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Start a life list and you'll find yourself exploring new areas of the outdoors that makes the whole experience worthwhile
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The past year has been filled with exciting fishing experiences and great memories. There was a stellar opening day for big bass near Detroit Lakes, Minn., my first white crappie ever caught on Jamestown Reservoir, and my largest walleye to date – just a hair over 29 inches - caught on the Sheyenne River.
All of these various fishing trips in the past 365 days help me set new goals for the year ahead. It’s time again to pull up the life list and take a look at where I’m at and where I’m going.
Life Listing
The origins of the life list, at least for me, come from the hobby of birding. My grandmother in Western North Dakota has kept a life list of the 106 species of birds she has observed over the past 20 years, most of them seen from her dining room window. This list enables her to better recount stories of rarer sightings, such as an oriole passing through or a shorebird she saw on a trip to Florida.
Along that line, many anglers keep similar lists of fish species that they have caught; along with the length, weight, water body and other pertinent information. This list not only helps keep track of fish, but also assists in setting goals each season.
Important Info
My personal life list includes three sub-lists: openwater fishing, fly fishing and ice fishing. Categories include: species, lure used, water body, length and date of catch. A life list can be as in-depth or as simple as the angler requires. Some reflect a great deal of data from each season; others are just a general listing of species that have been caught.
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Catching large fish will always stick with you like this big walleye
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Life lists are great for setting benchmarks in terms of species yet to be caught. For example, I have never caught a carp. I’ve snagged a carp, but I just can’t bring myself to count that. I would like to tangle with “the golden bonefish” on the fly rod too, which makes for two empty spaces on my list.
Some catches occur by accident, others on purpose. It is for these latter intentional pursuits that a life list is most helpful. Anyone with a worm, hook and splitshot can stumble into a 10-pound walleye, but actively pursuing these fish with a passion is what drives life listing.
Looking back at my life list, I can see that my last five big walleyes have all come in April or May. These early-season personal record breakers, ranging from 26 to now 29.5 inches, tell me that the best time for big ‘eyes comes in the spring. With four of those fish from Devils Lake and the most recent from a secret spot on the Sheyenne River, I have an idea where to start looking next year.
Last year, for the first time, I landed my first rainbow trout through the ice, several in fact. Just after Christmas, a 14-inch largemouth bass added that species to my ice fishing list. Again, the categories are as specific as a person wants to make them. Each detail aids in remembering the whats, whens and wheres, keeping personal bests from becoming plain old fish stories.
This year’s updates
Some major additions were made to my life list over the past year including a 21-inch largemouth, a 19-inch rainbow trout, a 19.8-inch smallmouth and 13-inch black crappie. All fish replaced previous bests in those categories. As for new species caught, the 14-inch white crappie was the first of its kind, also setting a very high mark to eclipse next season.
The numbers will be bumped up in the coming year. New marks of a 20-inch smallmouth, 22-inch largemouth, 30-inch walleye and 20-inch rainbow trout all rest beside the current big fish in each category. How’s that for a New Year’s resolution?
Whatever a life list is used for – record keeping, goal setting, or just to keep fish stories straight - this is the best time of year to settle in and start writing down those fish, big and small, that you have landed…in our outdoors.
