfolly said:

Nice grassie Dave! Livie and I fished that spot last summer and only caught green sunfish and sculpin. Pretty fish!

Thanks!  A sculpin would have been cool too!  I haven't caught one...THOUGHT I might have seen one follow my fly, but wasn't 100% sure.

[Ham]

I finished stuck in the mud at 108 species. It was a whole lot of fun! I had some real Highs and some terrible Lows. Lots of Long drives that turned out to be completely fruitless. Such Pure Joy when I got my Lifer Orange Spotted Sunfish. I'm sure a Cardiologist would not have approved of my Heart Rate about right then, but what they don't know won't hurt them. 

I want to once again Thank everyone that Helped me with intell, advice, education, locations, logistical support, putting me on fish, and mentally babysitting me through the process. I would not have made it to 100 species without the help of my homies. 

I had told @Billethead that I was pushing all my chips to the center of the table and that I would get it done this year or never. I do not ever plan to chase species so hard that I exclude other opportunities. Thanks Marty! I won't stop bugging Marty about fly fishing advice or Golden Shiner locations, but I can leave him alone a little bit about a couple of other mental rabbit holes. 

2021 Might Be the Best Year Fishing I have ever had, but I'm gonna try to have a Great Fishing Season in 2022. 

[BilletHead]

33 minutes ago, Ham said:

I finished stuck in the mud at 108 species. It was a whole lot of fun! I had some real Highs and some terrible Lows. Lots of Long drives that turned out to be completely fruitless. Such Pure Joy when I got my Lifer Orange Spotted Sunfish. I'm sure a Cardiologist would not have approved of my Heart Rate about right then, but what they don't know won't hurt them. 

I want to once again Thank everyone that Helped me with intell, advice, education, locations, logistical support, putting me on fish, and mentally babysitting me through the process. I would not have made it to 100 species without the help of my homies. 

I had told @Billethead that I was pushing all my chips to the center of the table and that I would get it done this year or never. I do not ever plan to chase species so hard that I exclude other opportunities. Thanks Marty! I won't stop bugging Marty about fly fishing advice or Golden Shiner locations, but I can leave him alone a little bit about a couple of other mental rabbit holes. 

2021 Might Be the Best Year Fishing I have ever had, but I'm gonna try to have a Great Fishing Season in 2022. 

            I'll try to get on the goldens, pin them down. They are out there saying Ham I'm waiting  .

[Ham]

2 hours ago, BilletHead said:

            I'll try to get on the goldens, pin them down. They are out there saying Ham I'm waiting  .

So many fish liove rent free in my head and gnaw at my soul for nourishment. Golden Shiners and Gizzard Shad have Corner Apartments. 

[Johnsfolly]

This was a challenging process. Lots and Lots of research and second, third guessing fishing spots. When as @Ham put it that you are investing in the gas, time, mental anguish to travel to an unknown spot to fish and then get skunked or worse just catch the same fish you could have down the road it puts a big strain on family and mental stability. Also so glad for the support and tips provided by my friends and I was so happy to help others are well get on species that they may have not even heard about.

I ended up with 115 total. I had to drop one misidentified fish. After hitting 100 my focus was to get Livie hers and to help Ham were I could when he got out to Delaware. Livie ended up with 100 and Sue got stuck at 48 (and no real interest to get to 50 even with my pushing 🤨). Between the three of us we caught 138 different species in 2021 (listed below). Lots of lifers were caught in Florida as well as all over. Interesting that none of us caught a brown or brook trout though we did try. Also no chain pickerel, which was the first year that I hadn't caught one since moving to MD. We all caught yellow bass which completed my quest for all of the temperate bass species. Sue and Livie followed suit when they both landed white bass. I came within a hybrid striper of catching them all in 2021, which I know that Ham completed. All in all a frustrating and then unltimately rewarding time. Not sure that I would do it again, but if I have a trip that could get me 20+ non-local species planned, then maybe 😉.

American (White) Shad	Goldfish	Rosyside Dace
Atlantic Croaker	Grey (mangrove) Snapper	Sailor's Choice Grunt
Atlantic Silverside	Gray Triggerfish	Sand Perch
Atlantic Stingray	Green Sunfish	Sargent Major
Atlantic thread Herring	Hickory Shad	Satinfin Shiner
Ballyhoo	Hornyhead Chub	Schoolmaster Snapper
Banded Killifish	Houndfish	Scrawled Cowfish
Bantam Sunfish	Inshore Lizardfish	Scup (Porgy)
Bermuda Chub	Irish Pompano	Sheepshead
Black Bullhead	Jack Crevalle	Sheepshead Minnow
Black Crappie	Knobfin Sculpin	Silver Perch
Black Drum	Koi	Skilletfish
Black Sea Bass	Largemouth Bass	Slender Mojarra
Blackspotted Topminnow	Lined Topminnow	Slippery Dick
Blackstripe Topminnow	Little Skate	Smallmouth Bass
Bleeding Shiner	Longear Sunfish	Smallmouth Buffalo
Blue Catfish	Margined Madtom	Southern Kingfish
Bluefish	Mayan Cichlid	Spanish Mackerel
Bluegill Sunfish	Mud Sunfish	Spiny Dogfish
Bluehead Chub	Mummichog	Spot (Norfolk Spot)
Bluespotted Sunfish	Naked Goby	Spotfin Shiner
Bluntnose Minnow	Northern Puffer	Spottail Pinfish
Brown Bullhead	Northern Redbelly Dace	Spotted Seatrout
Buffalo Trunkfish	Northern Rock Bass	Spotted Sunfish
Channel Catfish	Northern Searobin	Spotted Tilapia
Channel Flounder	Northern Studfish	Starhead Topminnow
Checkered Puffer	Ocean Pout	Central Stoneroller
Cocoa Damselfish	Oscar	Stoplight Parrotfish
Common Carp	Ozark Darter	Striped Bass
Common Shiner	Ozark Minnow	Striped Blenny
Coppernose Bluegill	Peacock Bass	Striped Killifish
Creek Chub	Pigfish	Striped Searobin
Crested Blenny	Pinfish	Summer Flounder
Cunner (Bergall)	Plains Orangethroat Darter	Swallowtail Shiner
Dollar Sunfish	Porkfish	Tautog (Blackfish)
Dusky Damselfish	Pumpkinseed Sunfish	Warmouth
Duskystripe Shiner	Rainbow Darter	Western Mosquitofish
Eastern Blacknose Dace	Rainbow Trout	White Bass
Eastern Mosquitofish	Red Hake (Ling)	White Catfish
Eastern Mudminnow	Redbreast Sunfish	White Grunt
Fallfish	Redear Sunfish	White Perch
Fantail Darter	Redfin Pickerel	Whitetail shiner
Flier	Redspotted Sunfish	Winter Flounder
French Grunt	Redtail Parrotfish	Yellow Bass
Golden Shiner	Reef Croaker	Yellow Bullhead
Golden Topminnow	River Chub	Yellow Perch

 

[FishnDave]

Let Sue know that she beat me.  

I didn't have a 100-species goal, but did manage to have my best year ever for number of species with a fly rod, at 46.

I caught 36 species in Missouri this year, plus 8 additional species in Iowa, and 2 in Arkansas... for a total of 46 species on flies in 2021.

I caught 12 species that were firsts on fly gear for me:  Koi, Saugeye, Meanmouth Bass (Kentucky Spotted Bass Hybrid), Redspotted Sunfish, Warmouth, Dollar Sunfish, Bantam Sunfish, Longnose Gar, Skipjack Herring, Bleeding Shiner, Carmine Shiner, and Grass Pickerel. John helped with one of those, and Ham helped with five.

My all-time flyfishing species list is now up to 70.  4 are Saltwater fish, 66 are Freshwater fish.  I have more species on my all-time/all-tackle list... but I'm ignoring that.

Among my favorite achievements for the year were catching 167 Grass Carp on flies, 100 Koi on flies, and 87 Goldfish on flies.  And catching those 12 new-to-me flyrod species I listed above.

[Johnsfolly]

@FishnDave I tried on the warmouth 🙄. What about longear sunfish? I thought those were a first for you or just a first in MO? Also I seem to recall that you traveled to fish with Ham. I can get you on a few lifers if you ever get out this way, including a redbreast sunfish 😉👍

[JestersHK]

You guys did fantastic last year.  The amount of time and effort and going along virtually was a great adventure for sure.  Congrats to all of you.   I could never do it myself lol.  I like to think I fish pretty hard, but no way could I do what you all accomplished. What a fun way to end the year

[FishnDave]

2 hours ago, Johnsfolly said:

@FishnDave I tried on the warmouth 🙄. What about longear sunfish? I thought those were a first for you or just a first in MO? Also I seem to recall that you traveled to fish with Ham. I can get you on a few lifers if you ever get out this way, including a redbreast sunfish 😉👍

Awesome!  Yes!  Time is flying...Longear Sunfish was 2020, and you helped me IMMENSELY to find some waters nearby.  Those were a first for me.  I caught some this year too, but didn't go looking for them...just happened into them.

Yes, you did your best to help with the Warmouth... THANK YOU!  The fault lies with me...I just didn't connect with them at that spot.

I fished with Ham 3 times this year (5-6 days)!  He did his best, too...tried to put me on Chain Pickerel, for example... He caught them, I saw some swimming around (probably fleeing me)...but I did not connect with that species yet.

@Ham gets bonus points.  Even after fishing with me once, he was still willing to fish together again!  His shatterproof face shield and kevlar vest protected him from most of the dangers of fishing near me. 😜

I used to think I was pretty good, but you guys are next level!  With everyone's help, I'll keep after them and will hopefully be able to add them (and others) to my list eventually.  

[Johnsfolly]

5 minutes ago, FishnDave said:

Yes!  Time is flying...Longear Sunfish was 2020,

That was in 2020 ?!? Makes sense but Wow on losing a year basically🙄. I hope that we could fish the secret creek sometime if I am able to get out that way. That would be for those goldeye, possible shortnose gar, and grass carp. Then I still need to get after koi or two.