2023 Fishing Goals

[Johnsfolly]

I have only caught 175 fish on 17 fishing trips this year. I typically count each water body fished as a trip unless one is a trib of the other. So if I travel between two different locations to fish that would be counted as two trips. 

[FishnDave]

3 hours ago, Ham said:

If y’all don’t know, Dave is wrecking the Bowfin on fly this year.

 

PLANNING to wreck the Bowfin.  I wanna get to 100 lifetime.  46 last year, 17 so far this year....Need 37 more.

Even sporting the Bowfin gear in anticipation!

Sometimes the fish landed are smaller than my target species...

 

[Daryk Campbell Sr]

I'm so far 50% catches.  I've fished 2 times.   1 fish for the year, new years day I believe. 

[FishnDave]

@Johnsfolly John, what do you suppose the tiny fish in that last picture is (2 pics of same fish, one in shadow, one in sunlight)?  Possible baby Grass Carp?  If it was born last season, it should be bigger than this, so probably something else...

[Ham]

at the midpole, 

1) Goal was to get all 5 North American Gar Species on fly:  I have Florida Gar, Spotted Gar, and Shortnose Gar. Longnose Gar will happen soon and then the pressure ratches WAY up to go to Texas or Louisiana Coast for an Alligator Gar. 

2) Goal was Get Lifer List to 225:   Done! Gonna see if I can push this further along. 

3) stated goal was 75 species on fly and 150 on hook and line:  sitting at 62 / 111. Still grinding. 

4) Goal was to get Lifetime on Fly to 100 species: Making very good progress here. Thanks Florida! Sitting at 88. This should get done, but I have to go make it happen. 

5) Goal was to catch a fish in 7 "new" Arkansas counties. Sad Face. No progress here at all. Zeroed the one time I went to new counties. 

6) Goal was to catch a Snakehead on Fly : I freaking did it! and I have learned more about Snakehead and plan on getting @FishnDave one added to his Life List with the next 365 days

I was surprised to see that I didn't set a number of fish caught which is cool since I am Waaaaaayyyy down on numbers. 51 trips and 1059 fish caught so far. The multispecies ting takes a toll. 

[Devan S.]

For me:

I had 4 fish/states off the western native trout challenge. Originally I had planned on UT/WY/MT/ID. However it ended up with WA/CA/ID/OR no slams per se but state complete and fish caught. 

I also hoped for 2 more Arkansas Master Anglers. I caught a white bass at Beaver TW that went 3.54lbs which was master angler. I caught a crappie that went 2.36 which is dangerously close. 

Ill take 1 of 2 at the midway point.

[FishnDave]

On 12/29/2022 at 9:55 AM, FishnDave said:

Oarfish.  On fly.  From Shore.

Snag a Unicorn by the horn on a blind backcast.  Narwhal on fly will also be acceptable.  Barbless fly.  9 wt or less.

Bull Shark on fly from a specific tributary creek off the Missouri River.  Tiger or Hammerhead will also be acceptable.

Coelocanth...2 on one cast, using a hopper-dropper rig.

 

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?

 

[FishnDave]

Not much fishing left in my schedule for 2023.  So, here's some results as we approach the checkered flag:

-83 Species caught on Fly in 2023

-I started the year with 83 (same number!!) species on my fly rod lifetime list. I added 29 new species, so I'm now at 112 Lifetime Fly Rod species.

-Caught 4 of the 5 gar species on fly this year.  Spotted and Florida were new ones for me.  Still need to get Alligator Gar.

-Caught Spotted Sunfish and Redbreast Sunfish for the first times ever.  Just need Northern Sunfish to complete the 13 "original" Lepomis sunfish species.

-Hamilton put me on plenty of "new to me" fish this year...including Flier and Mooneye, Shadow Bass and Ozark Bass.

-Caught Tarpon and Barramundi on fly this year.

-Ended with 118 Bowfin on fly for 2023.

-Caught new Flyrod PB's of Walleye (27"), Longnose Gar (47.5"), Spotted Tilapia (12"), Eyetail Bowfin (26.5"), Shortnose Gar (29.5"), Chain Pickerel (didn't measure), and others.

-Typically unusual species for me....I'm very thankful to have caught surprising numbers of Redspotted Sunfish and Warmouth this year.

For me....2023 has been a flat-out crazy GREAT year for multispecies fishing!  Huge thanks to @Ham for all the good times fishing together this year!

[Smalliebigs]

Keep catching big river run Smallies

break another state record and release the fish and not tell many people or show many people the proof

catch a 15lb hybrid 

that’s about it 😉

hope you guys have been doing good, I haven’t been here in awhile, so I hope you all are doing good and nailing fish.

 

[Ham]

Well, I guess it’s time for my final review of 2023 Fishing Goals

1) I only caught 4-5 North American Gar species on fly. I should have planned a dedicated gar on fly trip as soon as I caught a Florida Gar. My Bad. 
2) I got my Life List up to 243 well above the stated goal of 225

3) my stated goal was 75 on fly and 150 on hook and line. I ended up with 104 species on fly and 158 species on hook and line

4) I wanted to get Lifetime on Fly to 100 species. I got that list up to 112 species on fly ( so I caught 104 of the 112 species I have ever caught on fly THIS YEAR !!!).

5) I wanted to add 7 counties in Arkansas. Total failure! I added no new counties this year.

6) Catch a Snakehead on fly. I did it! 
 

I had a great year. Looking forward to 2024.