What other species has your attention?

[DaubsNU1]

LMB and SMB's are still my favorite fish to target. What else has your attention, and why??

 

• Crappie: grew up catching them on a sandpit near the Platte River. Still fun.
• Bluegill: fun little fighters. Continue to be good times.
• Catfish: never really targeted them with rod-and-reel. We used "set-lines" in the Platte growing up. Love eating catfish!
• Pike: fun to catch, still one of my favorites
• Walleye: Good eating, never really cared much for targeting them. Recently started researching more and I am starting to get intrigued.
• Musky: Buddy was obsessed back in the 1990's...he never caught one. I have boated five Musky in my lifetime. There are a few local lakes stocked...and I am once again getting the fever(!)

 

[GreenPig]

I hunt LM and Spots weekly but I'll never pass on a school of Hybrids or Stripers. Been dragging baits a bit for Bluecats. 

[Chris at Tech]

Tarpon, redfish, snook, jack crevalle, permit, bonefish, sailfish, cubera snapper, roosterfish, yellowfin tuna…

[steves191145]

Catfish..more specifically flatheads 

[TnRiver46]

White bass, striper, catfish. We have walleye but not enough to really target , although some do. I gladly reel them in a cook them. Drum hit everything 

[VolFan]

Catfish mostly lately. It’s a ton of fun dragging baits for double digit fish.

[A-Jay]

Local By-Catch on the bigger inland waters here includes Musky, Pike, Walleye & Trout.

Early season, the brown and rainbow trout are a total blast on light spinning gear,

putting on quite a show. 

My strike to land ratio on big Musky is pretty low but I've managed to hold a few.

Pike are almost always a huge PIA, even when they are bigger.  They trash everything.

But when I hook a big one, I'll still work hard to land it; just to get my bait back if nothing else.

When the toothy critters are thick, I'll either move or add a trace of wire.

Then there's the walleye, I like them.

Because they taste very good, I'll knock the sides of a limit of cutters just about every chance I get.

I will often make them my target species after initially heading out for Brown Bass.

Depends if the season's open on them yet or not. 

Panfish taste awesome too, just not a fan of cleaning so many at a time. 

A-Jay

[casts_by_fly]

I already spend my time on the ‘other’ fish that gets some attention from me. Every year on the first or second trip out my early lake has a run of crappie that are predictable like the sun. I’ll keep a half dozen or so 10-11” fish and have a nice crappie dinner.  Dinner was last Friday. Now we’re on the bass.

 

 

[Woody B]

I have limited time to fish so I only target Bass.   Decades ago I Carp fished some.  I'd catch them at power company reservoirs and sell them to pay lakes.  I don't think that's legal anymore, but regardless I'll just keep Bass fishing.   I occasionally hook onto a big Catfish.  A couple weeks ago I caught 15, and 11 pound Blues on back to back casts.  While not big for Blues they're still fun on Bass tackle.   Big Flatheads are even more fun.  I will target a big Cat when I see them on sonar, but not with traditional Catfish gear or baits.   A couple years ago I caught a 47 inch long 53 pound Flathead on a Bandit 200, and 12 pound test.  It took a while to land it.  

 

[ATA]

in fresh water, Sturgeon

[OmegaDPW]

One reason I love to fish Beetle Spins. Even the catfish in my ponds like them. Always a surprise when you feel the tug. 

[Finessegenics]

Walleye and pike which are the usual by-catch anyway. I also like to fish for sturgeon, catfish, and carp and I do so often. 

[gim]

Muskie fishing is probably my second most targeted species behind bass.  Both pure strain and tiger.

 

I don't really do much walleye fishing anymore.  I used to.  I still catch some every season on accident.

 

Pike are a menace here.  They ruin tackle, they're aggressive, and they are annoying.  95% of them are the small snot rocket variety.  I can do without them but they are unavoidable.

 

I don't target panfish much unless the other seasons are closed, which is usually from ice out until mid May (yes, we still have closed seasons for bass, walleye, pike, and muskie).  I'll be doing some of this very soon.

 

 

[MIbassyaker]

I've been trying to do more fishing for stream trout.  Lots of good trout creeks and small rivers in my area that I've been neglecting.

 

I keep wanting to get into the steelhead and salmon runs that happen here, but they coincide with my busiest times of the year at work, and the most accessible fishing areas are always absurdly crowded.

[roadwarrior]

Brown Trout on the White River, AR.

 

 

[bowhunter63]

White bass and Stripers 

[T-Billy]

Big, strong, fast, toothy, acrobatic in warm water, and love to maul baits at boat side in the 8. The most frustrating, exciting, and rewarding freshwater sport fish we have, all rolled into one IMO.

I wish we had those big trout in my neck of the woods @A-Jay. They look like a bunch of fun. A couple of my favorite Zona show episodes were the ones where he and guest were catching those giant trout in harbors on the great lakes late in the fall.

[Junger]

Northern snakehead. They explode on topwater, and they're tougher to catch than bass. I like fishing heavy pads or grass away from other boats, and they're prolific in that environment. They're also really tasty so I harvest most of them that I catch.

 

[AboveAverageAngler]

If I’m not fishing for Smallmouth Bass, I’m typically targeting brook and brown trout. In the winter: crappie, tullibee, lake trout, sturgeon.

[DitchPanda]

Honestly the last few years I've spent less time chasing bass...especially last year. I spend considerable time going after bluegills, crappies and channel cats. Also spend time in the fall going for walleyes and saugers in the local river.

[NorcalBassin]

Before I became obsessed with bass fishing I spent a lot of time flyfishing for trout in our small high country streams. This summer I'll be dusting off that gear and spending more time in the backcountry.

[Steveo-1969]

Walleyes get my attention from November through March.

[bulldog1935]

I love catching redfish on light tackle.  

also love eating grill-blackened half-shell redfish fillets

 

But when the light take grows shoulders on the first run, and the first broach shows the black tail of a sow speckled trout, it all changes from fun to pandemonium excitement.  

[redmeansdistortion]

Trout and salmon are my preferred species but I live in a part of Michigan is largely devoid of cold water streams.  Aside from a few feeder creeks, the rivers by me are low grade with lots of impoundments which creates a warm environment.  The smallie fishing in the rivers, especially the Huron River, is out of this world.  I usually find myself on multi day excursions fishing for trout in the northern part of the state.  Trout is a May, June, and September thing for me.  King salmon is during August.  October and November I'm usually chasing coho and steelhead with some pier Atlantics and lake trout in the mix.  

 

Another is white bass, it's an absolute slam fest on the Detroit River during May and early June.  100+ fish days are the norm with many master angler fish (16"+).  Many don't eat them up my way, they're pretty dirty fish and the DNR has warnings in all of their literature associated with the Detroit River.  The walleye guys hate them with a passion because of their reputation for being bait thieves.

 

December is time for burbot from the piers.  DNR considers them trash fish, but I'll tell you, they're the best kept secret of the Great Lakes.  Burbot are freshwater cod and fry up just like cod, and when boiled they have a meaty texture and a flavor almost like lobster.  I'd rank them right up there in flavor with perch, walleye, and pike.  We fish them with bottom rigs baited with dead minnows.  

[gim]

48 minutes ago, redmeansdistortion said:

Burbot are freshwater cod and fry up just like cod, and when boiled they have a meaty texture and a flavor almost like lobster.

 

I've heard them referred to as "poor man's lobster" by a couple friends who occasionally catch them through the ice.  Never tried one myself.  I'd consider it if someone offered it to me.  The chances of me catching one myself is nearly impossible though.