- Trout - Brown, Rainbow, Brook all over 12inches only counting trout once.
- Crappie* - measured fish with my foot but I think it was 12.
- Striped Bass - I think it's hard to catch a Striper under 12 inches.
- White Bass - Caught these for the first time this year. Luckily found a big hive of fat ones.
- Carp - Again a first. I've hooked a few before but this year I landed one.
- Catfish - Every year I always seem to some how hook a catfish. This year I caught a channel and a bullhead over 12 inches.
- Largemouth Bass - I finally caught a bass well over 12 inches. It was great catching this guy on top water and on film no less.
- Smallmouth Bass* - Not sure this guy is over 12 but pretty close.
The 12 inch fish that I targeted but never caught over 12inches or at all.
- Gar - Only went after them a couple times and finally saw one. But I couldn't catch one to save my life.
- Bluegill - For some reason I thought this was gonna be easy. Then I thought about the last time I saw a bluegill that was 12inches. I don't think I ever have.
- Redfish - I never made it to the coast to go after these guys. This was a big disappointment for me.
- Chain Pickerel - A friend caught one of these in the Eno and has pictures. I think he's the only person that has with a fly.
- Bowfin - Still looking for my first bowfin. I know where they are just haven't learned how to catch them.
My other goal was to catch at least one fish each month of the year. Usually Jan-Feb are my most difficult times but this year I got lucky. Mostly with the help of friends and great circumstances. I'm dangerously close to missing this goal. It's unbelievably cold this Dec. I leave for a week to go to San Diego for Christmas. So that gives me about 5 days to fish to get that last fish of the year and complete my goal. I wasn't going to include fish out of the pond by my work but I'm lowering my standards now and letting that be a possibility.
Hello Kev,
ReplyDeleteI love your blog by the way! I was just wondering what you used to catch that carp? There are some giant carp(about 3 feet) in a private pond I fish in and would love to catch one on the fly! Also what did you use for that catfish? I've always wanted to catch one on the fly!
Thanks,
John
John, strangely both fish were caught the same way using the same fly. A gold beadhead black wooly bugger. The wooly bugger was tied with a little flashabou that looks like peacock hackle. You can get them at Great Outdoor Provision. Both fish were caught in heavily stained water. The retrieve was slow 5-6inch strips. I think the fly just swept past the fish on both occasions. The strikes were fierce.
ReplyDeleteOne more easy one that you can catch longer than 12" is suckers. (if you have them in NC) In Missouri they are easy to catch when you are in clear water where you can see them. Throw a weighted white salmon egg fly in the area of the sucker. They will not actually hit it but as they look for food they will suck it up to test and see if it is food. At that point you will have to strip and set the hook because they will never just take it. They are bony but not bad to eat if you slice them good before you fry them.
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