Warmwater Species

[super_fly 0]

Just to be contrary, and since we don't have pike & smallies down here, I'll go for peacock bass. They're a blast to get on the line and they're beautiful fish.

 

Ken

[pineriver 0]

Well its been along time since I've visted the site, had a busy year of fishing but my fav if i have to pick would be channel cats. Up here in Manitoba on the Red they average between 34 to 38 inches which I'm guessing would e 20 plus lbs range. There are cats that also go over 40 inches here. You battle one of these big boys and you have to take a break after to rest your aching arms. Man that wa a tought call because we got big Carp here Freshwater Drum, Big Buffalo alot of different species to test you......Pineriver

[deeky 0]

Just found this site - WOW. This could be trouble for me getting anything else done.

 

As far as species, the big bass are a lot of fun and I kind of have an affinity for crappie, but I had to vote bluegill. You don't have to fish all day for a few, and pound for pound, they are tough to beat in a fight. Those figure-8s drive me nuts, especially when they draw in a big northern.

[sage8wt 0]

Just found this site - WOW. This could be trouble for me getting anything else done.

 

As far as species, the big bass are a lot of fun and I kind of have an affinity for crappie, but I had to vote bluegill. You don't have to fish all day for a few, and pound for pound, they are tough to beat in a fight. Those figure-8s drive me nuts, especially when they draw in a big northern.

 

Deeky, deeky, deeky my friend.....welcome to a vacum! This site will suck you right in. Glad to have you aboard, you'll find a friendly knowledgable group here. Jump right in, nobody 'round here is shy!

 

Sage

[TerryLee 0]

Hey, I must be doing something wrong because this thing won't let me vote . Anyway, pound for pound, the bluegill wins, but I would rather catch a bass (large or small mouth) any day. Still haven't gotten a smallie on the fly, but I will as soon as I convince someone with a bass rig to let me fly rod off of it or I find somewhere close to stalk them from the bank or wading. Too hot here in Memphis, but the Tennessee River is pretty good smallie water.

 

 

[oldfart 0]

Quite a few of those fish are a blast to catch, but 9-10" bluegills on a 3wt. is something you just have to experience!!!!!!!!! Go gills!! :headbang:

[Linesides 0]

You southern guys are killing me. We have a resivoir near me and the bluegills are MAYBE 4-5 inches, now crappie we have them. Maybe 7 inches.

Dave

[deeky 0]

Squirrel -

 

I'm surprised by the size of your fish. We are actually a little north of you yet and we throw 7 inch crappies back to grow. 12 inches are not uncommon at all. Sounds more like a ecosystem quality issue for you rather than lattitude. Poor forage, genetics, or they are just over-fished. Have you checked if fish are larger in other area ponds?

[down2earthlv 0]

Hmm...I wonder if these are geographically biased? I thought about starting a poll to clarify, but I couldn't think of a way to simplify it enough.....

[fly time 0]

I like smallies for the fight but the gills are loads of fun too as so the largemouth but carp? you mean people actually catch theese things on purpose!!! :dunno:

[ohiotuber 0]

I agree with oldfart.....LOVE those large gills on either my 3 wt or my vintage bamboo.

Mike

[Jeff Young 0]

I fish primarly for Muskies but fish for Hybrid Stripers in the summer and Bass and Crappies with my sons.

I have fished for muskies for around 15 years but just started to fly fish for them last year. I was able to roll two fish in the low forty inch range but did not connect. I hope to change that this year.

Here is a picture of a 45 incher that I got on a figure 8

[robow7 0]

Smallies for sure.

[JJD 0]

Hah! "OTHER"

I'm odd man out. Down here in South Florida Peacock Bass are hard to beat. They hang with most freshwater fish in the pound-for-pound category...and they LOVE flies

 

 

John

[travbass2 0]

I'll chime in for the second vote for Redeye Bass, my favorite freshwater fish. Not only are they stunningly beautiful, like a mix of a Smallmouth and a Suwanee, but they live in some of the most breathtaking country southern Appalachia has to offer. Now, I'm not talking about Rock Bass which many mistakenly call "redeyes" for obvious reasons, but if they knew about the true Redeye Bass, they'd be ashamed for associating the two. Real Redeyes are one of the hardest fighting bass that swims, pound for pound that is. They aren't a large or fast growing fish, world record is about 5lbs. They live in small, cool highland streams and in many watersheds, especially the less fertile ones, they grow only an inch per year. They mature at 4yrs old and there is documentation of 3.5" Redeyes on nests!! The watershed I mainly fish for them in NE Alabama, they grow quicker, about 2-3" per year. There is more to eat in that watershed and Redeyes rule it with an iron jaw. One of the most aggressive bass there is. I'm convinced that if they had the range and size of Largemouth, they'd overtake them as the country's most popular bass, but I guess it's a good thing they have such a small geographical range. If more knew about them, they'd get hit really hard..

 

Planning to meet up with my best friend from high school and fish for Redeyes for the first full week in July. He lived along this watershed when we went to a private school in middle TN and showed me his river one weekend. That was 16 years ago and I'm still as in love with that water and those fish, maybe more than ever. We try to get together at least once a year to fish for them, only missing a handful of years since we started chasing them. Where we fish is surrounded by a preserve and national forest and down in the gorge is like walking back in time 2000 years. No trails, no trash, no people. It's so thick along the banks, you have to travel in the stream, not all bad as it can get really hot and sticky that time of year. When those holes come up that are over my head, it is a welcome relief from the heat of the summer. It is in this river that I caught my biggest Redeye and has to be one of my proudest catches despite catching fish weighing hundreds of pounds more. It was a chunky 2.5lb fish, an exceptional Redeye for that watershed, although last year we caught more big fish than ever, by that I mean over a pound. Despite their small size, they can startle you with the ferocity of their fight, they never give up, a very aggressive fish. I even hooked one and played it for about a minute to within 4ft of me when the hook slipped out and guess what happened.. the little Redeye turned right around a grabbed it again allowing me to finish the fight! They even struggle when lipped and usually glare at you before they dart off into the stream cover, like they can't believe they got fooled, a very hard thing to do with an older, experienced Redeye, and one of the reasons that 2.5lber is my favorite big fish. Luck played into fooling that one but stealth was a big factor as well. If they see you, it's similar to trying to get spooked Brookies to bite in a tiny Blue Ridge stream, very hard to get them. We wear camo and earth tone clothes, black out the shiny parts on our rods and reels, and I use clear floating line to further cut down on spooking them in order and give us more of a fighting chance with the bigger ones. I went with the clear line as I've spooked fish with a solid color line throwing shadows on the pool. The clear line doesn't cast a shadow like the other lines can. I've discovered it's the tiny details that can mean the difference in catching and fishing, especially for the Redeyes and Blue Ridge Parkway trout. If I have anything clipped to my vest, like my zinger, nippers, and stats, it's matte black to avoid flashes from otherwise shiny objects. It would defeat the purpose of stealth and the camo clothes. Yeah, I'm serious about them..

In a close second for me is the Smallmouth, then Muskie, then Shoal Bass. Saltwater is a whole other game....