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> > Fly fishing species "life list" - what's yours?
| Jmd123 | February 2nd, 2011, 4:58 pm | |
 Posts: 2611 | Birders like to keep a list of species that they have observed throughout their lives, sort of a personal inventory and, perhaps like us fly fishers, for bragging rights and to make others envious. I do this with fish species I have caught on fly rods, and I'm wondering if others might as well. So, I'll put mine up here first, starting of course with trout and then moving on to warm water species and some of the more unusual ones. Here goes: Brown trout Brook trout Rainbow trout (NOT including adult steelhead, yet...) Cutthroat trout (searun, no other subspecies as of yet) Largemouth bass Smallmouth bass Redeye bass Rock bass Warmouth Bluegill Pumpkinseed Green sunfish Longear sunfish Redear sunfish Redbreast sunfish Spotted sunfish Black crappie Yellow perch Northern pike Channel catfish Common carp Creek chub Hornyhead chub Common shiner Golden redhorse sucker Mexican tetra Rio Grande cichlid (a.k.a. Texas cichlid, Rio Grande "perch") And, in the "almost" category: White sucker - foul hooked but never in the mouth Spotted gar - almost had it landed but it cut the leader with it's teeth... STILL seeking: ADULT steelhead Chinook salmon Coho salmon Lake trout Any other salmonid species or subspecies Lake whitefish Cisco (a.k.a. "lake herring") Muskellunge Walleye White bass ANY saltwater species Most of the "wish list" are within striking distance of my new northern Michigan residence, with the exception of course of the marine fishies... Jonathon | |
| No matter how big the one you just caught is, there's always a bigger one out there somewhere... | ||
| Shawnny3 | February 2nd, 2011, 7:41 pm | |
Moderator Pleasant Gap, PAPosts: 1197 | What a neat idea, Jonathon. I have never really gotten into actively pursuing new species. My brother and I each had odd catches this past year, though, me with a Tiger Trout and he with I believe a Longnose Gar. But your list puts me to shame, that's for sure. -Shawn | |
| Jewelry-Quality Artistic Salmon Flies, by Shawn Davis www.davisflydesigns.com | ||
| Oldredbarn | February 2nd, 2011, 8:08 pm | |
 Posts: 2608 | Jonathon, I think I told you about the time I caught a sucker on a dry fly on the Huron...I was standing at the access site and checking out the river and didn't realize I had dropped the fly from my hand. It was drawn under the water without my knowing and I felt a little tug...There he was... One time I was floating the South Branch of the Au Sable when I noticed something looked a bit strange with my fly. I brought it in only to find I had somehow snagged a natural that had been floating on the water. I turned to the guide and said, "Fella. My fly is so damn good naturals are trying to mate with it..." Does that one count? I caught what I think you once called a "Fall's Fish" on a dry fly version of a cadddis...They looked like small versions of a Tarpon but minnow sized. Spence | |
| "Even when my best efforts fail it's a satisfying challenge, and that, after all, is the essence of fly fishing." -Chauncy Lively "Envy not the man who lives beside the river, but the man the river flows through." Joseph T Heywood | ||
| Jmd123 | February 3rd, 2011, 9:16 am | |
Posts: 2611 | Spence, I think you're talking about fallfish, and they are an eastern, larger version of the creek chub. There was a thread about someone catching one recently on here, I think it was titled "sport-sized chub" or something like that. I haven't caught one of those yet, maybe if I make it out east sometime... Another one I'd like to add to the list is the goldeye. They're pretty rare here in Michigan, but I hear they occur in Lake St. Clair, and they supposedly will hit on dry flies...oh, and perhaps the golden shiner as well. Jonathon | |
| No matter how big the one you just caught is, there's always a bigger one out there somewhere... | ||
| Oldredbarn | February 3rd, 2011, 11:27 am | |
Posts: 2608 | Jonathon, It was in the Huron below Kent Lake dam...There used to be some gills there and these fish that I think were washed over the dam and rose to my caddis dry...This was 10 years or so ago...Give or take...They weren't that big really. A snack, no-dout, for the monster snapper I use to see in there from time-to-time...:)He was so big he gave me pause when I was wading around down there and he was about... These snappers are so opportunistic! He hung out just downstream from the dam and waited for his dinner to get washed over the top... I once was tooling around in the Mason Track and spotted a box or painted turtle crossing the road near Thayer Creek...I jumped out of the car and ran towards him but he was gone...I looked down and laying in the culvert, mouth upstream, was a huge snapper...When he saw me looking over the edge he just slunk back a bit further in the pipe...He didn't look like he was going to let me or anything else take his prime hunting spot. Spence | |
| "Even when my best efforts fail it's a satisfying challenge, and that, after all, is the essence of fly fishing." -Chauncy Lively "Envy not the man who lives beside the river, but the man the river flows through." Joseph T Heywood | ||
| Jmd123 | February 3rd, 2011, 12:29 pm | |
Posts: 2611 | Hmmmm, I don't think fallfish are found here in MI, so...gizzard shad?? Or the elusive goldeye??? The later are actually related to tarpon...what color was it? Jonathon | |
| No matter how big the one you just caught is, there's always a bigger one out there somewhere... | ||
| RleeP | February 3rd, 2011, 12:37 pm | |
| NW PA - Pennsylvania's Glacial Pothole Wonderland Posts: 398 | Many years ago, while fishing the Green Drake on Penn's Creek in PA (the one and only time I've done that) and the legendary crowds were almost as thick as the bugs, I caught a guy from Willow Grove (near Philly) with my back cast on a #10 Green Drake Wulff dry. He was a nice one, in full Orvis plumage, close to 90 kg., I'd say. But he didn't fight anywhere near as well as what you'd think he would for his size... I've caught most of the fish Jonathon listed on his opening post, with the exception of the Rio Grande whatsits. I've caught a lot of fallfish on the fly at home in PA. They are pretty ubiquitous all through the coolwater/warmwater streams of the Susquehanna watershed. Got a couple nice ones over the years, 18" or so. I've caught quite a few walleye on the fly, although nothing of any real size (all under 20"). Almost all my walleye came while fishing for smallmouth in streams in PA's Allegheny basin when they were somewhat off-color. Where walleye are present in these streams, these cloudy water conditions seem to make them move up into a lot of the holding lies that the bass normally use. The back sides of in-stream boulders and 2-3 foot deep pockets, etc.. No muskies on the fly. I may set my mind to this once we move back to NW PA. There are a lot of them around. I've caught lots of steelhead (Lake Erie variety), a few Lake Trout (many years ago in Algonquin Park just after ice-out), a small bull trout (12" or so..) out of the lower Deschutes. A few small west slope cutts out of some small McKenzie tribs in Oregon. In 35 years of tromping small PA trout streams, I got one wild tiger trout, about 6.5" out of a trib of the Loyalsock. Only wild tiger I've ever seen, let alone caught In terms of oddities, I caught a gar that went about 22" (I don't know what kind) out of Presque Isle Bay on Lake Erie, white and yellow bass out of Kincaid Lake in southern Illinois (white bass not such an oddity, yellow more unusual), a yellow bullhead out of the Manitowoc River while fishing for bass, something called a Bigmouth Buffalofish out of the Big Muddy River, again in way southern Illinois, fresh water drum (sheephead) out of the Illinois Fox River and Lake Erie and a Hellbender (accidentally) out of French Creek in NW PA. | |
| Jmd123 | February 3rd, 2011, 5:43 pm | |
Posts: 2611 | Lee, the Rio Grande "perch" (that's what they call them down there - everything with a spiny dorsal that's not a bass is a "perch" to them Texans) and the Mexican tetras were from the San Marcos River in the town of the same name in TX, as was the almost-caught spotted gar. This last fish gave me one hell of a fight, which I hear is not true of longnose gar. The spotted, redear, and warmouth sunfishes also came from there. Funny thing, warmouth are supposed to occur here in MI but I've never caught one, nor do I know of anyone else who's caught one here. They've also planted redears here too but I haven't seen one yet either. The myriad sunfish species in TX became my "trout" - especially the big blue-and-orange redbreasts which rose to caddisflies skimming over the river at dusk. Caught a few funky hybrids too, of what exactly I have no idea... Also, the two channel cats I caught were from a man-made pond down in TX as well, the very same where I caught my biggest largemouth ever (20", 5.5 lbs.), which was the fish that gave my Killer Bass Fly it's name...Texas was very good to me with regards to fly fishing! Jonathon | |
| No matter how big the one you just caught is, there's always a bigger one out there somewhere... | ||
| Benjlan | February 3rd, 2011, 7:18 pm | |
 Posts: 54 | Hey Yall, I've got the usuals as far as trout sunfishes and bass, but the most unusual thing I've caught was a foul hooked Lamprey. This is a real nasty parasitic eel looking thing. I bet what ever I snagged him off from is happier now. I plan to do more small mouth fishing this summer, as prescribed by a friend and fellow poster. I think maybe I'll try for some crap I mean carp:) | |
| Troutnut | February 4th, 2011, 2:09 am | |
 Administrator Bellevue, WAPosts: 2737 | Hmm, tough question, I haven't really kept track. I'll do my best: Brown trout Brook trout Rainbow trout (including steelhead) Chinook salmon Coho salmon Pink salmon Chum salmon Silver salmon Sockeye salmon Dolly varden Arctic grayling Adriatic grayling Round whitefish Atlantic salmon (landlocked) Northern pike Muskellunge Largemouth bass Smallmouth bass Rock bass Bluegill Red-breasted sunfish Fallfish Creek chub Hornyhead chub Common shiner Bonefish Schoolmaster (type of snapper) Cedar waxwing Bat (species unknown) I might be leaving out some things (pumpkinseeds, yellow perch, black crappies, various redhorse/suckers) but I can't remember specific examples of those species that I caught on the fly. I really should try to fix that, and I need to catch a laker on a fly too. I also need to catch my first cutthroat trout, but there's no good way to get to them on the main/contiguous road system in Alaska. I'd love to catch a sheefish/inconnu... they're well-distributed in interior Alaska and odds are a few of them swim within a mile of my house every year, but they're so uncommon in this region it takes crazy luck to catch one. | |
| Jason Neuswanger, Ph.D. Troutnut and salmonid ecologist | ||
| Taxon | February 4th, 2011, 5:50 am | |
 Site Editor Royse City, TXPosts: 1350 | ... Hmm. Is this a test or something? :) | |
| Best regards, Roger Rohrbeck www.FlyfishingEntomology.com | ||
| Jmd123 | February 4th, 2011, 7:42 am | |
Posts: 2611 | Perhaps like the guy who told me, after I commented about what a nice chinook that I had just caught (not on a fly), "Why, that's a king"... Jonathon | |
| No matter how big the one you just caught is, there's always a bigger one out there somewhere... | ||
| Pryal74 | November 12th, 2012, 12:40 pm | |
 Posts: 168 | I always wanted to comment on this, but forgot to. I had to look this one up Jonathon. Anyway, here goes... Pumpkinseed Sunfish Bluegill Bluegill Hybrid Black Crappie Rockbass Yellow Perch Largemouth Bass Smallmouth Bass Walleye White Sucker Striped Shiner Common Shiner Longnose Sucker River Redhorse Sucker Spotted Sucker Golden Redhorse Sucker Round Goby Greater Redhorse Sucker Creek Chubsucker Northern Pike Lake Whitefish Pink Salmon Chinook Salmon (King Salmon) Coho Salmon (Silver Salmon) Splake (Brook Trout & Lake Trout Hybrid) Brown Trout (lake-run) Brown Trout Steelhead Rainbow Trout (river resident) Brook Trout I still have to go after a musky, carp, sturgeon, tiger musky, lake trout and any other species I can get here in the U.P. | |
| -James Pryal Into The Wild Fly Fishing | ||
| Kschaefer3 | November 12th, 2012, 1:57 pm | |
 Posts: 376 | I'm glad Jim resurrected this thread. Let's see if I can remember now: Brown Trout (excluding lake run) Brook Trout Rainbow Trout (including Steelhead) Cuttbow (Rainbow/Cuttrhoat hybrid) Pink Salmon Chinook Salmon Largemouth Bass Smallmouth Bass Rock Bass Bluegill Pumpkinseed Hybrid sunfish Black Crappie Redhorse Sucker Creek Chub Common Carp Perch Northern Pike Walleye (on an egg pattern, thanks Jim!) Muskellunge With the exception of one trip to Montana, I have never fly fished outside the midwest. Hopefully that will change soon and I can add a few species to the list. | |
| Adirman | November 12th, 2012, 6:48 pm | |
 Posts: 505 | Let's see, only on a flyrod: Brook trout Brown trout Rainbow trout Smallmouth bass yellow perch pumpkinseed sunfish bluegill sunfish Not much diversity yet, but workin on it!! | |
| Jesse | November 12th, 2012, 7:29 pm | |
 | Ohhhh God here we go: Trout.. | |
| Most of us fish our whole lives..not knowing its not the fish that we are after. http://www.filingoflyfishing.com | ||
| Jesse | November 12th, 2012, 7:32 pm | |
| But those are all some really impressive lists how cool to see people catching that many different fish on the fly I LOVE IT! | |
| Most of us fish our whole lives..not knowing its not the fish that we are after. http://www.filingoflyfishing.com | ||
| Jmd123 | November 12th, 2012, 7:35 pm | |
Posts: 2611 | Hey, this old thread has found a new life! And I even have one new species to add to my own list: two golden shiners from Clark's Marsh this spring. It's fun to think about, isn't it, especially for those of us who have tried to catch anything and everything on fly tackle. Jonathon | |
| No matter how big the one you just caught is, there's always a bigger one out there somewhere... | ||
| GldstrmSam | November 12th, 2012, 8:04 pm | |
 Posts: 212 | I'm doing pretty well considering I started fly fishing only a little over a year ago. Rainbow trout-Not Steelhead Arctic grayling Dolly varden ?Landlocked salmon? I might post a photo and see if anyone can I.D. it. I would like to catch on a fly rod all of the Pacific salmon species, northern pike, sheefish/inconnu and other white fish, carp, arctic char, and halibut. I would also really like to do some largemouth bass fishing, but that will be a ways down the road due to the lack of bass in great northern state of Alaska. | |
| There is no greater fan of fly fishing than the worm. ~Patrick F. McManus | ||
| Wbranch | November 13th, 2012, 7:49 am | |
 Posts: 2733 | Freshwater Brook trout Brown trout Rainbow trout Tiger trout Cutthroat trout Lake trout Landlocked salmon Steelhead King salmon Coho salmon Chum salmon Pink salmon Grayling Atlantic salmon Smallmouth bass Largemouth bass Yellow perch White perch Walleye Crappie Pickeral Northern pike Rock bass Bluegill Long ear sunfish Pumpkinseed Rocky Mountain whitefish American sucker Fallfish Channel catfish Carp Saltwater Bonefish Snook Redfish Ladyfish Sea trout Striped bass Bluefish | |
| Catskill fly fisher for fifty-five years. | ||
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