Bass or Multispecies?

[scaleface]

I'm an angler and enjoy catching fish . A lot of times when I'm bass fishing I end up fishing for some other species  that are biting well . I particularly like carp and cat fishing .

[Further North]

My favorite fish have teeth...and eat bass...

If I have a choice and decent opportunity, I will chase pike and musky first, bass second...trout are a distant 3rd and walleye are waaaay down the chart.

Panfish are fun on a fly rod, or an ultralight.  I'd fish for them more if I could eat them.

Because of where I live and the opportunities I have to fish, I probably wind up chasing bass as a primary target about 1/2 the time, if not a little more.  I love fishing for them and woudn't dream of dropping them from my choices.

 

[j bab]

Primarily bass but definitely multi-species. I have rigs for catfish, crappie/bluegill/trout, and 2 fly fishing outfits (4wt for panfish & trout, 8wt for bass).

I would like to catch carp, they are powerful and underrated fish. I would like to catch them on spinning tackle or my 8wt fly fishing rig.

I've trout fished a couple times, I'd like to spend more time doing that too, either ultralight tackle or my 4wt.

[ottosmagic13]

I am a fly fisherman at heart. While that does mean I'll target bass with some poppers or streamers some days it's usually about the trout for me.  One creek has some smallies in it that always put up a good fight! I'll reel in whatever takes my fly/nymph and be happy about it. Wooly Buggers tend to catch a variety over the course of the day; not limited to trout, bluegill, rock bass and smallies. Trout being the only fish I'll keep to eat occasionally. 

Just started to get into bass fishing on regular tackle and found that I enjoy it. Bought my first 6'8" MH-F casting rod and matching 6:1 reel as a all purpose stick to go with the Medium-Medium 7' spinning gear. Topwater lures are blast to fish and get hit on. 

 

Most recent catch:

Smallie on a Chartreuse and Silver Spinner out of the Erie Canal 

Edited November 14, 2016 by ottosmagic13
added photo

[hunterPRO1]

fish for channel cats some times, and also crappie for eatin'

[Paul Roberts]

Multi-species over my lifetime, but concentrating on bass now -for the past 15 yrs or so. Some -quite a bit- of trout fly-fishing mixed in there too.

[Red Bear]

23 hours ago, .ghoti. said:

I regard any fish that can be caught with rod and reel a worthy opponent. 

Different fish, different tackle, different baits, different strategies, different challenges. 

Its all good. Why limit yourself to one species?

This. I will fish for pretty much anything if i have the chance. I love to catch fish of all types. A common misconception that i see is that bass are the only fish that need to be "figured out" or "have a pattern" or "competitiveness" etc..simply not true, granted some fish are easier to target and catch than others, but for all species you still have to be in the right spot at the right time with the right baits and equipment...

[Scarborough817]

bass come first but in the off season i fish for pike 

[MrPeanut]

I predominantly go for bass, but I would mirror what many others have said in saying why limit yourself. I'll go for other species as well. 

When out with family, who a lot of them don't get as into fishing as I do, we'll go for panfish a bit, especially with the kiddos since it tends to be more enjoyable to get some action, even if they're tiny fish.  Going up north, the walleye and panfish are also rather delicious

I got into my first Musky this past summer while bass fishing, which was a blast, but I'm also terrified for my bank account.. 

[Bankbeater]

Most of the time I will target bass only during the spring, summer, and fall.  In winter I will go after panfish, and trout.

[Further North]

2 hours ago, ottosmagic13 said:

I am a fly fisherman at heart.

If you haven't already, consider giving pike & musky on the fly a try.

1 hour ago, MrPeanut said:

I got into my first Musky this past summer while bass fishing, which was a blast, but I'm also terrified for my bank account.. 

Don't be afraid...you can catch lots of toothy fish on bass gear - you absolutely do not need monster baits and super heavy rods.

I have plenty...and I still catch more pike and musky on bass sized gear than on the heavy duty stuff.

[MrPeanut]

59 minutes ago, Further North said:

Don't be afraid...you can catch lots of toothy fish on bass gear - you absolutely do not need monster baits and super heavy rods.

I have plenty...and I still catch more pike and musky on bass sized gear than on the heavy duty stuff.

That's very true - I got 2 this past summer, nothing huge - I've gotten close but haven't passed up the 40" mark.  I got one on a finesse jig and one on a senko, so definitely not exactly Musky baits haha.  I plan on targeting them a bit more next season 

[Further North]

2 minutes ago, MrPeanut said:

That's very true - I got 2 this past summer, nothing huge - I've gotten close but haven't passed up the 40" mark.  I got one on a finesse jig and one on a senko, so definitely not exactly Musky baits haha.  I plan on targeting them a bit more next season 

I spent a week on Lake of the Woods a couple years back...caught muskies from about 35" to 48".  Biggest lure I threw all week a 1 1/8 oz Doctor spoon.  Caught a couple (and lost some more) on a Strike King Smokin' Rooster...to the point where I re-rigged my T-Rig with 12" of tieable wire.

The dedicated musky hunter on the back of the boat. who was throwing big baits all week...boated exactly zero muskies and a couple pike.

That trend has continued since then.

[Darren.]

I love bass fishing, but I love catching fish, period!

Doesn't matter the species. I am thinking about putting
my kayak in the York River down here (tributaries and
small water areas) to fish for the abundant species we
have. I.e., I am open to expanding to salt water...

As for fresh, if it can be caught on a hook, I don't mind
catching it. Beats a skunk day on the water any time!!
Sometimes I go out with long poles and target bluegill
and crappie. Amazingly fun stuff.

[Ktho]

I'm pretty much solely a bass fisherman. I fish saltwater bass too but either way if it's a bass I'm gonna target it. Other fish just don't interest me, there's something magical about bass fishing, i'll love it til death.

[gim]

I grew up mostly walleye fishing because the reward was the tasty filets, but as I got older, that has changed.  I don't generally fish anymore now because I'm a meat hunter.  I never keep the bass I catch and I find myself doing more bass fishing than anything else now because I just enjoy it more.  I will occasionally target panfish, walleyes, or muskie but 9 out of 10 times I am bass fishing now.  Can't stand the pike that I catch every time by accident but there aint much I can do about it, the lakes and rivers are over run with them here now and they'll bite anything.

[Rick Howard]

It's almost all bass for me these days.  Not that I don't enjoy other species but I enjoy bass fishing most.  So the limited time I have to fish I fish for bass.

[OCdockskipper]

Although I target bass almost exclusively, for me it isn't about species but rather methods.  I get bored still-fishing, don't enjoy fly-casting and find it a little hypocritical to use live bait in order to catch & release game fish.  I really enjoy making precise casts, figuring out a retrieve that will work for that day and actively searching out the fish as opposed to waiting for them to come to you.  Since I rarely keep any species I catch, I want to catch fish that either put up a dogged fight or an acrobatic show.  Largemouth bass "check the box" for me in all of those areas, as do the big catfish that join the fray in the fall & spring in my home lake.  I even enjoy the big bluegill or green sunfish who have delusions of granduer when they attack a bass sized lure.

The only time I target anything different is when "bass methods" can be used to catch those other species.  When at Lake Mead or Powell, I'll target boiling stripers by throwing topwaters & lipless crankbaits through the surfacing school.  When in Colorado, I'll use small spinners or Ned rigs to pursue trout in the streams, creeks and lake near my brothers house, again because the method is similiar to what works for bass.  I even threw a rapala for 20 minures once on a lake that was nearly frozen over, I found the only area that was still soft water and fished that instead of going out ice fishing like others.

[Jeff H]

For the most part it's bass only for me.  My secondary choice would be bluegills/sunfish.  Wouldn't break my heart if I never caught another pike in my remaining days.  Sure do wish we had stripers up here instead of the d**n gators!

[IndianaFinesse]

36 minutes ago, OCdockskipper said:

Although I target bass almost exclusively, for me it isn't about species but rather methods.  I get bored still-fishing, don't enjoy fly-casting and find it a little hypocritical to use live bait in order to catch & release game fish.  I really enjoy making precise casts, figuring out a retrieve that will work for that day and actively searching out the fish as opposed to waiting for them to come to you.  Since I rarely keep any species I catch, I want to catch fish that either put up a dogged fight or an acrobatic show.  Largemouth bass "check the box" for me in all of those areas, as do the big catfish that join the fray in the fall & spring in my home lake.  I even enjoy the big bluegill or green sunfish who have delusions of granduer when they attack a bass sized lure.

The only time I target anything different is when "bass methods" can be used to catch those other species.  When at Lake Mead or Powell, I'll target boiling stripers by throwing topwaters & lipless crankbaits through the surfacing school.  When in Colorado, I'll use small spinners or Ned rigs to pursue trout in the streams, creeks and lake near my brothers house, again because the method is similiar to what works for bass.  I even threw a rapala for 20 minures once on a lake that was nearly frozen over, I found the only area that was still soft water and fished that instead of going out ice fishing like others.

You should try what @Bluebasser86 calls "bass fishing for catfish".  It's basically retrieving a piece of cutbait in a similar way as you would a texas rig, just a little bit slower.  It's a lot more exciting than simply waiting for a catfish to find you bait, and it often catches more fish because you are covering water faster.

[ottosmagic13]

20 hours ago, Further North said:

If you haven't already, consider giving pike & musky on the fly a try.

I would love to but unless I'm wading through creeks I'm usually bank bound and don't get a lot of shots at pike and musky. My "gamefish" fly rod is a 5/6 weight 8 foot and creek smallies and pond largemouth are a blast to catch on it; I can only imagine what a pike would be like. 

There are some carp and catfish in the canal and I could probably target some of them with the fly rod

[geo g]

I target bass 100% of the time, but in our Florida waters I will often catch many other native and exotic fish beside bass.  I often catch Peacock, gar, mudfish, oscars, pickeral, chicalids, catfish, snakeheads, and the occasional gator.  Anything is possible in south Florida waters.

[Siebert Outdoors]

I'm mostly bass but time to time I do fish for other species.  Mostly Trout, Crappie, Musky, Pike, Walleye and time to time catfish.

[Choporoz]

 I grew up fishing almost exclusively for walleye...but, funny timing for this question......My answer without thinking about it is, bass only.   But, just yesterday...I was fishing for bass and the bite was pretty tough.  I caught a couple on blade baits, but far more bluegill.  If pressed, I might have to admit that I could have been targeting schools on the sonar that I should have known, maybe weren't bass.......because, while I hate to admit it, sometimes catching any fish is more fun that NOT catching bass....but it is pretty rare that it happens for me..:)

I will also admit that my wife and I love hitting the shad when they come up the rivers here in the spring.  No monsters, but a great fighting fish every third or fourth cast is an absolute blast.  

[Loomis13]

I find myself fishing for walleye and crappie first and foremost and then bass. I am slowly beginnig to fish bass more but the learning curve is large and I have no people to follow, but even if I did I think walleye and crappie would still take priority for me. Smallmouth would be the bass species to overtake walleye or crappie I think.