For anyone that is a sports fan out there, you are probably familiar with “the others” concept when it comes to a team. For those that might have absolutely no clue what I’m talking about, “the others” is a term that is used to explain role (or bench) players on a team that are still needed to win games. Although “the others” are not the all-star, multi-million dollar, or biggest players that will sell out tickets in the stadium, they are often times the deciding factor in the outcome of any given game (as they will always swing the score by a couple of points, and bring the element of surprise along with them).

When it comes to fly fishing, “the others” are the awesome fish you catch that you were not anticipating to show up and that can save the overall day by making their presence known. For those who have read this blog, you know that I am slightly obsessed with catching all different kinds of species on the fly rod. I firmly believe that fly fishing should have no boundaries when it comes to the type of fish being pursued, and I also believe that many times people won’t pick up fly fishing because of incorrect assumptions that they live somewhere that isn’t ideal for it (i.e. “there are no trout where I live so I can’t fly fish”).

For capping off 2023, I thought it would be fun to highlight some of “the other” fish that I ran into this year in hopes of encouraging line to be thrown wherever you might be. By no means were these all of “the others” (as most outings are accompanied by surprise fish), but these were some coming to top of mind!

Bowfin – A fan favorite of mind. Prehistoric and pull like crazy. On this day I really was fishing for anything, but this guy made the morning special.

Redear Sunfish, Bluegill, Crappie, Green Sunfish, Redbreast Sunfish (in order below) – Sunfish in general are some of the most under-appreciated fish due to their size. Bluegill and Crappie are specifically are one of the most common freshwater fish to find in the US. Always fun running into these guys on a day of searching for Bass on a lake, or throwing small flies into creek systems just to see what is around. I even did some fish “saving” this year as was finding a ton in drying up pools of water at the end of the summer. Redbreast Sunfish are really unique from both a geographical standpoint and their overall looks.

Chain Pickerel – known also as a Slime Rocket, Ditch Pickle, or countless other names. These guys attack and eat flies like a baby Musky or Pike, and get way too much hate considering how fun they are to catch and how good looking they are.

Atlantic Pollock – These fish are a hoot. Ran into a pile of them while Striper fishing in Maine, and they kept the action steady in between Stripers. They pretty much will hit anything small and yellow it seems!

Croaker and Baby Redfish - Was able to get the paddleboard out on some flats for a hour here and there on two separate trips this year, and these guys made it worthwhile. The goal was to find some “big” Redfish up shallow, but the wind and dirty water had other plans (especially challenging with no boat). Regardless, these fish showed up and we appreciate the cooperation!

Bottom line here – appreciate what you catch. Every single fish is a “nice” fish. No need to discriminate or downplay, especially if you are putting the work and effort in to get out on the water (no matter how much time you have or what the conditions are).

Tight lines as always!

Joe