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A few days ago, I posted a review of my fishing during 2021. I included some statistics about my fishing days and fish caught. I wanted to follow up today with a description of how I track my fishing information.
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As each year comes to an end, most fishermen think back over the catches they have made during the year. For those who fish occasionally, the number of species and total fish caught may not be large. But for those hard-core anglers who fish often, keeping track of what you caught can be challenging. Here are some of the questions that I want to be able to answer.
spreadsheet.jpg
I also used a second table to list each species I caught, the length of the longest fish of that species caught during the year, and whether that species was new to me or was a personal best length.
During 2021, I fished on 215 different days (a personal best). I caught 2,728 fish representing 58 different species. Four of the species were new to me, and for another 11 species, I caught personal best sized fish. Some were caught only in Florida, but most were caught in Maryland waters or in the Virginia portion of the Chesapeake Bay. I’m sure than many guides and other expert anglers caught more fish or larger fish, but this is not too bad for an old guy fishing mainly from an 11’ kayak.
I wrote up a much more detailed review of my 2021 fishing experiences, with photos of fish from all 58 species. Interested readers can go to 2021 Fishing Review and download that file.
Here are a few examples of the type of information I was able to extract from the spreadsheet using the sorting tools in Excel.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
As each year comes to an end, most fishermen think back over the catches they have made during the year. For those who fish occasionally, the number of species and total fish caught may not be large. But for those hard-core anglers who fish often, keeping track of what you caught can be challenging. Here are some of the questions that I want to be able to answer.
- How often did I fish?
- How did I get to the fish? (kayak, boat, shoreline)
- Where did I fish? (actual location and general region)
- How many different species of fish did I catch, and how many of each species were caught during the year?
- How many fish did I catch each trip?
- On how many different days did I catch each species?
- What was the earliest and latest date on which I caught each species?
spreadsheet.jpg
I also used a second table to list each species I caught, the length of the longest fish of that species caught during the year, and whether that species was new to me or was a personal best length.
| Species | Largest This Year | Species | Largest This Year | |
| amberjack | 28" | mangrove snapper | 17" | |
| barracuda | 26" | Mayan cichlid | 15" | |
| black crappie | 8" | mojarra | 12" | |
| black sea bass | 8" | needlefish | 19" | |
| blue crab | 6" | nurse shark | 48" | |
| blue runner | 8" | oyster toadfish | 12" | |
| blue striped grunt | 10" | pinfish | 6" | |
| bluefish | 16" | pumpkinseed | 8" | |
| bluegill | 10" | redbreast sunfish | 8" | |
| bonefish | 26" | redfish | 27" | |
| bonnethead shark | 36" | river herring | 10" | |
| chain pickerel | 23.5" | sailfish | 76" | |
| channel catfish | 30" | sea robin | 8" | |
| cownose ray | 24" | sheepshead | 14" | |
| croaker | 8" | silver perch | 8" | |
| fallfish | 7" | smallmouth bass | 8" | |
| Florida gar | 24" | snook | 34" | |
| gafftopsail catfish | 14" | soapfish | 12" | |
| gag grouper | 15" | spanish mackerel | 21" | |
| Gulf flounder | 14" | speckled trout | 21" | |
| hardhead catfish | 12" | spot | 10" | |
| hickory shad | 16" | striped bass | 26.5" | |
| hogfish | 15" | summer flounder | 14" | |
| jack crevalle | 31" | tarpon | 30" | |
| ladyfish | 18" | tomtate | 12" | |
| lane snapper | 8" | white grunt | 12" | |
| largemouth bass | 15" | white perch | 12.75" | |
| lemon shark | 60" | whiting | 12" | |
| lizardfish | 12" | yellow perch | 8" |
During 2021, I fished on 215 different days (a personal best). I caught 2,728 fish representing 58 different species. Four of the species were new to me, and for another 11 species, I caught personal best sized fish. Some were caught only in Florida, but most were caught in Maryland waters or in the Virginia portion of the Chesapeake Bay. I’m sure than many guides and other expert anglers caught more fish or larger fish, but this is not too bad for an old guy fishing mainly from an 11’ kayak.
I wrote up a much more detailed review of my 2021 fishing experiences, with photos of fish from all 58 species. Interested readers can go to 2021 Fishing Review and download that file.
Here are a few examples of the type of information I was able to extract from the spreadsheet using the sorting tools in Excel.
- The species caught the most often was white perch (1,027 times). Striped bass (920), pickerel (341), and speckled trout (123) were the other species caught more than 40 times.
- The highest number of fish caught in one day was 54 on June 8.
- The highest number of species caught in one trip was 8 on April 2.
- For 17 species, I caught only one fish during the year, and for 20 others, I caught fewer than 5 fish during the year.
- I caught stripers on 98 different days – the earliest date was March 25 and the last date was December 7; I caught white perch on 96 different days – the earliest date was March 22 and the last date was October 30.
- I catch few speckled trout in Maryland waters during most years, but this year they were more abundant. I caught a total of 55 specks on 18 days in Maryland, along with others from Florida and Virginia waters.
- I fished on 111 days in the Severn River and its tidal creeks and ponds, on 29 days from the Queen Anne’s County launches, on 17 days at different spots in Florida, and at many other locations fewer times.
- My largest fish of the year was a 76” sailfish, with the next largest being a 60” lemon shark (both caught from kayaks); I caught fish at least 20” long of 16 other species.
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