I love the Browns on the Green, a large brown in that environment in exhilarating.
Like the strike and fight of a wiper on Willard, especially a 3 pound plus. One of the best strikes you can have.
Also like large large cuts on Strawberry.
All around, a stout high mountain Uinta Brookie, challenging to get, terrific battle.
Can’t leave out stippers at Powell, they can and do strip line.
Personally not a fan of perch or walleyes, somewhat flavorless, but still very good, like tilapia, not very fishy.
Not much of a fight usually. But I love to eat fish, put me down for catfish eating too.
Brook trout of course. I love fishing for them because of the amazing places they live. I love the challenge of searching out the somewhat rare large specimens. It’s all relative. A 4-5lb. brookie is comparable to a 8-10lb. cutt, brown or rainbow. Cold water scud-fed brookies are also excellent tablefare. They’re fight is legendary. Bulldogs!
I also like the challenge of fishing for large, well fed brook trout. They can be very difficult to catch. Even more difficult than the fabled big ole’ browns.
I’m with BG1 on venue being a key factor in my preference.
If bass lived up in my favorite mountain lakes and streams, I’d be happy to target them almost as much as I do trout. Almost. [;)]
There’s just something about trout though. Traveling to where they live, the adventure of finding the big elusive ones (like thug brookies), the thrill of the battle, and then the splendor of holding those gleaming beauties just makes my soul happy.
But you call trout fishing a sport! I just think you can’t catch a walleye and that’s why your so against them!! Give us a break buddy. By they way love fishing for walleye but would eat perch over a
walleye any day.
Because fishing for Elk makes you look really silly. And they don’t hit Husky Jerks like they used to.[crazy]
It completely depends on my mood. White and largemouth bass, big browns and cutts close to home. Walleye, perch, catfish, especially for eatin’. I’m up for about anything.
One of my favorite ways to fish is skating an elk hair caddis across the head of a pool and seeing trout go 2-3 feet out of the water hitting it.
I’d have to go with a tie for both largemouth and smallmouth. They’re aggressive and they fight hard. I like that they’re cover oriented, and there are so many different ways to catch them, it keeps it interesting. I do enjoy fly fishing streams for trout, but most of my time is spent bass fishing during warmer weather. Panfish can be fun now and then, and they’re what I normally go for if I want to keep some fish. It’s fun to get a surprise walleye now and then while bass fishing, but they just don’t usually fight hard enough for me to be inclined to target them. They are tasty, but so are panfish. Pike are pretty fun. I caught a bunch in Minnesota last year and I do enjoy their aggressive nature. I wouldn’t mind seeing a place or two being stocked with sterile pike.
Definitely lmb is number one for me. Then bluegills, white bass, smallmouth, perch, walleye, catfish, and trout. Walleye are the most boring due to action, or lack thereof. Those fish never bite fast. But eyes are the tastiest for sure lol bar none. That’s the only reason to fish hard for them lol. Walleye is as good as lobster lol.
I agree. The scenery of where you choose to fish plays a big part of the choice of the quarry your after. Sometimes just geting into a wild stream, thinking maybe what your tossing to these fish is the first time they have seen it. Even if there just little 8" fish. And when you get the old bastard that’s been prowling the beaver ponds? You feel like ya caught one of the biggest fish of your life, even though its just a 12" brook trout with jaws half its body length.
Tiger trout and LM/SM bass on a 5wt fly rod any day. They are just tons of fun on a light fly rod. I’m just surprised how much a 12-15" bass fights on a fly rod. Had a few 12" bass just running for there lives and watching my line just shoot out. For tiger trout it’s just amazing how they jump for a Elk hair caddis in the uinta mountain.
Do ya pronounce that with a silent K sound at the end, or no? [crazy]
Any fish as long as I’m outside![fishin]
I actually like taking my “lazzzeeeer” pointer to Petsmart, and seeing who I can get to chase it, well. . . at least until I get chased out of the store! Then I go to Walmart, not as many fish - but they really don’t care.
I still bring my dog in, with her life-jacket on, she passes for a companion animal pretty goodly.
I only love carp, the rest are inconsequential interferences. The only way I get past 'em is to eat as many as I can possibly fill my buckets with. [:p][pirate]
Maybe this should have been a survey. Makes it easier to do the math.
Oh, and I can’t STAND for catfish! I mean they are Naaaasty! So I usually take a seat to them. Patience.
Lake Trout, the bigger the better! My new favorite would be Northern Pike, still a lot to learn about them. The most important one is Fishing with my kids, trout,perch,catfish does not matter.
I prefer getting away from the crowds and hiking into high mountain lakes going after trout. Trout just live in the prettiest places IMHO. I like to catch them on plastics or on the fly whatever they are in the mood for. My favorite trout species in order are:
Brook Trout
Tiger Trout
Rainbow Trout
Brown Trout
Cuts
The exception to cuts is YNP where the fish are wild and actually put up a great fight. I also like the cuts when they color up to spawn that red color is awesome.
Honestly I am scared to try bass fishing, I know it is addictive and I also know how much gear I would own if I got into it. So for now sticking with the slimers. Although salmon fishing in Alaska last summer was awful fun!
Panfish first and foremost. The continual challenge of trying to find those 10" bluegill and 12" perch is fun, and I like to eat fish a lot. I love the chaotic moments when you get inundated with bigger white bass, too..
Bass after that. I toss back big ones and keeps small ones, both SM and Largies.
Catfish next. 5-6 20" cats makes a full freezer and a good morning.
I’d love wipers and walleye, but never caught a wiper in about 20 tries, and only a few walleye. Crappies fall in here, too, tho I used to catch a bunch of nice ones. Willard doesn’t treat me well, usually.
Trout last, bcause they are too easy to fiind and catch, except for big ones, which I never catch. Strawberry and Starvation don’t treat me well, either. Nor the Gorge.
I’m an ADD fisherman so my favorite species to catch changes by the season.
After a winter indoors (I don’t do that ice thing… too much Phoenix boy still in me), I don’t mind taking the kids out and slamming big numbers of bows, even if most are finless freddies.
But there are spring weekends it’s nice to take a break and hit Walleye (UL or DC) or Pike (Yuba).
Boil fishing for Stripers down at Powell is a real treat when that is active.
As is topwater bass fishing at DC during the early summer (weekday) mornings.
By fall I’m ready to trophy hunt and Scofield targeting monster Cutts and Tigers has been my favorite place for that the last couple years… it may change this year.
My family and I particularly love eating perch, so a few trips targeting them for the consumption value is fun too.
Very interesting post and results. I would vote for LMB/SMB is there really anything else? Its hard to total up the results so far due the anglers that have multiple favorites, as best as I can add it up, it is roughly 10 trout, 18 other. Very interesting…
Well the thing is there is a season and perfect timing for all species. I fish all species but only at peak times. I switch to another species as soon as it’s peak time for it. Right now, it’s eye time, next it’s lmb, but then again I got lmb patterned year round now. But if there is a hella hot and fast furious action for something else and I know it’s happening I won’t hesitate to switch to it for a bit.