List of fish I have caught.

 

As you may not be aware of, I have picked up fishing as my main hobby this year. I used to be more into shooting but with the nation wide ammo shortage I have had to do something else. I have been a fisherman all my life but I think I have gone more times this year than I have ever done in the past. It hasn't been that great of year in terms of fishing but I have tried some new things and caught a new fish for me. 

That's the White Perch I caught this week up there (apologies for the bad picture). They didn't have them in any of the lakes and rivers I fished previously but they are in Lake Michigan and the upper Fox River, where I have been doing most of my fishing this year. As I was telling my Dad about the new catch (he caught his first one awhile back too) he mentioned that I should make a list of all the fish I caught. This blog post is that list and I may update it as time goes on. I'm also going to make a list of fish I would like to catch and are actively targeting. 

FISH I KNOW I HAVE CAUGHT:

Yellow Perch-By far my most caught fish. I have a love hate relationship with them as they are fun and easy to catch and are good eating but also steal baits from larger fish and tend to swallow the hook.

Walleye- Not recently though, even though I was gunning for them this spring. They are a difficult fish to catch from shore

Sauger- See above with Walleye, only more rare. 

Northern Pike- I used to slay these when I was younger and when I went to Canada, but I haven't had much catching them since. 

Bluegill/Pumpkinseed/Green Sunfish- I've caught these in large numbers. Good eating and I might use them for bait for larger catfish/bass. 

Rock Bass/Warmouth: Not something that I actively target but I have caught a few, but not usually when I was targeting other sunfish.

Largemouth Bass- The fish I was always looking for when I was growing up but never had much luck catching. When I catch these now they tend to be small. I tend to find them boring and overrated today, not sad to catch them but not something I really seek out either.

Channel Catfish- Haven't actually caught one of these since I was a kid, will be going after them this year.

Lake Sturgeon- Might have been the biggest fish I caught and it was still a juvenile. Caught it by accident when I was a kid and rapidly released it, the game wardens here don't like it when you catch sturgeon without spearing it through the ice. I would be fine if I never caught one again, even though they are cool fish! 

Yellow Bass- Once or twice while targeting sunfish or perch. Nice little fish.

White Perch- First time was this Friday, not sure what to think of them. 

Rainbow Trout- Never in the wild though. 

Freshwater Drum aka Sheepshead- Common rough fish up here, what I usually catch when fishing for Walleye. Lot of people hate them but they fight pretty good. Not happy when they swallow the hook and I have never tried eating them. 

Creek Chub- Yep, not sure how but I have caught these. They used to be in one of my favorite fishing spots but I haven't seen them recently.

Yellow and Black Bullheads- The most common catfish I have caught. Would be more fun if they got a bit bigger and didn't stick you with their spines. Not something I have caught recently though. 

Common Carp- Pretty garbage fish to be honest. I know Europeans are mental for these but I have never enjoyed fishing for them. Plus they are invasive. 

Red Snapper- The only saltwater fish I have caught. I took a trip to Florida when I was a kid and one of the things we did was deep sea fishing from a charter boat. They tasted pretty damn good too!

Some kind of redhorse sucker in Canada- Not sure what kind it was but I know I caught one and threw it back in disgust because it wasn't a Walleye!

FISH I MAY HAVE CAUGHT BUT I AM NOT SURE ABOUT:

White Bass- I want to say I caught one of these at some point but I am not sure

Bowfin/Dogfish- I want to say I either caught one of these or saw it get caught. 

Smallmouth Bass- I don't think I caught this one but it's possible I did when I was a kid. On the other hand Smallies are mostly river fish and I didn't do much river fishing when I was young.

Brown Bullheads-I might have caught one of these but all the bullheads I remember catching were Yellow or Black. 

Various other roughfish I caught but can't identify or remember.

FISH I HAVEN'T CAUGHT AND WOULD LIKE TO CATCH:

Muskie- Always wanted to catch one of these but never specifically targeted them. Anglers occasionally catch these from the Fox River up here while fishing for walleye so if I catch one that's probably how. 

Flathead Catfish- Never even seen someone I was fishing with catch one of these but they are around up here and they get pretty big in the Lake Michigan system. If I ever manage to catch enough sunfish to use as live bait I will try for these.

Lake run Brown Trout- I've heard of people accidentally catching these while fishing for Walleye and I would love to catch one even though I won't be specifically targeting them since I don't have a trout stamp.

Various Lake Michigan Salmon/Steelhead- Not really a way to catch one by me but I had thought of doing a charter fishing trip at some point.

Black and White Crappies- For as common as these fish are I don't believe I have ever caught one. Kinda embarrassing to admit... I hope to catch some this summer, or perhaps when I'm off work later this month.

Any Gar- Well not Alligator Gar since they don't live up here. But I have always wanted to catch one of these living dinosaurs. 

Lake Whitefish-I've come so close to catching these things it's been infuriating. Well snagging them as I was fishing for Walleyes at the time and I doubt they could fit the big baits I was using in their tiny mouths. But either way I want to land one just out of spite for how many times they threw my hook this spring while Walleye fishing. 

Literally anything else Saltwater- Before the Coronavirus pandemic ruined my plans I had thought about a trip down south where I could fish on the ocean. Didn't even get to the pre-planning phase before that idea went to crap. Might try it someday.