Catching small fish got me thinking.
I forgot how much fun was to catch a small fish on light tackle.
I never considered myself a big fish hunter. I’ve caught my share although not nearly as many as some other people that targeted big fish exclusively. And I am ok with that. Watching my son catch a three pound fish is much more satisfying then some forty plus pound stripers I caught last year. Don’t get me wrong, there is no way to equate them but I guess I always felt that I have a whole life to do what I want to do, but time with kids is a wasting asset, getting shorter and shorter by a minute.
How big of an importance do you put on a size of the fish you catch….
To me size doesnt matter at all . A few throwbacks beats a day full of nothun every time out.. Species doesnt even matter
↓I only want the Big Girls, Moby Fish and nothing else – My son catching any size fish priceless !
↓I love big Fish, but I also love a nice smal to midsize fish that just looks real healthy. I love watching them swim away hoping to catch them again.
↓any size, anyfish even the guy next to me catching a 20 pounder is great
↓None,something pulling on my line is always rewarding regardless of size. With time put in the big ones will come.
↓When I was in my 20’s, fishing for anything other than giant bass (fish over 40 pounds) was “beneath me”. Today, 30 years later, I am as happy fishing for flounder as anything else……..JC
↓I just need to FISH. Don’t get me wrong, NOTHING like the big tug from a 40 plus bass (live for that). BUT just getting out and enjoying a sunset or sunrise, birds,a deer running by, wind, salt up my nose,casting a beautiful hand made lure that a plug maker put his heart into making. Catching fish is icing on the cake!
↓I go fishing just to have fun and enjoy just being out in the fresh air …. been trout fishing the last couple weeks with my little 4 1/2 – 5′ rods with 4lb test and love it, then fluke season will be open in a few weeks and love that too, and of course, bass season is just warming up and going for “The One” is a blast…. Turned 60 this year and just being healthy and able to fish for everything is priceless!!
↓No matter what size, what species, each and every fish is special. Just being there and watching the water, stream or salt don’t matter to me. Have it pull some string and I’m a happy man.
↓Size did matter when I was a lot younger, but I am content these days with the all sizes.
↓First it was numbers then it was
↓Size and now thirty years and
Heart issue later the past three
Years it the joy of being out.
Love the surf but also love
The native Brook Trout streams
Yeah i like the big fish and there is a place and time to catch em. Heck there are times during my dry spells that even a tap is satisfying. But like you say there is no greater satisfaction than watching the kids hookup. Priceless moments!
↓Just like to catch them big or small. I’d take small all day for the fun.
↓“Take What The Surf Gives Up And Enjoy It”.
Vito
↓My friend who has fished a while gets bored of them quick to the point where he pretty much avoids going out until he knows big bait is around. I guess because I have only been fishing for a few years that I enjoy schoolies to a degree. I just leave my presentation options open with small/tiny to larger baits should the larger bait be present.
↓I also agree a lot with Janet…if I got hung up on skunkings I would never see the beauty of the sport.
↓Hunting big fish makes me HAVE to fish certain places and certain ways. That gets old. I also takes the kids fishing more these days. My son would rather fish from the beach and would rather throw plugs, so right now any fish is welcomed.
↓I write out of ignorance because a truly large 40+ bass has never tangled with me yet. However, I fish for activity not a singular event so any style fishing, any where, and about any fish is something to look forward to. Tuna in the deep, trout from a brook, bass off the surf, or blues on the flats are all equal. In fact most of my best memories are of friends achievements and not of my fish.
My best memory; Watching my 7 year old daughter pull her first fish out of the surf all by herself. That 16″ Flounder put a smile on her face and a spark in her eye I will never forget!
↓My dream has been catching a 50-pound bass from the surf ever since I read tales of such accomplishments in Salt Water Sportsman. I wanted to get a Schaffer beer pin in my cap and my photo in The Fisherman. To date, my largest surf-caught bass measured 38 inches, so yes, I do target big bass from the beach.
↓When fishing from a boat, I really don’t care what I catch and will do all I can to put other people on fish. I really enjoyed my time as a charter boat skipper and have also been blessed with two sons who enjoy fishing even more than I do.
When i was my children’s age I fished every day. Now they have one season under their belt.
↓I love that they enjoy it. When it comes to fish & hunting trophies, I have realized that I enjoy just being in the water. I am happiest wearing a wetsuit & scaring the crap out of myself alone at night in inhospitable remote locals. Catching fish is just a bonus.
My most memorable day fishing is when my nine year old daughter caught her first 2lb rainbow on her “Barbie” pole, and evan my son caught his first “sunnie” in a lake with my dad…and when my five year old daughter caught her first snapper on her “little Mermaid” pole….These moments beat every memory out of the race with 30’s and 40’s running or my first strper on a fly with a six wt!
↓Those are the same memories that turned me to fishing as a kid…even though it was reeling in two weekfish on an umbrella rig off my dads boat that did it for me…unheard of today ;(
have fun just gearing up at getting out to that rock even if i get no fish
↓I don’t take size into consideration when I head out. I’m not hunting strictly for the big girls, but if one happens to come along…
The act of getting out and standing in the surf, watching and listening to the surroudings is enough for me.
↓So a guy asked his friend, “How was the fishing?”, the friend replied, “Fishing was good.” So the guy inquired, “Really? How many fish did you catch?” The friend replied, “Nothing”. The guy with a quizzical face retorted, “How is that good fishing?!?!” The friend, smiled and said, “To be able to fish is always good, catching something is GREAT fishing.”
↓As long as your tackle is light enough small fish can be a blast. I just love the whole experience
↓Certain times of the year I target big fish, but it’s all good. For me, it’s mostly finding new spots and figuring out the bites. That’s what I really love to do.
↓The day I don’t still get a thrill from catching a bluegill is the day I put all my gear up for sale! Each and every fish matters if you really love the sport…big or small!
↓I think we all agree with you Z – Kids rule! My favorite moment:
We’re camping at Shag. My 8yr old scoops up a sandeel off the beach after the birds were chasing schools of them. He says “what should I do with it?” I told him it was great bait. He puts it on a 1/4oz bucktail he had been fishing with, and 15 seconds later up comes a 14″ fluke. Ecstatic kid and proud dad!
↓All sizes, does’nt matter t me at all. Love when a kid gets into a fish, the excitement and the look on their face is priceless……
↓Like stated by some others size and species doesn’t matter to me. I just love to fish. I don’t care if it’s Squeezing in 1/2 an hour of fishing on a trout stream on my way into work or walking a 1/2an hour to go porgy fishing for dinner at the end of Hammonasset beach I just love to fish. That’s it I just love to fish.
↓Hey Vito…Ditto, Thanks Also like the sweet water Bass…Sorry Tommy!
↓Its god dude! Dats why we fish lol
↓Like my wife and I teach our sons:
You get what you get and you don’t get upset
My personal best from the surf is only a 35″ fish so I have a blast regardless of the size.
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