# Fly fishing "life list"?



## Andrew S. (May 22, 2010)

I've really been enjoying reading all the threads about fishing for "less popular" targets, and the Roughfish Challenge is a great idea. It's a fun fly fishing goal, of course, but as a biologist I've always been interested in all the various species of fish people catch on flies. Just as birders keep a "life list" so do I. I've been lucky enough to catch quite a variety of fish on flies, not because I do a lot of "destination fishing", but rather because of the various places I've lived and because I've been able, on a few occasions, to fish in places I was visiting for work-related reasons. I decided to post my list here so as not to hijack the rough fish threads.

Some of these fish I've caught several times, and for some, I've only gotten a single specimen. A few, noted as such, were snagged and did not take flies legitimately, but I like to keep track of them just because it's cool to see what the ocean (or river, or lake) gives up.

From the saltwater of southern California, where I lived for several years:

White sea bass 
Orangemouth corvina (from the Salton Sea) 
Yellowfin croaker 
Queenfish 
Corbina 
Pacific mackeral 
Pacific bonito 
Barred surfperch 
Walleye surfperch 
Sculpin (unidentified species) 
Brown smoothhound shark (snagged)
Batray 
Shovelnose guitarfish (accidentally snagged several)
Salema 
California needlefish 
California halibut 
Jacksmelt 
Barred sandbass 
Spotted sandbass 
Calico (Kelp) bass 
Pacific barracuda 
Jack mackeral

From many different locations:

Largemouth bass (Indiana, California, Connecticut, Alabama)
Smallmouth bass (Indiana, Connecticut)
Bluegill (Everywhere!)
Redear sunfish (California)
Green sunfish (Indiana)
Pumpkinseed sunfish (Connecticut)
Redbreast sunfish (Connecticut only)
Carp (Connecticut)
Sucker (a white sucker, I believe - from Connecticut)
Channel catfish (Indiana)
Chain pickerel (Connecticut)
Black crappie (Indiana)
Rainbow trout (Alaska)
Brown trout (Denmark and Connecticut)
Brook trout (Connecticut)

Jack crevalle (Baja, Mexico)
Snook (Baja, Mexico)
Tarpon (Puerto Rico)
Bluefish (Florida, Connecticut)
Striped bass (Connecticut, California)
Fluke (Connecticut)


Don't have photos I can post right now, but I may be able to eventually dig up photos of some of the more interesting ones.


Anybody else have some really interesting catches?


----------



## Salmonid (Apr 14, 2004)

Bowfin, Blue Cat, bullhead, squawfish would be some of my best takes on the long rod, I am still looking for a muskie, flathead and chain pickerel. 

Salmonid


----------



## fallen513 (Jan 5, 2010)

Skipjack 
Shortnose Gar
Largemouth 
Smallmouth 
Bluegill 
Redear sunfish
Green sunfish 
Pumpkinseed sunfish
Carp
Saugeye
Channel catfish 
Black crappie 
Freshwater drum
Striped bass
Hybrid striped bass
Common shiner
Rock bass
Warmouth
White bass
Gizzard shad



As you can see, my list is very limited to fish found in Ohio's local waters...and does not even include the major fly targets such as rainbow & brown trout. 

I think that is why fly fishing has been so intriguing to me from the start, I really enjoy targeting a specific species, what it eats & going after it. 

Obviously, the journey has just begun.


----------



## Andrew S. (May 22, 2010)

fallen513 said:


> As you can see, my list is very limited to fish found in Ohio's local waters...


One of the reasons I'm looking forward to moving to Ohio is the variety. As much as I love bluefish and stripers in the east coast saltwater, those two species make up about 99.99% of what I can expect to catch during a day's outing. Actually, if it's before the blues arrive, then it's 100% stripers.

Even our streams here in CT are relatively low in diversity.

I love big fish as much as the next guy, but targeting variety is a really neat thing. There are even some trout guys out in Colorado who have started trying to focus on catching native strains of cutthroats, as opposed to the ubiquitously stocked (and non-native to Colorado) rainbow.


----------



## Andrew S. (May 22, 2010)

Salmonid said:


> Bowfin, Blue Cat, bullhead, squawfish would be some of my best takes on the long rod, I am still looking for a muskie, flathead and chain pickerel.
> 
> Salmonid


I'd like to get a muskie as well, or even a northern pike. I've caught a lot of pike, but it was before I was into fly fishing.

A flathead would be particularly interesting!


----------



## Flyfish Dog (Nov 6, 2007)

I got a picture somewhere of a Ruby Red? Red cut throat Dace I caught on a fly I think from last year

Here it is.


----------



## Andrew S. (May 22, 2010)

Flyfish Dog said:


> I got a picture somewhere of a Ruby Red? Red cut throat Dace I caught on a fly I think from last year
> 
> Here it is.


Stocking your aquarium, eh?


----------



## Flyfish Dog (Nov 6, 2007)

I was searching for brookies and these were all I caught.


----------



## TheCream (Mar 19, 2009)

My list won't be as impressive, I haven't been long rodding that long and only in Ohio and West Virginia.

Rainbow trout/steelhead trout
Brown trout
Brook trout
Fall fish
Largemouth/smallmouth/spotted bass
Rock bass
Bluegills
Redear sunfish
Green sunfish/hybrid greens (bluegill and green crossed)
Pumpkinseed
Channel catfish
Sauger
Saugeye
White bass
White/black crappie
Smallmouth buffalo


----------

