Fish species you've never caught?

[billmac]

Obviously there are thousands of species I've never caught, but I'm talking about species you could have caught in or near where you regularly fish, or want to catch.

I've never caught a catfish, (if you don't count bullhead).  They aren't widespread around here, but there are a few places I could catch them.

I've never caught a salmon.  Again, they aren't real plentiful in my immediate area, but there are some lakes fairly close by with Kokanee in them.

I've never caught a lake trout.  My style of fishing doesn't really coincide with lake trout habitat.

I've never caught a carp.

[Nelson Delaney]

Sturgeon are one that comes to mind.  Seem to be pretty common these days in the north east but still a ban on fishing for them. 

[MN Fisher]

37 minutes ago, Nelson Delaney said:

Sturgeon are one that comes to mind.  Seem to be pretty common these days in the north east but still a ban on fishing for them. 

We have a sturgeon season here - but it's catch-and-release only.

Paddlefish is the one that there's no open season on in MN.

 

For me - ones that are extant in MN: Sturgeon, Muskie, Lake Trout, Bowfin, Gar....I think that's it.

[jimmyjoe]

    Never caught sturgeon or paddlefish. Of course, I never tried snagging, either. Have no salmon here, and only a very few locations stock trout. I'm spectacularly uninterested in trout. Don't know why, I just am.

    jj

  

[Mike L]

The only salt water fish I’ve never caught that I want to is a Blue Marlin. 
There are others of course, but the Marlin is the only one I would pay to catch. 
 

In fresh water it has to be a small mouth. 
For years I didn’t care if I did or not but since I’ve been on this board and others, a small mouth has been on my bucket list.  
 

 

 

 

Mike 

[soflabasser]

I have caught well over 200 species of fish and would like to catch as many new species as I am able to in my lifetime.

[Log Catcher]

I have never caught trout, walleye, saugeye, black crappie, muskie, or a blue catfish. I guess I have caught just about everything else that swims in the waters around here.

 

I have never intentionally fished those species but you would think you would catch one once in a while fishing for others.

[soflabasser]

18 minutes ago, Mike L said:

In fresh water it has to be a small mouth. 
For years I didn’t care if I did or not but since I’ve been on this board and others, a small mouth has been on my bucket list.  

 

Mike 

 

River smallmouth bass love crankbaits, spinnerbaits, topwaters, and small soft plastic swimbaits. You can also travel to Northern Florida and fish for Suwannee bass with the same lures.

[Mike L]

34 minutes ago, soflabasser said:

 

River smallmouth bass love crankbaits, spinnerbaits, topwaters, and small soft plastic swimbaits. You can also travel to Northern Florida and fish for Suwannee bass with the same lures.

I’m gonna keep that in mind.

Thanks 

Maybe this spring sometime I’ll hire a guide up that way somewhere. 

 

 

 

Mike

 

[N Florida Mike]

I cant think of any freshwater fish thats in my area that I havent caught., except stripers. They arent real common here anyway. I cant think of a friend or family member that ever caught one here either. 

There are some saltwater fish, esp. offshore, since I dont get out there much.

 

[TnRiver46]

3 hours ago, Nelson Delaney said:

Sturgeon are one that comes to mind.  Seem to be pretty common these days in the north east but still a ban on fishing for them. 

People catch them somewhat frequently in the TN river. I’ve caught 2 lake sturgeon 

 

muskie is one thing we have around here that I never fish for and have never caught. The state of Tennessee has an insane amount of fish species (a little over 300) and I’ve caught a good many of them. Just no desire at all to fish for Muskie, people carry on like they are so precious I don’t even want to get into that kind of fishing. 

[Jigfishn10]

Like @TnRiver46 Muskie is on my bucket list. For saltwater either a Bluefin Tuna or Mako Shark.

[bulldog1935]

11 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

People catch them somewhat frequently in the TN river. I’ve caught 2 lake sturgeon 

 

muskie is one thing we have around here that I never fish for and have never caught. The state of Tennessee has an insane amount of fish species (a little over 300) and I’ve caught a good many of them. Just no desire at all to fish for Muskie, people carry on like they are so precious I don’t even want to get into that kind of fishing. 

Have a fly rod buddy in the PNW who almost exclusively targets tiger musky on his 12-wt (the only line that will turn over his bass-size flies) - they look like gators in his photos.  

We have a spring creek here with deep impoundments and a wild population of northern pike stocked in the '40s - they're into the high 20+" and forage on the native bass, especially in the winter.  

[BassFishinBrandon]

For me I'd have to say Walleye.  There is a few places around the area I like to fish but there is very limited if any bank access at all to get to them.  I pass a lake on the way to my favorite reservoir that I know for a fact has Walleye. But the only bank access is the small boat launch which I hate fishing them because I don't want to be in anyone's way, and then there is maybe 2 or 3 spots along the road that are usually taken up or you need to be a town resident to park or have access to the shore.  This year I intend to get the special license to fish a watershed area that I believe has walleye and also has first come first serve canoes free to the folks who buy the pass.  

[Jig Man]

There are lots of micro varieties in the streams around here that I have never caught and won’t catch because I don’t fish streams.  As for the fish in the lakes I believe that I have caught some of every one that I have ever heard of.

[Bankbeater]

I've never caught a blue catfish.  I would love to hook one of those big ones that live in the Mississippi river.

[haggard]

Never caught a brook trout, which are plentiful here in Maine, and never caught a fish on a fly rod. Hoping those two will come together in 2021.

 

 

[Denny]

Never caught any lake trout or northern pike, I'd like to

[Lucky Craft Man]

I am going with a Burbot.  I’ve tried in some harsh conditions at night to try and catch one, but have yet to do so.

[redmeansdistortion]

Coaster trout.  They're brook trout that live in Lake Superior and migrate back to the tributaries to spawn.  They attain sizes of up to 26" or so.

[scaleface]

I have never caught a burbot . They are rare around here but are caught occasionally .

[Chris at Tech]

Snook, permit, sailfish, blackfin/bluefin/yellowfin tuna, wahoo, full-grown mahi...

[gim]

On 12/31/2020 at 5:58 PM, MN Fisher said:

We have a sturgeon season here - but it's catch-and-release only.

There is a lottery drawn single tag season on the Rainy River every spring. The bag limit is one and there is a specific size they must be. I’m not quite sure why anyone would want to harvest one, but if you draw a tag and register it, you can keep one in the specific size range.

Quite a few species of freshwater fish around here that I have never caught:

any species of catfish

any species of trout and salmon

freshwater drum/sheephead

any species of gar

white bass

eelpout/burbot

[ATA]

For me is Sturgeon, and as we speak I am making plan to do it as soon as possible, I just need to travel to North Sacramento River for that. 

[12poundbass]

Muskey is the only one around me that I haven’t caught that I have a desire to catch, maybe a steelhead.