In 2025, I kept track of every fish I caught (date, species, and location). This year was easily the most I've fished and the most fish I've caught in my life.
I fished mostly from shore (plus one trip in a jon boat and about 6 in a kayak) for freshwater species in PA/MD. Despite what you might believe based on this post, I don't take it too seriously- no elaborate trips and a yearly budget of maybe $3-400 for licenses and gear. My goal this year was simply to fish as much as possible. I managed 130 days where I at least had a quick trip before/after work, and I caught a total of 1246 fish.
Some highlights:
-I caught 16 different species including one new one (longear sunfish, possibly a hybrid?).
-my largest fish was a 26", 7lb northern snakehead.
-I caught several largemouth in the 3.5-4lb range, but no monsters. My best smallmouth was 3.25lb.
-I got skunked (caught 0 fish) on 13 days, or exactly 10% of the time.
My only regret this year is missing out on a few species that I typically catch- especially walleye, carp, channel catfish, and pike/musky. Next year I'm going to stick with the goal of just "getting out there" as much as possible, but maybe concentrate on more variety/exploring instead of numbers. Good luck to everyone in 2026!
Posted by sobeboy3131
2 Comments
I love that you collected and graphed all this out, it can be very useful information aside from the fun of having a yearly breakdown.
Another useful thing if you’re not already doing is is to screenshot your locations and save a new edit on your phone each catch marking the exact spot, species, and lure you were using so you can find hotspots and track fish movements and behavior over time.
I find this hard to believe.