Favorite Warmwater species

[Tim Shovel 0]

Definitely bass, though pike are a close second

[Blackwater Virgil 0]

This question is a lot like the one that used to be asked in the barber shop many years ago when I was younger. There it was "what species of fish tastes best on your plate?" That usually got a good conversation/arguement/debate going, and that tradition seems to be still going strong here. I love my bass fishing, especially with deerhair or soft foam "bugs" on top. Love crappie, bream and anything else you can name. Never been bored afloat for anything. However, if I HAD to pick, I'd have to say the redbreast sunfish in my beloved little Ogeechee river here in SE GA. My direct family lineage hasn't drifted as much as 20 mi. from its banks since 1763, and when that black mud, and the intrigue of the swamps gets THAT deep into the blood, it keeps pulling you back like I was attached to it by a big rubber band. They are very aggressive, but the big ones can be very cagy and spooky, and as hard to catch as any gamefish anywhere. They have somewhat larger mouths than bluegills, and the most beautiful markings on their bodies of any perch species. Bright red-orange breasts in breeding season (they call them "roosters" but they're females, of course), and they have a temperament like an edgy prizefighter - very pugnacious and aggressive. They'll eat almost anything that swims and they can get in their mouths, and will hit on top or below. They just seem to like to EAT, which I guess is just a typically Southern trait? They pull hard and fight fast in the usually swift current, and are as exciting as anything you can fish for. The river is full of willows and all manner of snags and logs and flora, and you often have to coax them out of these .... IF you can. A day afield for these scrappy and obliging little (up to 1.5 lbs.) fish is a very good and pleasurable day indeed. And in the pan, they fry up VERY well, to boot, which gives me a reward at the end that I can always appreciate. If it gets any better than that, I don't think I could stand it. Started fishing for them when my son was small, but big enough to go to the river (and its dangers), and before long, got to loving fishing for them even more than the bass I'd always preferred to pursue. Still love my bass fishing, and try to do as much as I can. Love the jackfish (pickerel) too, as well as all the other species here, but those redbreast are really something special. That's my take on it, anyway. There are no wrong answers here, and it's good we have many species to please many different fishermen. It's just mine ..... at least for today. If I get a 10 pound bass on one of my deerhair bugs, that's always subject to change .... for the moment anyway.

[portlyjoe 0]

In salt: Striped Bass, In Fresh: salmon, then largemouth bass

 

Some one a few pages back Fishinwrench mentioned "Whites" thats a hybrid of the striped bass. Where I'm from those fish he had would be the size of" schoolies" and be illegal to catch as they were too small.

[mikechell 0]

... mentioned "Whites" thats a hybrid of the striped bass. Where I'm from those fish he had would be the size of" schoolies" and be illegal to catch as they were too small.

Hey joe ...I just needed to respond to these statements.

There is a White Bass species that only gets to about a pound or so. It's not a hybrid, as far as I know.

 

 

Another topic I am not totally sure of ... but while it's illegal to "target" undersized fish, or fish out of season ... it cannot be illegal to "catch" one. You can't KEEP it, and you might have to release it without lifting it from the water ... but you can't control what fish decides to hit your offering. And many times, you aren't sure what's on the end of your line until it's at your side.

[zonkermonster83 0]

Musky/ northerns River herring then carp then whitebass those river herrinh aka hickory shad man they are like freshwater tarpon

[skeet3t 0]

Stripers are the offspring of fish that got caught in Lake Moultrie in SC, if my memory serves me. Many years ago, a 60 lb. striper was netted by fisheries biologists in Norris Lake just north of Knoxville. White bass and yellow bass are true bass. The largemouth bass is scientifically classed as a part of the sunfish family with bluegill, shellcrackers, etc.

I like catching just about any kind of fish. I have fished for trout a lot in the last 25 years here in SE TN. Just over three years ago, I got into carp fishing. Hard to get excited over a 4 lb. bass when I can catch carp three times the size or bigger and I don't need a boat.

It is interesting to see the different fish mentioned here. The main thing is that we all work together to keep fishing a part of our heritage for future generations. Tight lines and screaming drags!

[Eddie Southgate 39-5 0]

Stripe or Smallmouth

[Flat Rock native 0]

This question is a lot like the one that used to be asked in the barber shop many years ago when I was younger. There it was "what species of fish tastes best on your plate?" That usually got a good conversation/arguement/debate going, and that tradition seems to be still going strong here. I love my bass fishing, especially with deerhair or soft foam "bugs" on top. Love crappie, bream and anything else you can name. Never been bored afloat for anything. However, if I HAD to pick, I'd have to say the redbreast sunfish in my beloved little Ogeechee river here in SE GA. My direct family lineage hasn't drifted as much as 20 mi. from its banks since 1763, and when that black mud, and the intrigue of the swamps gets THAT deep into the blood, it keeps pulling you back like I was attached to it by a big rubber band. They are very aggressive, but the big ones can be very cagy and spooky, and as hard to catch as any gamefish anywhere. They have somewhat larger mouths than bluegills, and the most beautiful markings on their bodies of any perch species. Bright red-orange breasts in breeding season (they call them "roosters" but they're females, of course), and they have a temperament like an edgy prizefighter - very pugnacious and aggressive. They'll eat almost anything that swims and they can get in their mouths, and will hit on top or below. They just seem to like to EAT, which I guess is just a typically Southern trait? They pull hard and fight fast in the usually swift current, and are as exciting as anything you can fish for. The river is full of willows and all manner of snags and logs and flora, and you often have to coax them out of these .... IF you can. A day afield for these scrappy and obliging little (up to 1.5 lbs.) fish is a very good and pleasurable day indeed. And in the pan, they fry up VERY well, to boot, which gives me a reward at the end that I can always appreciate. If it gets any better than that, I don't think I could stand it. Started fishing for them when my son was small, but big enough to go to the river (and its dangers), and before long, got to loving fishing for them even more than the bass I'd always preferred to pursue. Still love my bass fishing, and try to do as much as I can. Love the jackfish (pickerel) too, as well as all the other species here, but those redbreast are really something special. That's my take on it, anyway. There are no wrong answers here, and it's good we have many species to please many different fishermen. It's just mine ..... at least for today. If I get a 10 pound bass on one of my deerhair bugs, that's always subject to change .... for the moment anyway.

k

 

No quarrel with any of this EXCept, the fish, of which you report, in U S A, are not "perch"'but something other than Walleye, Yellow Perch, and Zander... Namely, a Sunfish species, that covers LM bass , bluegill, and a myriad of similar 'Pan' shaped fishes that are great to eat and great fun to catch...... Carrry On.. Keep posting those photos and flies!

[Mike West 0]

 

... mentioned "Whites" thats a hybrid of the striped bass. Where I'm from those fish he had would be the size of" schoolies" and be illegal to catch as they were too small.

 

Hey joe ...I just needed to respond to these statements.

There is a White Bass species that only gets to about a pound or so. It's not a hybrid, as far as I know.

White-Bass-3.jpg

 

Another topic I am not totally sure of ... but while it's illegal to "target" undersized fish, or fish out of season ... it cannot be illegal to "catch" one. You can't KEEP it, and you might have to release it without lifting it from the water ... but you can't control what fish decides to hit your offering. And many times, you aren't sure what's on the end of your line until it's at your side.

I know two years old but that would e referred to as a yellow bass here in Texas....They hang 20 to 30 feet deep all year long, tie three Small jigs on your line youll catch three at a time

[redietz 0]

Unfortunately, the poll doesn't distinguish between types of bass, so I voted for "sunfish". Not only do I enjoy fishing for redbreasts and bluegills, but the term also technically includes black bass, so it pretty much covers everything. Otherwise, I would have just voted for smallmouth.

[WA5DX 0]

G' day to everyone,

 

OK I just "cast" my vote for Sunfish but in my neck of the woods we would include Crappie in the Sunfish family which most folks around here call Perch. Just across the state line to the east, those folks call Crappie, "Sac-a-lait", no matter they are fun to catch and wonderful to eat.

 

Thomas

 

 

[tjm 0]

 

 

... mentioned "Whites" thats a hybrid of the striped bass. Where I'm from those fish he had would be the size of" schoolies" and be illegal to catch as they were too small.

Hey joe ...I just needed to respond to these statements.

There is a White Bass species that only gets to about a pound or so. It's not a hybrid, as far as I know.

White-Bass-3.jpg

 

Another topic I am not totally sure of ... but while it's illegal to "target" undersized fish, or fish out of season ... it cannot be illegal to "catch" one. You can't KEEP it, and you might have to release it without lifting it from the water ... but you can't control what fish decides to hit your offering. And many times, you aren't sure what's on the end of your line until it's at your side.

I know two years old but that would e referred to as a yellow bass here in Texas....They hang 20 to 30 feet deep all year long, tie three Small jigs on your line youll catch three at a time

 

White bass and yellow bass are distinct species of true bass, hybrid bass or wipers are a cross of white bass with striped bass. Look here for what they are called in Texas and where they live in Texas https://tpwd.texas.gov/regulations/outdoor-annual/fishing/freshwater-fishing/bass-identification

[tjm 0]

G' day to everyone,

 

OK I just "cast" my vote for Sunfish but in my neck of the woods we would include Crappie in the Sunfish family which most folks around here call Perch. Just across the state line to the east, those folks call Crappie, "Sac-a-lait", no matter they are fun to catch and wonderful to eat.

 

Thomas

 

 

When I fished in the north east Sac-a-lait/crappie were called "Calico Bass", perch referred to yellow perch,sunfish were called roach or kivers, where I grew up all sun fish except smallmouth were called "perch" or "black perch".

I just read a long thread about calling walleye "pickerel", it doesn't matter to the skillet or the fish but it helps in conversation to use the sane terminology. One state's fishing regulations may even name the fish differently than an adjacent state, example a state sets limits on "Kentucky Bass" and the the next state calls that fish a "Spotted Bass".

 

Every fishing forum should have a wiki defining "common names" and sorting them by region and scientific taxonomy.

[Flat Rock native 0]

Whew...

 

Where I grew up Largemouths were called Black Bass but turns out they were neither black nor bass.

 

As little kid My dad told me stories of fishing in Hawaii when in USMC during WW2 for dolphin. They were Mahi Mahi but I freaked a bit thinking he ate Flipper. Then it turned out Flipper was a porpoise and not even a fish. Now Dolphin is watercraft brand to me. Like a Sunfish.

 

But... Largemouth's are members of the Sunfish family, however, I have never heard of a boat model called the Black Bass.

 

In conclusion neither I nor many other fishers know what the heck we are talking about.

 

I should just go over to the TGIF Bloody Mary thread and ... can't because it is the middle of the night, a blizzard is bearing down on North Wyoming, a cold wind knocked my Hobie kayak off the stands just outside the window, the scared dog jumped on me, waking me from a pleasant dream about eating a meatball, marinara Hoagie but the ...

 

correct names of fish are the least of my worries, these days... Stardate 12-21-17, 0229hours, Over and Out....

[WA5DX 0]

Hello Flat Rock,

 

You are most likely correct that we fishermen do not know what we are talking about, however we do know what we are doing....and that is fishing and having fun.

 

tjm mentioned Yellow Bass and Ole Sam (Sam Rayburn Lake) is full of them and they are as fast as a rocket and pull like a freight train. Two time a year they come up from the deep waters and school right at the surface and are a blast to catch on a light fly rod. One to one and a half pounds is a good size for them but they fight like a 3 to 4 pound Black Bass and taste like a Crappie.

 

Thomas