Fishing Goals 2025

[Johnsfolly]

7 hours ago, Quillback said:

My thing for carp is a Wheaties ball.  Grap a handful out of the box, make a fist, dunk your fist quickly in and out of the water so the Wheaties are just wet enough to mold into a ball and you got a great carp bait.

I have tried that bait. Didn't have much luck but don't think that there were many carp where I fished it.

[Daryk Campbell Sr]

11 hours ago, basska said:

- 5 lb Largemouth

- Be able to catch a Walleye while targeting them.

- Have a 20+ fish Smallmouth day on one of my Ozark stream trips planned. 

- Get a kayak.

- Catch some big flatheads.

- Fulfill my guide trip plans on the Gasconade and White River… probably will also look into a Walleye guide..

Solid plan.

[Ham]

Between taking a break for Christmas with family and the weather we have coming in, I think I have two more fishing trips planned. 
I have caught a lot of fish and I have fished a lot. I have fished with friends and family in lakes and rivers and canals and swamps and roadside ditches 

Catching Fish in Ireland was an adventure for sure. I’m still Sad that Scotland didn’t work out, but I didn’t make sure that I had wire leader. 
 

There is a slim chance that I can get to 3000 fish for the year, but it’s unlikely. 

[Johnsfolly]

On 1/2/2025 at 1:37 PM, Johnsfolly said:

1) I have to complete (to me) a major milestone and once that is done (hopefully by end of Mar), I will relax a bit and enjoy more just simple fishing trips in 2025.

I do have some specific targets.

2) Over the last few years there has been an influx of exotic tropicals being caught in NC, NJ, and NY - I want to catch one in 2025.

2) Catch a redfish or new kingfish species

3) Catch a couple more swamp lifers

4) Still a glutton for punishment and will try and catch a new bullhead or madtom species in 2025

5) Catch a lifer shark, ray or skate preferably from the beach

1) Well my milestone was to catch my 300th confirmed fish species on hook and line. I did that when I landed this blackchin tilapia in FL back in March. I did slow down a little and did a few more just for fun fishing trips in 2025. Still drove (figuratively and literally) for more lifers throughout the year.

2) There were only a few reports of exotics being caught this year. I did a couple of NJ trips for them but did not see or catch any.

3) I fished in TX, VA, and MD a few times for redfish and did not catch any.

I fished in FL and TX for either northern or gulf kingfish. My wife caught this gulf kingfish in Tampa in March. I only caught pinfish, spot and southern kingfish.

On one of my NJ trips for exotics I did finally manage to catch a couple of juvenile northern kingfish to finish this goal. Still want to catch an adult.

3 &4 ) Catch a couple of swamp lifers or a new bullhead/madtom. I fished for tadpole madtoms, swamp darters, and spotted gar. I never got a madtom interested in my baits. I lost what I believe to be a swamp darter after a 5 to 6 min wait for it to bite. In TX I couldn't get a clear cast to any of the gar that I saw on that trip. This/these goals will roll up into 2026.

5) I succeeded in catching a fish of a lifetime when I landed a 7-8 ft long sand tiger shark in Deleware!

As I mentioned in 2025 I wanted to surpass 300 fish species, which I did. I also wanted to land 10 lifers. I ended the year with 21 lifers. I fished in 8 states to make that happen. Some of my favorite lifers from 2025.

Pike Topminnow (Killifish) - FL

Gulf Toadfish (redemption for those I lost in 2024 in Galveston) - FL

Fathead minnow (a target for more than a couple of years) - NJ

Bridle Shiner - NJ

Ironcolor shiner - NJ

American Halfbeak - VA - from one of the most memorable fishing trips

Longnose Killifish - TX

Ladyfish - TX (have not been able to catch one in all of our FL trips)

Darter goby - TX

Coastal Cutthroat trout - OR (may follow @BilletHead and try for all of the cutthroat subspecies in their native waters) also my second species of trout caught in OR

Prickly sculpin - OR

Cabezon (marine sculpin) - OR

Striped surfperch - OR

[FishnDave]

On 1/2/2025 at 5:39 PM, FishnDave said:

If I can find some local spots, I may try for Brown Bullhead, Red Shiner, and Rainbow Darter as some target fish.

I didn't catch any of the above species.  I caught just 2 new fish for the year...the crappie with a black stripe on its head/nose, and a paddlefish. Totalled 62 species on fly for the year.  Was pleased to catch some Fliers in Missouri, some Bantam Sunfish, a Northern Snakehead in MO on fly, and had a fun couple days with @Ham on a sweet Arkansas stream that yielded 16 species in one day for me. The late season Hybrid Striped Bass were very fun catches as well. Lifetime on fly, I've surpassed 500 Koi, 400 Goldfish, achieved 300 Grass Carp, and 246 Bowfin.  Those are the only species I've tracked, since I only started catching them relatively recently.