# 35 Fish Slam!



## NoMoSurf (Oct 2, 2007)

I got to thinking about all the fish I have caught over my lifetime and came up with an idea!

As a lifetime goal, I want to catch every major species of freshwater fish available in the local area (Al, north FL, GA) the exceptions would be fish that you may never see in a lifetime, like paddlefish, sturgeons, etc. I figure that I will do a seperate catfish slam and non-native exotic slam seperatly. See if anyone can add to the list, anything resonable: 

X=caught %=caught on fly rod or both

O=not caught yet

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1) Largemouth bass-% 21) Spotted Gar-X 

2)Spotted bass-%22) Rainbow trout-%

3) Redeye Bass-X 23) Skipjack-X

4) Shoal Bass-X 24) Golden Shiner-X

5) Rock Bass-X 25) spotfin Chub-X

6) Warmouth-% 26) Hickory Shad-X

7) Green Sunfish-% 27) Bowfin-X

8) Longeared Sunfish-X 28) Walleye-O

9) Bluegill-% 29) Alligator Gar-O

10) Black Crappie-X 30) Longnose Gar-O

11) White Crappie-X 31) Smallmouth Bass-O

12) Pumpkinseed-X 32)White Bass-O 

13) Redeared Sunfish-%33) Yellow Bass-O

14) Spotted Sunfish-%34) Hybrid Striped Bass-X

15) Yellowbreasted Sunfish-X 35) Striped Bass-X

16) Flier-X

17) Chain Pickeral-X

18) Redfin Pickerel-X

19) Shortnose Gar-X

20) Florida Gar-X


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## FlounderAssassin (Sep 28, 2007)

Good luck with your goal, hope you are able to get them all!


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## NoMoSurf (Oct 2, 2007)

Thanks. I've got a pretty good start. I was wondering if anyone was going to reply. "Good luck", "you're an idiot", something!


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## AUradar (Oct 1, 2007)

Good luck with your slam idiot :letsdrink

What I was thinking when reading this is I ought to do something like that for the kids.


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## whipper snapper (Sep 30, 2007)

you must have alot of time on our hands. i wish you the best of luck:clap idiot


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## Angler Management (Oct 15, 2007)

ever think about Peacock Bass?


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## NoMoSurf (Oct 2, 2007)

There are none in Alabama. After I finish the Alabama Slam. I might try for the Florida Exotic Non-native slam, all on flyrod. Peacocks, Mayans, etc. The problem is, Icant really afford to travel to get at them. I have no place to stay down there long enough to scout them out and catch them. One day....


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## Nat-Light (Oct 9, 2007)

I had no idea walleye were in Alabama til I looked it up. You could take care of the white bass, hybrid bass, and stripped bass at the Dam at lake Talquin.


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## Garbo (Oct 2, 2007)

I have kept a list of both Fresh and Saltwater species caught since I learned how to use Excel. I have found it pretty cool to target uncaught species. I have never caught a Lookdown or an African Pompano, and it make the seeing of one a lot more fun. 

Where did you catch the Redfin Pickeral? I had a line class record Chain on 6# and caught 1000 before getting the record fish and not one was a Redfin. I understand the Redfin rarely reaches 1 pound in weight, regardless I have personally never seen one. 

I find it amazing you have never caught a species of Catfish, and don't forget about Carp, Suckers and some baitfish species.


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## NoMoSurf (Oct 2, 2007)

I can catch the stipe/hybrid/white bass right here close to home. It is just an area I dont bother fishing much.

Redfins, I have caught them several places. The biggest one I ever caught was only 9 or 10 inches long. Spunky little dudes though. The are easy to distinguishfrom chains. Like the name implies, all of their fins are blood red. The gravel pits between Montgomery and Auburn are FULL of them both!

I have caught many, many catfish. I just dont care for fishing for them much. I may do a seperate slam for them one day. As for the suckers and drum, they are such a freakish thing to catch, I dont see where it would be practical to try to catch them. I have been fishing for 30 years and have never caught one, or seen anyone catch one. I see them all the time in the coosa river, but they are interested in nothing but algae.


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## tideline_two (Oct 8, 2007)

i kinda like catching dirfferent fish myself. those buffalos carp are easy to catch in the spring below a dam. try small crappie jigs.


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## NoMoSurf (Oct 2, 2007)

I'll have to give that a try. I'll just have to figure out how to get it out that far. At lake Martin dam there is a large shallow area before you get out to the moving water. Then there is a rock ledge. I'll probably loose alot of jigs on that. To catch them, water on or off?


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## Stuart H. Brown (Oct 4, 2007)

I've had friends catch a bunch of buffaloes on the gravel bars on the Tallapoosa. They were caught by accident and he can't remember what time of year. Is spring the only time to catch them? Do they migrate or hang around all year? Good luck on your list.I've been hard at catching carp on fly but have had no luck. The water is perfect now but no time to go. SHB


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## BSartistX (Oct 8, 2007)

There are Peacock Bass in the lakes in Craft Farms in Alabama.


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## NoMoSurf (Oct 2, 2007)

Hell, that looks more expensive than going to Miami to get them. Can you even fish there? If so, do you have to be a guest?


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## NoMoSurf (Oct 2, 2007)

Scratch striped bass off of the list. I caught one this afternoon that was about 3-4lbs. He blew up on a silver/blue Heddon Torpedo pulled through the rapids on the Coosa River.


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## countryjwh (Nov 20, 2007)

if you have caught all of those fish, i cant believe you have not caught a bowfin/grennel. oh but when you do , you will know it. they are mainly in stagnant waters in rivers. there really fun.


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## fishnfrank (Oct 2, 2007)

Where did you say you were going to catch walleye? I didn't think they were naywhere close to here. I used to catch them growing up in Nebraska.


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## NoMoSurf (Oct 2, 2007)

Yeah, I'm familiar with bowfin. I caught a few as a kid, but I am not counting that. They were great fun. It used to piss my dad off to catch the, but I thought they were fun. It is VERY strange that I have not caught any in the past 30 years, I mainly fish stagnat backwaters and swamps.

AS for the Walleye, there are many places in AL to catch them. I will probably target them in the Tallapoosa, just down from Tallassee, AL.

I have actually added more species to the list and it is now up to 42.

Also sratch hybrid bass from the list. Got one of those too.


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## NoMoSurf (Oct 2, 2007)

Finally got my bowfin today. I <SPAN class=postbody>went out this afternoon about 1pm IN THE SNOW to do a little fishing. I figured that I would go to the pond next to the house to see if anything was biting, before I drove al the way to the river. I figured, since it was cold, I would have to go deep. The only deep water lures that I had were some of those 99 cent Walmart spinnerbaits. What the hell. Man what a hot start! The first cast... BAM!!! and I mean BAM!!! like have never seen in freshwater! It bowed the rod, and stared stripping drag! Then it went airborn... BACKWARDS!!! I saw no head, but about a foot of tail and it was big. But what the hell, a circular tail.. I thought I had a monster gar. I never thought a bowfin would be in this little pond. After about 5 mins, I got it to shore and man was I exited. I have been trying to catch one for years. And this was my largest freshwater fish to boot. I have no idea what it weighs, but it is a little over 24 inches long and FAT? I can just about close both hands around it. I caught a nice little pickerel on the next cast! I fished for about another 30 mins and got a MASSIVE line twist knot in the line, so I called it a night. I ended up with about 10 bass, all but 1 was over 2 lbs (one was about 5lbs), 1 pickerel, and my nice bowfin. I might see if my wife will let me put that one on the wall. If not, I'll eat it. I have heard they are good if prepared right. For scale, notice my foot in the pic with the bowfin.


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## RiVerRaT (Dec 14, 2007)

Congrats..:clap


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## David Ridenour (Sep 28, 2007)

Good job! Keep us posted on your quest. If you make it up this far we can get you a walleye.


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## surfstryker (Sep 28, 2007)

Bowfin are fun to catch, they raise hell in the bottom of a jon boat.


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## NoMoSurf (Oct 2, 2007)

> *David Ridenour (1/20/2008)*Good job! Keep us posted on your quest. If you make it up this far we can get you a walleye.


You name the time and place! I'll do my best to bethere. I'm always up for fishing for something new. Alabama wildlife dept site says there are walleye in several places, but I have never heard of anyone catching any.


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## PaleRed (Oct 2, 2007)

Bowfins freak me out. One day a couple of summers ago we caught 8 in a row. Made sure I didn't fall in the water that day.

Good luck with the rest, that thing is a monster!


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## gator7_5 (Oct 4, 2007)

Impressive list - much more so than my lifetime freshwater slam of 5 bream and 1 bass. I've not even heard of some of those fish.


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## Collard (Oct 23, 2007)

How is this for Grinnels or Bowfin or whichever one of the 50 names there are for these nasty things.










And here's one of the gars you're looking for.


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## NoMoSurf (Oct 2, 2007)

Damn, thats alot of bowfin! And a nice longnose...


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