Hi all you Aussies!

Been a while I've been here...I don't have any Australia fishing reports to post (wish I had though, haha)...so I don't post often...but I thought I'd share a little bit of my fishing year with you.

This year was pretty interesting. I started off the year with no travel plans...and ended up going to Florida and Massachusetts in the end. What a bonus!

I ended the year with 37 new species...9 from Ontario, 23 from Florida and 5 from Massachusetts.

A couple of especially challenging local targets stood out...

1) Bowfin (Amia calva)

It took me 7 trips of careful observation and adaptation of techniques to finally catch one...and at the end I caught 3 so far :D



2) Northern Hogsucker (Hypentelium nigricans)

It took me 4 trips of obsessive observation and patience to finally catch my one and only.



A couple of notoriously difficult bait thief were actually surprisingly easy to catch...

1) Tautog (Tautoga onitis)

Tautogs are said to be hard to hook due to a super hard, bony mouth and they are very selective for green crab. However, I had no trouble at all catching 8 of them using sand worms...go figure.



2) Sheepshead (Archosargus probatocephalus)

Sheepsheads are said to be very keen at taking bait off the hook. However, a small adjustment on hook placement on a live shrimp proved to be the undoing of many sheepshead. In fact, they were in the way of my quest for other Florida species.



A few unaccomplished goals this year had me yearning for more...

1) Goliath Grouper

I went to Florida on a charter with Ben Chancey for a chance at a Goliath Grouper. We missed one hit...and had a mystery fish ran into snags. It was an expensive charter for a highly exclusive fish...I'm not sure if I will have a chance at it in the future. :(

2) Spanish Mackerel

On the same charter with Ben Chancey, Ben threw a cast net and netted a 15" spanish mac! However, when my threadfin herring was hit by a spanish mac, it didn't stay on the hook...and I got to see the fish teased me on the surface by swimming off with the herring in its jaw. :evil:

3) Haddock

I'm pretty sure on my second cod trip I hooked into a haddock that came off the hook. People left and right of me were catching them...haddocks just can't find my hook. :(

There was one fish I was really happy to get luck with. It wasn't because it was not an "expected" target...but just the size of the specimen was unexpected! I was expecting to catch a small snook...but this one came in at 33"! That's a good snook in anyone's book.

Common Snook



** You know...I forgot how many times I've helped people with their "firsts" this year...

Chiara, Stephania and Andrea's first time ice fishing...and their first Yellow Perch







Andrea's first White Sucker and first Ontario Steelhead...





Andrea's first Common Carp in Ontario...



Andrea's first Longnose Gar



Andrea's first Brook Trout



Matt's first Longnose Gar



This little girl's first fish...and her dad, Jack, with his first fish



Dave's first Brown Bullhead, Channel Catfish and Common Carp (and many White Perch that I don't have picture of) while fishing with my buddy Mike







These little kiddies' with their first sunfishes



Shane's first fish on the fly



Shane's first brook trout (on the fly...and now he bought his own waders and fly rod :twisted: :lol:)



Andrea's first King Salmon





Hopefully 2012 will have some surprises thrown in. I don't have any travel plans...but maybe I can apply to a conference in San Juan, Puerto Rico...and maybe if I can graduate some time in 2012, I may take another trip to Hawaii :D I'm running out of local new species target...but there are at least the white crappie and greater redhorse for 2012 :D

And hopefully I'll have more opportunities in 2012 to help people with their "firsts"! I'm already planning trips to help Andrea catch his first Lake Trout, Lake Whitefish, Walleye, Black Crappie and Pike through the ice...and maybe next summer I can help him get a Bowfin, Shorthead Redhorse, Golden Redhorse, Freshwater Drum, Mooneye and Channel Catfish. I'm also hoping to take Shane out for more fly fishing and guide him to his first Brown Trout (maybe even a Longnose Gar). Next year will be very busy for me :lol: