Catching other species when targeting bass.

[dodgeguy]

Ok if I catch anything other than bass it's an accident. I've caught 2 trout in my entire life. I've caught a few pickerals while bass fishing. I've caught 2 walleye and some white perch and a catfish. This is from 1967 to now. Is this normal for most of you guys? I never use live bait . That probably has something to do with it.OK let's here about you guys.

[DogBone_384]

I'll catch trout in cold water months while still targeting bass.  I also catch pickerel in a lot of waters around me while bass fishing.  Lastly, there's a SMB pond about an hour from me that coughs up 1 to 1 1/4 pound yellow perch regularly.

 

Overall, I welcome any species to my kayak, especially when bass don't cooperate.

[WRB]

It's not common to catch other species while bass fishing and not that unusual either.

I have both big channel and blue cats over 30 lbs on jigs, crankbait, soft plastics and structure spoons. Rainbow and brown trout* on plastic worms, trout swimbaits* and structure spoons. My PB 37 lb musky on a 1/4 oz hair jig fishing for Smallmouth.

Walleyes like crankbaits, soft plastic worms and grubs and catch them often when bass fishing in Canada.

Big snapping turtle at Bull Shoals on a jig and snagged a giant sturgeon on the Green River that looked about 8' long when took off.

Crappie on several lures and a 2 lb Redear on a jig. Carp on small crankbaits occasionally.

Stripe Bass eat bass lures so it's not uncommon to catch them.

I would say structure spoons are the all around lure that every game will strike.

Tom

 

[Finessegenics]

I regularly catch pike when targeting bass. If I want to throw a spinnerbait (which I love doing for smallies in dirty water) I'm basically forced to tie a wire leader on it. The chances of a pike hitting it and cutting my line is way too high. I dont tend to catch that many walleye while bass fishing, but I fish for them from when the open water season opens until the second week of june, when bass opens here. 

 

I also once caught a really nice rainbow on a storm arashi crankbait. Was quite the surprise. 

[gim]

What he said. In some cases I can’t keep the pike off here and they ruin tackle if they don’t bite me completely off. And 90% of them are the small slime hammer handle type.

[Scott F]

Pike, musky, walleye, crappie, bowfin, and yellow perch are some of the species I get while bass fishing in Wisconsin. This was one of my accidental catches last spring.

 

 

[A-Jay]

I am a Big Fan of the By-Catch opportunities locally. 

It's a bit of a gamble though.

Never know what you might bump into. 

Needless to say, I always spool on plenty of quality backing.

A-Jay

 

[Sam]

Catfish

Black Crappie

Striped Bass

Yellow Perch

White Perch

Smallmouth Bass

Warmouth

Bowfin

Snakeheads

[C4Dave]

Fishing below Pickwick Dam can get you multiple species. I caught LM, SM, spotted bass, white bass, yellow bass, drum, blue catfish on the same day! Also have caught crappie, bream, sauger, skipjack, and stripers there.

[Koz]

Lately, catfish have been my nemesis when I'm bass fishing. They seem to hit anything.

 

There's nothing like getting a bait hammered by something big and for a fleeting second you wonder if it's your PB largemouth bass and by the time that second is up you realize it's the pull of a catfish on the end of your line.

[the reel ess]

Catfish, white bass, crappie, white perch, all kinds of bream, gar, stripers, a monster gold shiner, turtle and just recently, oscar. I feel certain I've forgotten some.

[Dwight Hottle]

While fishing for smallies on Lake Erie  I have caught: steelhead, brown trout, lake trout, channel catfish, perch, walleye, sheep head (drum) pike, rock bass, gobies & largemouth.   While fishing for largemouth I have caught pickerel, bowfin, tilapia & cichlid & crappie. 

[TnRiver46]

Hahaha that’s for d&$@ sure! Those bowfin have dynamite in their veins. I enjoy them but that’s because I’ve only boated one , I imagine you would sustain serious bodily harm after landing several.

[The Bassman]

The HOA lakes I fish give up a decent channel cat every so often. Hasn't happened during the cold months yet. Also get a bullhead cat every now and then. Some of the ponds I fish have hybrid bluegills which are very aggressive and have no trouble getting hooked on larger baits.

[billmac]

I'm most likely to catch pike when bass fishing.  Trout, walleye, musky, various panfish, occasionally.  Fortunately I like catching pike.

[MIbassyaker]

Bycatch is pretty normal, but depends entirely on which waters I fish. Some places I can virtually guarantee catching pike, bowfin, crappie, rock bass, or other sunfish on any trip. At others, I've never caught anything but bass.

[NittyGrittyBoy]

We catch a good bit of big Warmouths which are a welcomed bycatch. What we call Jack's, is Pickrel, there not to bad of a bycatch,  just mangle up lures

 

But my most dreaded, and absolute least favorite catch is... Mudfish. Ugh cant stand them fools. I do release them, but sure do hate em. 

[soflabasser]

It is normal for me to catch other species of fish while bass fishing since South Florida is a multi species fisherman's paradise. I can catch a largemouth bass on one cast, a snook on the next, a peacock bass on the next cast, or any of the dozens of species that live in the same waters bass live in. Have had several +100 fish days all on artificials so that is another nice thing about fishing in South Florida. 

[slonezp]

Walleye, pike, musky, crappie, cats, drum, carp, wipers, rock bass, mud puppies, whitefish, gar, sturgeon, bluegill, trout, salmon, perch, maybe some others.

[Bluebasser86]

If I go fishing for bass and don't catch a different species, I'm pretty surprised. Most of my PB's of other species have been caught while targeting bass.

 

Flathead catfish-68lbs, finesse jig

wiper-11lb 2oz, jerkbait

crappie-2lb, spinnerbait

walleye-4.75lb, keitech

drum-22lb, blade bait

white bass-4lb, squarebill

warmouth-1lb, beaver

grass carp-50ish, Swaver

Saugeye-4lbs, finesse jig

Sauger-3lbs, squarebill

yellow perch-ned rig

Bowfin-pitboss

shortnose gar-jerkbait

Rock bass-ned rig

 

I'm sure there's others, but all those were PB's I caught while fishing for bass. Some days the bycatch far outnumber the bass.

[schplurg]

I caught a bullfrog with a frog last summer. I'd post the video link but you can't actually see the strike. The frog jumped out of shallow water vegetation and grabbed it from the air about 3 feet from me (bank fishin). Was barbless at least and barely hooked. I mentioned this in another thread (in case anyone gets deja vu).

[Manly Studson]

4 hours ago, schplurg said:

 

I caught a bullfrog with a frog last summer.

I did too. Sorry, my pictures always upload sideways.

[Bankbeater]

I usually catch bluegill, crappie, catfish, carp, hybrids, and an occasional muskie while bass fishing. Last year I seemed to be catching warmouth on every trip. 

[Chris at Tech]

Thinking back, my bass fishing bycatch has included bream, catfish, walleye, perch, hybrid striped bass, pickerel, crappie.  I think that's it...

[Bird]

I'm a diehard Bass fisherman and actually detest catching other species.

 

I've caught many pickerel and Musky while bass fishing and seems to always happen with Jerkbaits and Magnum flukes. 

 

I always give slack line in attempt to lose these voracious predators, works about 50 %.

 

Don't mind the occasional Crappie.