Fishing Goals 2024

[Seth]

Win enough in tourneys to pay for most of my fishing is always a goal and I usually accomplish it or get pretty close each year. My main goal is to get out and fish with dad as much as possible though. We always have a good time and catch a few fish while we're at it.

[Haris122]

1. Fish some more with my dad and hopefully get him to catch some decent fish.

2.Get back into wade fishing some of the red ribbon sections on the meramec this year, and do some wade fishing in general. Once I messed up my knee a few years back, that stuff went completely out the door. I’m hoping now I can do it again without re-injuring the knee somehow.

3. Take the kayak out even more, and fish while floating on stretches of rivers around here, more than I did last few years. I did get back into it some the past year and a half, but I want to up the amount I do that. 
 

4. Just in general make it out to fish more often than I have the previous several years. 
 

 

[Johnsfolly]

On 1/3/2024 at 12:19 AM, Daryk Campbell Sr said:

I'm thinking fall, not sure where, probably a family trip.  I want to go northeast. 

Daryk - Let me know if do get out this way and I can make some suggestions for places to fish.

[Johnsfolly]

I haven't solidified any goals for 2024 but should have by the next week or two. I will have some carryover from those 2023 goals that I missed, e.g., ribbonfish, MD Rainbow darter, etc.

[Johnsfolly]

Finally put together my targets for 2024

Catch a Ribbonfish - 2023 carryover will target VA areas

Catch a Skipjack / Sauger - have spots in WV and IN/KY/OH that are within 6 hours from home that I will target in late spring.

Catch a Lifer Bullhead / madtom - snail or spotted / tadpole - Have spots nearby to continue to try for tadpole MT

Catch a lifer Skate / Ray / Shark - I am considering taking Sue, Livie and BIL on a charter out of DE for sand tiger and sandbar sharks also fishing for cownose rays locally

2 Swamp Lifers - e.g., banded sunfish, blackbanded SF, swamp darter, etc. - I have spots in NJ for banded SF and weatherfish and MD spots for swamp and glassy darters

3 Darters; 1 from MD (Rainbow) and 2 Lifers -I will get a rainbow this year in MD, also have spots for another logperch species and banded darters plus the swamp and glassy darter spots

4 Lifer minnows - mimic shiner, silverjaw, spotfin killifish, etc. - I have lots of spots for a variety of minnow species in MD, VA, NJ, DE, FL including mimic shiners in a spot where rainbow darters are found.

19 Lifers total for the year - this is pretty aggressive but we have a S FL trip planned that should result in a fair number of lifers barring poor weather. I have a business trip in Utah in March (may not be able to fish if creeks are high due to runoff), two business trips to Texas in Oct and Nov and either a business trip to SD or CA. I will plan on a day or two around these trips to catch some new species.

[bfishn]

1 hour ago, Johnsfolly said:

Finally put together my targets for 2024...

That's pretty dam specific. Were you ever a stamp or coin collector by chance?

[Johnsfolly]

23 minutes ago, bfishn said:

That's pretty dam specific. Were you ever a stamp or coin collector by chance?

I do try to target specifics that I know are mostly locally available. Takes me more time to figure out how to try and make these successful. I did collect Coins😉

[Johnsfolly]

On 1/24/2024 at 4:56 PM, Johnsfolly said:

3 Darters; 1 from MD (Rainbow) and 2 Lifers 

Rainbow Darter caught in MD

4 Lifer minnows - mimic shiner, silverjaw, spotfin killifish, etc. 

Caught Lifer Mimic Shiner

19 Lifers total for the year 

1 down and 18 to go 😉

The weather out this way has been crappy at best. Every weekend so far except this last one had heavy rains or snow with freezing temps that prevented me from fishing. I finally got out for my first trip of the year on Sat.

I was able to tick off two boxes for my 2024 goals on this trip😉.

Finally landed and photographed my first rainbow darter in MD.

Though not one of my goals I also caught a fantail darter. There are rumors that this species will be split and that this one from the east side of the Appalachians may become a new species from those (I have caught some in MO) on the Mississippi side of the mountain range.

I caught a lifer mimic shiner. I actually caught a few of these back on Christmas eve but did not get photos good enought to identify. 

Though I always hope that every trip is successful in terms of meeting some of my goals like this one, I know that won't be the case. However any trip that you are able to get out and fish is a successful trip.

[Carl1969]

Spend way more time on the water & see if I can't get the hang of this fishing thing. Completely missed last year, due to a nasty divorce & moving to the wrong side of the MO/KS state line. Didn't help that the ex absconded with my little 15' tin can, but I'm picking up a new boat on Wednesday & will be back out directly.

Would love to catch a mess or two of crappie. A keeper sized Bluegill or Redear would be lovely. Getting into some whites or hybrids sounds like a good time. Past that, I'm just looking to get out & learn & have a good time.

[Johnsfolly]

On 1/24/2024 at 4:56 PM, Johnsfolly said:

Finally put together my targets for 2024 - Q1 update

4 Lifer minnows - mimic shiner, silverjaw, spotfin killifish, etc. - two down and two to go😉

19 Lifers total for the year - 9 lifers through Q1.

We fished in south Florida at the end of Feb. - photo of a happy rental car😁

Both a lifer and one of the four minnows for the year.

Livie and I caught these cool liverbearers down in the Keys after a failed snorkel trip attempt (that's a different story) - Mangrove Gambusia

My female

Livie's male sealed the deal on the id.

Mimic shiner - #1

Mangrove Gambusia - #2

Midas Cichlids #3 - Caught in a Miami Canal - these were the first fish caught on this trip. 

Livie with one

Fished the intercoastal water way and a pier in Dania FL.

Yellowfin Mojarra #4 - I thought that I caught these in Jupiter but pulled them from the life-list - Caught this in Intercoastal

Bandtail Puffer #5 - this was a target fish for this trip and we all caught some.

We go into a bunch of crested gobies in the intercoastal and both Sue and Livie caught their lifers.

Also saw this cool ragged seahare in the intercoastal.

Another target species was a planehead filefish. Sue caught the only one on the trip. I lost a scrawled filefish.

Livie caught a lifer yellow chub.

Fished a pier in Key West

Bluestriped Grunt #6 - this was a target species and we all caught these guys

Black margate - #7

Lane Snapper - Not a lifer but I keep trying to get photos of fish on my lifelist that I just have a name. 

Livie finally caught her first needlefish - a redfin needlefish. I tried to catch one since it would be a lifer for me, but only caught Atlantic needlefish 😐

We did have fun catching gray snapper while dropping weightless live shrimp on circle hooks.

We went to a favorite spot in South Miami that we have named "Sue's Corner".

Tomtate Grunt #8 - also a target species and we all caught some

Livie did catch another needlefish species - a houndfish

Also another one of my targets - a puddingwife wrasse

Sue caught a new parrotfish which still needs full id - it's a possible princess parrotfish

I caught another photo needed species - mutton snapper that I caught using the yellowfin mojarra as cut bait.

Fished a canal on the edge of the Everglades - Tri-colored (salvini) cichlid - #9

I only caught 8 lifers on this trip. Livie ended up with 17. We still need to get into jacks and missed out on barracuda. Just ran out of time.