Fishing---Why is XXX species your favorite?

[Still_Learnin']

I thought this could be a neat topic for people to explain why they love to chase a certain species of fish. I know the nearly unanimous majority of people here will probably say walleyes but I know we have a few musky guys and catfish guys here too. I was thinking that maybe if you can explain why you love chasing that species, it might open some eyes of other guys who might have never given that species any thought.

As I'm sure a number of you know, I'm a bass guy. While I like to catch other fish, I'd rather go chase bass 99/100 times. Since I've moved to walleye country, I was always surprised with how little love (and a lot of hate, in some cases) that bass would get. No matter where I go, even though I'm fishing in a bass boat that is rigged out with equipment that makes it look nothing like a walleye rig, and while fishing in a manner that no other walleye angler is doing, every person I meet on the water is always assuming that I'm walleye fishing. When I tell them that I'm actually bass fishing, I'm either met with utter surprise that there are even bass in that lake, or the astonishment that anyone would want to catch one of those pesky fish. Either way, it always kind of surprised me.

On to why I love bass fishing. I have been chasing bass for nearly all of my 31 years, with the last 4 of those being in ND. The fishing (for all species but bass especially) is nothing short of magical in this state. With bass, I love all of the techniques that I can use to target them and how different each species of bass is on each body of water. I love that I can be drop shotting smallies in 30 feet of water today on Sak, catching them on a topwater on Audubon tomorrow, and then catching largemouth on a frog over a carpet of matted vegetation on Sheep Creek the next day. These are the things that I live for!

On the flip side of that, even though I like to catch walleyes and muskies, I never could find a passion for them. First off, I just can't seem to sit still long enough to troll. I just don't feel like I'm accomplishing anything when I'm trolling. And then there's the fact of how little of a fight a walleye puts up in comparison to other species. I thought I just needed a fish that fights hard so I thought I'd give musky fishing a try. While I have some serious respect for a guy that can dedicate his or her life to chasing one of those toothy critters, its just not for me. Maybe it was just too much work for such little action? I don't know. I do know that I've never felt so sore after one day of fishing.

So let's hear it! Why is your fish your passion?

 

[Vollmer]

I'm die hard walleye/perch, however I'm becoming more and more fond of chasing pike. Especially in the early spring. Pitching plastics into the shallows and having them whack the lure. Great fight. Plus I enjoy eating them when in cold water.

 

[Enslow]

Giant yellow perch are my fav. They are awesome fighters, Very Rare, and they taste the best.

 

[deleted_account]

18" or bigger smallies are about as fun as fishing can get. I like walleye fishing especially when they can be had shallow casting. big bull bluegills and crappies are fun too. although I will do it, because well it's fishing and I still have fun, drowning worms behind a bouncer is at the bottom of the list. damn effective though.

 

[Duckslayer100]

Honestly, as much as I may enjoy catching walleyes (and I really, really do) my real fishing love is chasing crappies.

My grandparents on dad's side are from far NE MN, way up in the iron range. While walleyes certainly hold their appeal, it's the crappies that are king there.

I'll never forget getting into grandpa's tippy aluminum rowboat with a Zebco rod and metal minnow container, and chasing after them like we were on some stealth quest for sand flat bone fish. He'd whisper instructions to me, and gently row us to an overturned tree or sunken brush or whatever, before gingerly lipping a crappie minnow onto a small 1/8 ounce pink jig under a slip bobber. Then we'd ever so delicately cast, trying to make as little splash as possible. If nothing took it immediately, he gave a slow pull of line before letting the bobber come to a stop again.

When one of those bobbers slowly started sinking sideways out of site, grandpa let loose UNHOLY FURY upon whichever unsuspecting paper lip were duped into their doom. His hooksets on those crappies would make a tournament bass angler blush.

For much of my life, I've considered crappies something to treasure. A rare treat that could only be targeted with the utmost care in the immediately hour before sunset and not a minute earlier.

I've since discovered they're a bit heartier and more feisty than grandpa let on, but that's all I knew for a long time.

Plus they're the best tasting fish in fresh water.

God, I'm salivating now...

 

[Still_Learnin']

Honestly, as much as I may enjoy catching walleyes (and I really, really do) my real fishing love is chasing crappies.

My grandparents on dad's side are from far NE MN, way up in the iron range. Why walleyes certainly hold their appeal, it's the crappies that are king there.

I'll never forget getting into grandpa's tippy aluminum rowboat with a Zebco rod and metal minnow container, and chasing after them like we were on some stealth quest for sand flat bone fish or something. He's whisper instructions to me, and gently row us to an overturned tree or sunken brush or whatever, and gingerly lip a crappie minnow onto a small 1/8 ounce pink jig under a slip bobber. Then we'd ever so delicately cast trying to make as little splash as possible. Then if nothing took it immediately, gave a slow pull of line before letting the bobber come to a stop again.

When when of those bobbers slowly started sinking sideways out of site, grandpa let loose UNHOLY FURY upon those unsuspecting paper lips. His hooksets on those poor unsuspecting crappies would make a tournament bass angler blush.

For much of my life, I've considered crappies something to treasure. A rare treat that could only be targeted with the utmost care in the immediately hour before sunset and not a minute earlier.

I've since discovered they're a bit heartier and more feisty than grandpa let on, but that's all I knew for a long time.

Plus they're the best tasting fish in fresh water.

God, I'm salivating now...

Crappies are definitely one fish that I do love to chase. I agree that they are the tastiest freshwater fish. I haven't targeted them since I moved to ND simply because I don't really know where to go. But I would drop everything to have a chance to catch a mess of them again.

 

[Lycanthrope]

Walleye used to be #1 for me, but I have evolved to being more a pike chaser. They are more fun to catch and just as good (maybe better) to eat! Really anything that tugs on the line is fun to catch tho...

 

[Enslow]

18" or bigger smallies are about as fun as fishing can get. I like walleye fishing especially when they can be had shallow casting. big bull bluegills and crappies are fun too. although I will do it, because well it's fishing and I still have fun, drowning worms behind a bouncer is at the bottom of the list. damn effective though.

Love smallies and I know of some awesome smally lakes that your boat would be perfect for. Just sayin...

 

[Captainbrad]

What a great thread.

As just about everyone knows on here, I am a catfish guy. I will admit that I just like to catch fish, I have a place at Devils Lake so I chase my fair share of walleyes too but catfish are my true love.

I will tell you how I got to this point. I was brought up on a farm in NW ND in a basically non hunting and fishing home. It is just something that my parents don't do that much. I loved to hunt when I was in high school but fishing was never a big deal to me. It was not until after college that I decided I wanted to go fishing. I caught some small pike in MN and it was just a blast. I started out shore fishing for bluegills and whatever I could catch from shore then quickly moved into a 14' boat and within two years was into a 17' boat and going to Devils Lake every weekend. Then came the ice fishing thing.

It was about five years into my love of driving to Devils Lake that I was introduced to the Red River and caught a catfish. It was only about 6 pounds but I was all in after that battle. I bought bigger gear and catfished just about every weeknight and still went to Devils Lake on weekends. Over the years it was that fight that kept me coming back for more. How to beat the fish to catch more and bigger to get the rush of the battle. ITS ABOUT THE FIGHT! is now my slogan for my guide service which will enter into its 10th year in 2017. My biggest thrill of guiding is getting new people who opened up their minds to try this catfish thing get into a hog and experience the fight of their lives. I always ask "have you ever caught a walleye that big with a fight like that?"

I still get the "you catch what, where?" reaction when I tell people what I do for a living. I still get a kick out of angering the walleye snobs with my bug eye bait fish comments. This is because I am a cat guy in a walleye world.

The bottom line is we should enjoy and respect catching all fish. In the end I don't care what I catch as long as I am catching it. We have so many great opportunities here in the north and we should take advantage of it all.

 

[DirtyMike]

I grew up fishing walleye with a bottom bouncer and spinner or very rarely, a crank bait. I didn't know where were other ways to catch them until long after that. Over the last couple years, I have grown very fond of pitching jigs and cranks for walleyes. Having a good rod to feel an 1/8 oz or 3/16 oz jig tumble across a sand bar is something that I'll hang onto for rest of my time here.

One would think that I'd chase bass beings Nelson Lake was my backyard, but I've never really bought into the species. They're fun to catch and their fight is second to none. Two years ago, I was messing around with a topwater on Audubon and tied into some mid sized smallies. You couldn't smack the smile off my face.

I absolutely love to chase perch and crappies through the ice, but my ice fishing has taken a back seat to other weekend endeavors.

As far as northern pike go, they're fun to fight, but they cost me too much damn money in tackle.

 

[Still_Learnin']

What a great thread.


The bottom line is we should enjoy and respect catching all fish. In the end I don't care what I catch as long as I am catching it. We have so many great opportunities here in the north and we should take advantage of it all.

Very well said!

 

[Bfishn]

I fish for a little bit of everything through hard and soft water. In my teenage years i was obsessed with Bass. These days I would say i'm 50% walleye mostly because living in Bismarck with the river out my back door and my parents have a place on Sak. Also, there are so many small lakes with good walleye fishing that i target on the ice. Throughout the year though i specifically target smallies, large mouth, trout, crappie, perch, pike. It kind of depends on the season for me.

I pulled out the fly rod this year for the first time in over a decade. Had a blast catching trout and smallies on some of the smaller lakes. I forgot how crazy trout are on the end of a fly-rod, It doesn't get much better. I found myself giggling like a school girl at times.

 

[Rowdie]

I've been programed to hunt walleye I guess. Even though in the spring we would shore fish and target pike, since I was little, walleye was the prized fish. As a kid I remember we cleaned white bass, and catfish too. When crappie and smallies started showing up in OAHE we cleaned them too. IMO walleye taste the best and cleanest. My wife will ONLY eat walleye. I can usually keep enough walleye so why clean anything else? I've targeted bass in dams and had a blast. Will again someday I'm sure. When in the Black Hills or when I lived in MT for a year, I fished trout. But walleye clean the easiest and taste the best IMO. Living my life on OAHE has shaped my mindset I guess.

 

[KDM]

Walleyes for me in summer. Mostly because they are a moody, finicky, fickle fish that will drive a guy absolutely crazy. They can be found from the smallest trickles of water to the largest lakes and reservoirs and just because you find them in NO WAY results in catching them. In winter it's yellow perch. Basically for the same reasons. That being said, when you figure out what either of these creatures want and you get on a banzai bite, it's just plain magical when it happens and then longingly remembered when the bite is tough.

 

[JayKay]

I too have been programmed to fish for walleyes. They're (usually) plentiful, taste good, and require just enough finesse to be nominally out of my reach. A big pike in heavy current is a ton of fun though. Chinook or big trout in the tailrace are a huge amount of fun.

Pike or chinook while casting on Sak in the bays, is very fun. When the pike dart for cover, you better be ready to turn them, or "there goes another $7 bill"...

I caught two smallies (right around 17") last night in the current, in the dark. That was interesting. Also snagged a large carp. In the back, behind the dorsal fin, in the current. That was a rodeo!

 

[Enslow]

Yep smallys can really wack in the dark especially in rivers. I know on the red I caught most of my smalleys at night back when I lived in Fargay.

 

[E-Tech]

I have to say fly fishing for trout has always been my favorite. I spent most of my high school years up to my waist in western Montana rivers tossing flies that I tied myself. Unfortunately its been decades since I have held a fly rod.

Pike would be my second choice. I have many fond memories of chasing pike with my grandfather. He would catch mice alive and use them for bait. I spent many hours in his little aluminum boat learning how to properly pitch and retrieve red and white daredevils.

I am also growing to like walleye now having spent this summer in my first boat learning how to find and catch them. But I must admit I do find pulling bottom bouncers a little boring at times.

I do agree that if you are a true fisherman then most days its just about being out fishing. If you get on a good bite its even better.

 

[WormWiggler]

life is sad

 

[Fishmission]

Been fishing for Smallies since the mid-80s in North Dakota. It's a hell of a lot better now than it was then as far as the number of lakes that have them.
Was into with them growing up in southern Missouri and fishing them bass in rivers. It's hard to beat the fight. anything that will chase a lure while casting Is my favorite at the time. It's hard to beat white bass on DL when they are chomping in early June along with walleye and Pike.

 

[dblkluk]

Trout. Because they dont live in ugly places.

I spent most of my younger days fishing walleyes. Up to 3-4 days a week, doing multiple tourneys a year, etc.

About 15 years ago I got burnt out on it all and caught the fly fishing bug, bad.
Not long after, I sold my walleye boat, built a drift boat and now I spend about 30 days a year in MT WY and CO chasing trout.

I still do a little walleye fishing when I can, mostly in the winter, but I still spend alot of my ND fishing time chasing trout, smallies and sometimes pike with my fly rod.