2012 Species Count at 30

Although it's certainly possible that I'll slip out to a pond and catch another fish or two before the calender page turns, it seems very unlikely to me that I'll add any species to the catch list in the next six days. This year I decided to keep a tally of all the kinds of fish I caught, recording where I caught the first of any given species and the month of the catch. Unless I forgot to record something, it appears the final tally will be 30 species.

Looking at locations, eleven states and one other country (Costa Rica) added at least one "first" of a kind of fish this to this year's list. South Dakota and Arkansas added the most, with five a piece. The South Dakota additions came courtesy of an early-in-the-year, multi-species ice excursion. Among them was the laker pictured above, which was one of my favorite catches this year. Arkansas added to the list on a couple of different trips. Five specie came from the saltwater; the rest fresh.

The most surprising fish to me that is not on the is a spotted bass because I live in the heart of spotted bass country and fish in a lot of good spot waters. I cannot say for certain that I didn't catch any spots this year, but I cannot identify a specific one that I remember and therefore record.

Come Tuesday, I'll start the count anew.