# Your favorite fish of 2017...



## fallen513

Pretty self explanatory. It will take me a while to figure mine out. It's never about size, weight or being the best. It's always about what makes you tick. That is why we do it. 


Let's see what makes you tick.


----------



## Fisherman 3234

46" Flathead Catfish. This was by far the hardest fighting fish I have ever hooked up with. I was very very very lucky to land it. Almost didn't bring my catfish stuff too, was mostly fishing for Bass.


----------



## Rooster

Might not look like much, but it was the first fish of the morning on a day I called in sick to take advantage of safe ice (far too rare here in SW Ohio). Nothing can make this old geezer feel more like a child than catching gills and playing hookie from work to spend a day on the ice.


----------



## ya13ya03

It was a great day on my new to me boat I got this year. My old 12' boat I wasn't able to take my whole family out in. I got a 16' starcraft super sport. My little girl broke her arm and was worried she couldn't fish. She ended up catching the biggest fish of the day.


----------



## 3 dog Ed

Here is my buddy Dave with a big 5 pounder. He hadn't fished in a few years and was just getting back into it. Of course I took him and my dad to a local pond I fish and he hit the jackpot. I've been fishing this pond for 20 years and never got anything over 4#. He fell in while wading into the catails to land this beast. It was a good time.


----------



## Cat Mangler

Caught some nice fish this year, but this one's at the top. 21#


----------



## burnsj5

I don't have a picture of my favorite fish from this year because I never landed her. Just one of those cool, crisp beautiful mornings when chaos erupts, you have a giant muskie on, potentially your PB, headshaking right next to the boat, you let out a few few remarks in astonishment, and she just comes unbuttoned, leaving you staring off in amazement, awe, frustration, at the calm lake again, like you just weren't in the most epic battle of your life. 
Had to take 5-10 minutes off after that one but that's my favorite fish from this year. Gives me that drive to get out there every chance I can.


----------



## 9Left

No words needed.... 17.5"


----------



## Fisherman 3234

9Left said:


> No words needed.... 17.5"
> View attachment 249565


That is one heck of a Crappie...awesome!!!


----------



## Nitro901bassman




----------



## Nitro901bassman

Fished Grand Traverse Bay in Michigan fished from my Hobie many bass like this one.


----------



## kayak1979

My first muskie and from my kayak. 42" at Pymatuning.


----------



## Nitro901bassman

Great muskie can only imagine the fight landing her from your kayak.


----------



## erie sniper

My favorite fish for 2017 is no doubt the Smallmouth Bass. Never hooked into a hog but caught well over 100 in 5 different rivers and a couple in Sandusky Bay. I had never done any river fishing and never targeted smallies specifically. Had the best time this year and only makes me want to go more.


----------



## Saugeye Tom

Mine and my grandsons


----------



## fishwhacker

Might not look like much but this was after a 2 day cold front had just blown through and we were fishing in float tubes....crappies,gills and walleyes all in the same day.


----------



## Spike Dog

Mahi Mahis off shore out of marathon key. We stayed down there for a week last July. Trolling for mahi mahi in the gulf stream is the most fun fishing I have ever done in my life, I can't wait to do it again.


----------



## RiparianRanger

fallen513 said:


> Your favorite fish of 2017...


Since the "fish" can be both singular and plural I'll offer two:

The first image shows what was my first-ever winter smallmouth caught over 11 months ago in the middle of January. To experience that "tap" on the line after a dearth of smallie action that spanned months was a memorable experience. All the better when the haul revealed a healthy 16.75" 2lb. specimen on the line. For years I used to hang up the tackle after October. After gleaning information from members of these forums I attempted to extend smallmouth season last year. I don't claim to have them figured out just yet but with winter fast approaching I'll have another shot at experimentation. 

The second image is another first - a Fish Ohio qualifying smallmouth. I've collected FO pins on other species through the years but never a smallmouth. Naturally the experience was diminished somewhat given that the threshold was lowered from 20" to 18" for 2017. Regardless, the skinny water this one was caught doesn't offer up many of this size making it a memorable encounter too.


----------



## Flannel_Carp

Definitely this pair of smallies that smashed a KVD Splash at the same time this Fall.


----------



## bank runner

Both of mine are Smallies one being my biggest river smallie and the other for taking my rod and reel into the river and then snagging my rod 6hrs later with the smallie still on the line


----------



## SConner

No doubt this prespawn pig from GMR.


----------



## strongto

34" Pike back in January


----------



## fishdealer04

I've got two so far this year.

First is my daughter's first "keeper" size walleye a nice 24"









2nd is my 12# walleye. I have been fishing for 6 years to catch one over 11 pounds and after catching many 10 pounders on Erie I finally got this one this past February.


----------



## MuskyFan

Just two from this year. Both 35".


----------



## chris1162

this juvenile goliath grouper from our yearly man trip is my favorite from this year


----------



## Lazy 8

Prolly the one I got in the basket at Captain D's. Even came w/extra tartar sauce.


----------



## fallen513

Lots of great fish! Lots of proper handling and great photos too. Very cool. My year isn't over yet, so I'm holding out. A few come to mind, it will be a difficult decision for sure.


----------



## FishermanMike

Nice fish diversity in here!

This was my favorite. The first fish I ever caught as a kid was a Brook Trout, and I fish for them in the Lake Superior tributaries every year with my dad, brothers, and uncle. They don't get very big in the small streams, but are fun to catch, and you can't beat the scenery.


----------



## midoh39

Went to visit my buddy in Florida back in August, fish was very slow for reds and snook so he rolled the dice and we took his 22’ boat out 50 miles into the gulf on a hope that the snapper were moved onto his spot. Boy did it pay off!


----------



## Lil Crappie

My friend of 44 yrs passed on 9/11. This is the only fish we caught that day, a few weeks before. Keeper!


----------



## Bazzin05

This one was my most memorable fish for multiple reasons. It was a day of almost 100 fish between 3 of us and out of those fish we had 3 over 20". 

This one was caught towards the end of our float. I had a 12" smallie hooked up on a crankbait and as it came close to my yak I saw a giant smallie chasing the smaller one in. So I freespooled the 12"er for a second as the larger fish proceeded to eat the 12"er head first. As that happened I leaned into it and the larger fish went airborne with the tail of the smaller fish hanging out of it's mouth. Halfway through the jump the smaller fish with my crankbait still attached was thrown from the mouth of the larger fish and started doing flips through the air. Once the smaller fish hit the water the bigger fish came back after it. This time the larger fish hit the side of the smaller fish so hard it hooked itself and swam off with it's spoils (aka my crainkbait) as I see my line following the larger fish I lean into it and it goes airborne again but this time it stays hooked up and I was able to bring it to hand. My other two buddies with me watched from a distance in disbelief as this all went down and I landed my 2nd 20"+ fish of the day in epic fashion.


----------



## twistedcatfish1971

Not my biggest fish this year but definitely most intense and fun! Caught as a insane lighting storm was rolling in on me. Blackness to the left of me filled with ligniting strikes and blue skies to the right of me...all the while muskie was leaping from the water totally 3 consecutive times just 10 feet in front of me.


----------



## BrettSass844

First FO Saugeye 




  








IMG_7887




__
BrettSass844


__
Oct 7, 2017


----------



## kycreek




----------



## Saugeyefisher

kycreek said:


> View attachment 250560


Nice! That thing is huge!


----------



## zimmerj

My best fish is always the next one I catch.


----------



## Fishbaughzach

Smallmouth caught on KY Lake during Crappie USA classic week. Was one of the neatest fish I have ever caught. 22 1/2" long and 5.5 lbs.


----------



## Bleeding Minnow

These are some great fish and sounds like some great memories. My favorite fish of the year has to be this fall smallie from Chautauqua. It was an incredibly foggy morning. At times I could not see 5 feet in front of me and a couple times my buddy in the back had to ask which direction the shore was. I was blindly walking a super spook in an area I knew was holding good fish the evening before. This pig smashed my spook and stayed buttoned.


----------



## Ohioagainsttheworld

31” Fish Ohio steelhead


----------



## BuzzBait Brad

My favorite fish of 2017


----------



## jessejames556

My profile picture that I shared on a separate thread a few months ago. I caught this 7.5 lb LM in a large pond not far from Dayton. It hammered a fluke in about two feet of water so needless to say it was a fun catch.


----------



## kycreek

Me personal best SM out of the river.


----------



## SConner

I almost forgot my second favorite fish of the year was hooked but not landed back in April when a giant of a pike breached no more than a foot off the port side of kayak and threw my hook. I have been back to this hole many times over the year but it appears to be a ghost fish. This is how I imagined it would have looked in pictures. Happy Holidays!


----------



## the_waterwolf

This is not only my favorite fish of the year, but possibly all time. I guided my dad to this on his birthday, as I have for the past few years. This female has returned to the same hole every spring after the spawn and continues to get bigger. Hopefully she is still there next year, but Ohio pike do not live long enough to get much bigger. We'll see next year...


----------



## Saugeye Tom

SConner said:


> I almost forgot my second favorite fish of the year was hooked but not landed back in April when a giant of a pike breached no more than a foot off the port side of kayak and threw my hook. I have been back to this hole many times over the year but it appears to be a ghost fish. This is how I imagined it would have looked in pictures. Happy Holidays!
> 
> View attachment 251418


Look at the belly sag!!!


----------



## glasseyes

My first steelhead trip, my first bite, my first fish, was also a fish OHIO fish, lol, glad I made it up there . Got to go back one other time and caught a few more but none as big as my first bite.


----------



## Bowhunter15

While not a particular fish this was my favorite day of 2017! Fish in the morning shrooms in the evening ..i love april/may lol


----------



## garhtr

My favorite by far was a fish I didn't even catch.








Fishing a small trout stream I bumped in to a young angler having no success, pretty rare to see anyone on this creek and I gave him a pair of flies that had been producing ---3 or 4 cast later he had a small r/bow tugging on his line and a big smile on his face.
I moved down stream to give him some room but watched him catch several more fish from a distance, really an enjoyable day.
Good luck and Good fishing


----------



## midoh39

garhtr said:


> My favorite by far was a fish I didn't even catch.
> View attachment 251549
> 
> Fishing a small trout stream I bumped in to a young angler having no success, pretty rare to see anyone on this creek and I gave him a pair of flies that had been producing ---3 or 4 cast later he had a small r/bow tugging on his line and a big smile on his face.
> I moved down stream to give him some room but watched him catch several more fish from a distance, really an enjoyable day.
> Good luck and Good fishing


That’s what it’s all about! I used to be a kid like the one you helped out on the stream, I’m sure he won’t forget it as I haven’t forget the occasions where fellow fishermen have helped me!


----------



## BaddFish

Great thread guys! 
My son was three this year and out fished me! Caught his first fish: a bluegill....first largemouth (5") lost the pic... and nice keeper crappie 8-9"... two days ago he said "Daddy, I want to go fishing!"


----------



## YAK_THE_FLIPPER

20inch 07.04.17




__
YAK_THE_FLIPPER


__
Nov 11, 2017




20incher on July 4 in a TN stream






I caught three dinks from a weed line point before this one took my jig. I thought fat girls ate first!
A nice surprise on a very hot 4th of July day.


----------



## Christian B.

My profile picture on here was only 3.15, but it won me $1,400, 2nd place (coagler) and big bass (coangler) and helped me make the state team for Ohio BASS Nation. This was at Indian lake for the 2017 OBN state chapionship and was my first year doing tournaments! I can't explain how awesome of a feeling that day was!


----------



## Tom 513

A 1.78lb crappie new years eve on lake Talquin Tallahassee Fl
















Sent from my SM-J727V using Tapatalk


----------

