A new decade is upon us, one ripe with opportunity. A new decade represents a clean slate. Life passes before our eyes at a rapid pace so there is no better time than now to plan for the fishing trip of a lifetime.
Below we make some suggestions for your new decade bucket list. Included are some of the most beautiful and exciting fish we think should be on everybody’s list!
Some of these fish may take more time, planning and luck than others. But hey, you’ve got 10 years to figure it out! Plus, FishAngler is here to help you land that catch of a lifetime.
Sailfish
Sailfish are one of the most iconic fish in the ocean. They can grow to over 200 pounds and up to 11 feet long. But their real thrill is their speed in a fight! With a top speed near 70 mph and the ability to make great leaps from the water, it’s no wonder these billfish are some of the top prized catches in the world.
From November through around May, sailfish can be found in Florida’s southern waters. Which, of course, is a great way to beat the winter in northern territories. Planning a sailfish trip in Florida depends on the sailfish migration.
How FishAngler Helps
Sailfish will travel from northern Atlantic waters down to Florida with the coming of colder temperatures. You can track the migration by looking at sailfish-specific catches on your FishAngler app. You can also refine your search so that only catches that happen during a specific year appear on your map. This tactic allows you to follow the success of other anglers as the fish migrate south. This will give you an idea as to when you can expect to find them in Florida.
Red Drum
These giant, crustacean eating fish can be found along southern coastal waters from North Carolina to Texas. If you are from these areas, these fish will may not make the list. But for anyone who has never had the chance to cast for one, they deserve a spot.
Reaching up to five feet and easily weighing over 30 pounds, drums can be found in muddy-bottomed waterways close to shore searching the mud for crabs, clams and other shelled prey. Redfish put up an incredible fight on both spinning rods and fly rods alike. Because of their abundance across the country, they can be one of the easier fish to check off the list.
How FishAngler Helps
If you have never caught a Red, you either got into fishing late in life, or you live away from the coast. Guided red fishing can be relatively cheaper than most other outfitted, or chartered, fishing trips. You can search FishAngler Pages for a database of outfitters and guides wherever you are and compare them to others. For the true DIY champions you can also find rental shops where you can get your hands on kayaks and other gear to help you catch your first.
Pacific Northwest Steelhead
Steelhead, or sea-run rainbow trout, may end up being the most frustrating fish on your list to catch. The “fish of a 1,000 casts” is aptly named and may haunt your dreams. Unlike the last two species on the list, steelhead will often have you wading in cold waters, casting to a fish that doesn’t actively feed.
On that 1,000th cast, however, when you feel your rod bend, listen to the drag on your reel scream and catch your first glimpse of chrome, you will understand what the struggle was all about. The green conifers, hanging over blue coastal rivers, will only add to your experience.
How FishAngler Helps
Like sailfish, your steelhead trip will be dependent on migrations. Unlike sailfish, steelhead don’t have the migrating numbers they once did. It will be imperative to monitor posts up and down the river you’re fishing to determine where the majority of steelhead numbers are along the waterway.
Tarpon
The “silver kings” of southern waters are what fishing dreams are made of. Very little has changed with these fish since prehistoric days. They can grow up to eight feet tall and over 300 pounds, and showcase their size and strength with acrobatic leaps out of the water when hooked.
Fishing author Tom Bie has even credited the thought, or visual of a tarpon jumping from the water, as getting more people to try saltwater fishing than anything else.
How FishAngler Helps
Finding tarpon can be based heavily on tides, water temps and weather patterns. Luckily FishAngler gives you all of those factors in one place. With your location services activated on your phone, FishAngler will show you the wind, weather, tides and water temperatures for your area based on the local weather. When you tap each forecast feature under the forecast menu, you will get an informative chart showing you temperatures, tide heights, or weather, based on the time of day.
Roosterfish
Roosterfish are another species with an incredibly unique look to them. Their long, spindly dorsal fins sticking out of the warm waters of Baja and on down the southern coast lines will put your heart in your throat. The fish can grow to 50 pounds or more and are even known to take topwater poppers.
Just imagine yourself cruising down a white sand beach, spotting those dorsal fins peering out of the water and charging to the edge of the surf to cast at the 50 pound rooster just beneath the surface…
How FishAngler Helps
Rooster anglers prefer live bait in general but will use everything from subsurface lures to fly patterns. To figure out what works in the area you’re fishing make sure to connect with other anglers on your FishAngler feed, who either live in the area you’re fishing, or have targeted rooster fish before. Connecting with these anglers may give you insights on techniques and tackle they have used before and found success with. You can even check out an angler profile and gear section to find preferred lures, baits, rods, all the way down to their preferred brand of line.
Muskie
If the steelhead has earned the title of “fish of 1,000 casts,” then the muskie is the fish of 10,000. These freshwater predators grow larger than their northern pike cousins, but lack none of their ferocity. The current record for muskie is over 60 pounds and five feet long.
These monsters of freshwater will have you traveling north, up to the lakes of Minnesota, Wisconsin and well into the boreal forests of Canada. Many of the lakes these “water wolves” live in are giant. However, they will require you to cover a lot of area. Because of this ice fishing can actually be a very productive option. It allows you to walk across the lake trying multiple locations you may not have access to without a boat.
How FishAngler Helps
One of the biggest thrills in all of fishing is catching a muskie with a topwater popper. Though, this tactic is often weather- and time-of-day-dependent. By checking the forecast on your FishAngler app, you can access the solunar calendar, which will show you the height of fish activity for your specific area. The forecast will also provide you with sunrise and sunset times, which are also productive times to try topwater lures and flies. For ice anglers, be sure and check your map and refine catch searches for muskie. This will only show muskie catches all across the lake, helping you hone in on productive areas to drill your ice holes.
Blue Marlin
Would any bucket list be complete without the marlin?
There’s little to say that hasn’t already been said about the fish that inspired Hemingway to write the “Old Man and the Sea”.
Blue marlin are the largest of the billfish, reaching up to 14 feet. Records even have these amazing fish reaching 1,000 pounds and up. The king of all sportfish will give you the fight of your life, which can last hours. If you’re lucky enough to see one break free of the shackles of the ocean, you will be witnessing one of the most amazing sites ever to behold in all outdoor sports. Once at the boat, cherish the fish, for it is one very few people will ever have the opportunity to be that close to. Even if is brief, the holy grail of saltwater fishing was in your grasp.
How FishAngler Helps
Post it and brag. Your achievement is not one to hold back. Share your victory with all the FishAngler community including the general feed, your friends, clubs and groups.
Bonus Fish: Taimen
Bucket lists are for dreams, but even then it’s hard to expect anyone to get into the heart of Mongolia. If your dreams ever do come true, or you find that genie in a magic lamp, try casting for taimen. These salmon relatives are are actually the oldest salmon species and can grow to six feet and over 100 pounds.
Taimen take their prey with incredible speed and ferocity, giving an angler one of the greatest freshwater thrills of their life, before swimming dreamlike out of your hand.
Whatever your bucket list fish is this decade, we at FishAngler want to see it. Life is short and fishing is shorter, so go out and make 2020 your best fishing decade yet!
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