Out of all the possible ways to catch fish which is the most "FUN" for you.

1st I'm not a troll, not trying to start an argument, or anything else negative you pessimist out there can think of to complain about, although I'm sure there will be some.

With that said. I have fished many styles of fishing for many species and would like to know what has been the most fun for you?

Me personally: The most fun I ever had was when I was a kid with a hook, some line and a partial loaf of bread, free-lining for bream in NC with all my childhood friends. Just getting there was an adventure. There were no set rules, we got there when we got there, explored everything around us, you get the idea. It was the best.

I have cosidered getting some Ultra-Lite gear or a small wt.flyrod and go for some of those bream/sunfish I once loved to catch.

I'll take fishing for specks under the lights at night. They are very plentiful, hard fighting, and can be caught a number of ways. Many times while while casting for specks along a dock, a stranger becomes a friend. Naturally, you start talking about fishing, then the conversation gets deeper. By the end of the night, which sometimes ends when the sun is coming up, you realize that you must get some sleep. But when you do decide to fall asleep, you can dream of the great memories of the night before catching fish and pouring out your soul to a kindred spirit.

Why would someone worry about being viewed as a troll or troublemaker for asking, on a fishing forum, what kind of fishing is the most fun? Really, why would the thought to issue a disclaimer before such a question even occur to someone? Are people really that high-strung these days? I've already gotten some lessons on the inability of many here to hang with satire and humor, but I had no idea that such an innocent question as yours is potentially troublesome, Don. It would not remotely occur to me to label your post as anything other than an angler asking a question.

I put topwater pike and bass at the top of the list. Smallmouth in clear water will shoot like a missle 20' to the surface to smash a Zara Puppy or TopKnocker. Both Edith and I find this to be about as thrilling as life gets.

Second would be fishing a spoon like a Silver Minnow or Mepps Timber Doodle (with twin tail grub trailer) on the edge of a weedline. Cast past or into the weeds, pull spoon over weeds at slowest speed that will keep 'er on top, then once you barely clear the weeds, let the spoon flutter down out of sight. You'll often see the tail swirl several feet away as the wake charges toward the falling bait. Man, they hit that thing HARD. The weedless spoon costs an occasional hookup, but that setup casts like a bullet in any wind and probes cover like none other. Weightless lizard is also spiffy if you don't have the spoon stuff.

Honorable mention goes to giant Trinity River alligator gar. When they tailwalk and drench my squealing guest amid a 20 minute epic battle, that never fails to being a smile to my face. Shad on a real sharp hook, steel leader, about 2' under a slip bobber. Hang on, Bubba.

Because I asked a question on what is the best american made fly rod and reel on tff and i was told i was a troll. i guess i just didn't feel like being slamed again for asking what to me was a serious question.

Love to catch Reds on a Zara Spook jr. I have had them come out of the water and hit it going away. Just crazy, but then anything on a top water is thrilling. Heck I guess when you think about it just catching is GREAT!!

ANYTHING on a Top Water bite

Flyrodding a popping bug for big bluegills in East Lake Toho in St. Cloud, FL during their spawning season......without a doubt!

Fishing for Mullet with a rod & reel. Hooking them is a real challenge, but worth every minute of the fight!

Great question with no wrong answer..to each his own. I may be showing my age, but I have fished from Canada to panama. I have done my share of trolling, downrigging & live bait fishing. Drifting live bait for reds on Calaveras or Braunig is hard to beat. When suddenly that rod tip is yanked down into the water & your reel starts screeming. That, to me is "my kinda fishing".
Roger
Drift fishing tilapia on Calaveras

Top water

Giant peacock bass on a wood chopper, don't get much more exiting than that.

i can see that becoming my favorite if i ever get to do it!


I love anything topwater - but getting blown up in the slop throwing a frog is hard to beat

Buzzbait bass at night at a golf course is fun I work night shifts so in the summer after work we go out and throw a buzzbait all night

My best memories and way of catching fish was when I went fishing with Norris Glasson and my younger brother, Wayne.

I was 12 years old, Norris was 14 and Wayne was 9. We fished in two small lakes owned by Mr. Cline. This was in Charlotte, North Carolina.

We would go out with cane poles and South Bend casting reels on warm summer nights, taking a bucket of worms. After building a big campfire we would commence to catch bass, bream and catfish, stringing them up on sisal twine that we had rolled up from where surveyers had laid out a plan for a road.

Those were "the good old days" and I have tried many times to recapture that mood....feeling.... or whatever.

So far, I have not been able to do it.

Chuckwagon

Flyfishing for Common Carp and Redfish. Hard to beat the adrenaline pumped runs of both fish

Years of fishing in many different locations, salt and fresh, I always come back to the simplest and most enjoyable form for me...catching big bluegills on a small fly rod.

Started doing this at 10 years of age and have never grown tired of it and hope never will.

For me it would be drift fishing for cat at night with my dad. The lake would be peacefull and he would tell me and my brother stories about WWII. It's the only time I have ever enjoyed spam sammiches.


Reggie

Gimme a Hula Popper and a steady light rain and git back! Good times.

Right there with ya chuck.. My place like that is Clear Creek, just south of Sanger. I loved catching catfish, bluegill and pretty much anything else there. We got into gar, sandbass crappie and even a few decent largemouth too. I fished there with a handful of friends for a little over 10 years of my life from age 9-20. I only hope I can catch that feeling once again sometime.

+1

I think cork fishing for catfish is pretty dang fun, but I would have to say that fishing for gar is the most exciting bite for me personally... to watch your bobber be dragged 100+ yards, and the anticipation of the fight is just awesome..

Wading the flats at South Padre watching the sun come up or go down. Doesn't matter which!

sitting on the bank on a warm spring night laterns lit and catch crappie on minnows

Seems like alot of us have that same feeling. Childhood fishing with our friends. I've never been able to grasp that feeling again either. Maybe that's why I made the post. I have tried everything, never to get that feeling again. As you can see I'm still looking. Thanks for the posts.

Here's what I remember, size didn't matter,catching something did, 1 was never enough, tried hard to catch "one more" before we go, when the fish weren't biting (rarely) or were slow ~we were kids(sneaking up behind each other and pushing someone in the water when they were concentrating on fishng (seems mean now but it was fun, everyone got pushed in one time or another). I learned to swim that way and it built confidence in me. Learning to keep up with the pack (walking to the fishing hole) seemed to have some sort of camaraderie also. (I still remember all my cildhood friends' names, too)

I love the thud of a 10 lb red snapper on an off shore oil rig. That is an adrenaline rush for me.

i like a buzzbait - or swimming a frog on top of some grass.

To me it's the thrill of the unknown.

I had the chance to fish offshore in the Port Aransas Deep Sea Roundup last year with old and new friends; we had on the winning shark till she broke off. Also my back was wore smooth out pulling in the non-stop sow snapper. I couldn't have dreamed of a better weekend of fishing.

There is so much about fishing offshore in the Gulf that I don't understand, but I know at any minute ANYTHING could be on the end of the line.

Bed fishing on Fork and Falcon
I can NOT get enough of it.

Twitchin a zaraspook when big ol' bucketmouth decides it is time to kill.

Freelining an icefish behind the boat in the gulf and watching a ling swim up and grab it and go.
And some may not consider this fishing, but last month I had blast wading into Lake Fairfield and cast netting for tilapia.

Growing up outside of Azle in the early 70's, my brother and I spent every summer walking through our neighbors pasture to Walnut creek. We had our ol dependable Zebco 33 on whatever rod we could find. Caught perch, bass, crappie, drum, carp, gar, and catfish. We were always accompanied by our trusty Border Collie. She always watched out for snakes.

Fast forward 35+ years and uprgrade to a bass boat with electronics and $100+ rods with $100+ reels. Although I really enjoy my time on the lakes, where I find myself having the most fun is on a creek with an ultralight catching perch, bass and catfish. I will turn 50 in a couple of years but still wade fish the creeks around Justin every summer with my fishing partner, my Beagle. She has gotten pretty good at grabing the fish after I release them.

Tied up under a bridge on Raybob in may-june all night with my brother and my best friend. Crappie, sandies, and Cats galore. Doubles, Triples, and shootin the breeze. Lots of fun nights last year.

That, or twitching a frog on top at dawn and watching it get clobbered. Thats pretty darn exciting.

Sight fishing

I think the most fun for me has to be anchored up on Fairfield, fishing for reds while drinking a red(tecate). Then feeling the reel go crazy when you've hooked one, and having to make one of the hardest decision of your life...do you put down the cigar, beer, or just let the rod go!

My dream right now is sight-fishing reds in the Venice flats. I have plenty of experience with reds and have been told it is the only way to do it. Nothing is ever the same any more after that they say. I'm going this summer no matter what.

As far as what I have done, a whole day at Rollover Pass in November-December. Flounder in the morning, eat some lunch, trout and reds fishing one rod on the bottom and one on a popping cork until after the tide rolls out at night.

Any kind of top water fishing.

Sight fishing.. I love to see the fish take the lure, fly, or bait.

After reading the responses I believe we are all much more alike then different.. I've been very fortunate to have fished all my life and have so many good memories that is hard to begin writing about them. Fishing with my Dad raises to the top when I was young and then through the adolescent teenage years fishing with my best friend Bobby. So many adventures to many places but mostly it's not the fishing I remember it's the good times we had doing it. As an adult and father of two my priorities shifted and even though I often fish alone now to clear my head in the solitude of nature I have vivid visions of past outings with my children and nephews fishing along with me as the years rolled along. My baby girl will be leaving the nest in the near future and my nephews are all grown and making lives for themselves and so begins the final chapter.. I've begun fishing with friends again and really enjoy the social aspect more then the actual fishing but there is still something inside me that seeks the unbeaten path and the call of the river far upstream from the crowds.. fishing in the stream of consciousness

I love catching anything on topwater baits out of my kayak. Great topic btw.

Chasing hybrids under the birds is hard to beat.


MO

Sight Fishing is the best to me. Cant beat watching Bass in their own domain, doing what they do best. You can really get a feel for the attitude that these fish have, and how aggressive they really are.

Running a couple Trotlines/Throwlines up in the rivers for big cats, Set the lines, go back to camp, throw some more wood on the campfire, enjoy some adult beverages, go back later to pick up your rewards.

Pulling up to a tree that your Throwline is tied off & watching it shake/jiggle like that big 'ol cat is trying to rip it off the riverbank! Grabbing your Trotline and feeling the *Whump *Whump down the line & watching the water boil as you try to get to your fish....

Chasing Juglines is a blast also, coming around the bend in the river & seein your Jugs all out of whack from how you set them, creaping up on 1 that is out of position, just as you reach for it, *Plunk* it goes under & shoots off, waiting for it to pop up again & chasing it down... that's fun...

Wow. Tough call to make, but ultimately I'd have to say bottom jigging. Whether its jigging a 1/2oz slab in 15' of water for sandbass, a 2lb 'norwegian' jig in 800' of water, or any number of possiblities in between. There's always the anticipation of what will bite next - you never know for sure what you'll get.

taking my kids bream/bass fishing with slip bobbers and night crawlers. i get way more out of it when they catch fish than when i catch fish

Throwing ultralight panfish jigs on smaller rivers. My dad taught me how to fish in this setting and it is still my favorite to this day. Second would be night fishing for crappie near dock lights. Moving from dock to dock tossing jigs into the light anticipating the classic crappie thump. I don't know what it is about that thump but it gets my adrenaline pumping.

Anything topwater is the ticket for me. Busting a limit of crappie is a great time too. I also have some fond memories of being a kid and just fishing the banks for bream.

Good thread.

Without a doubt I would pick catching big bass on 6 to 8 lb line on a spinning rod in open water from 30 foot deep. You really get a rush fighting a big fish on light line, especially when you get them to the boat. Its a great challenge.

Fast!

man what a great post..........theres so much to be thankful for and your post triggered some great memories.

I have the bass disease and get so focused on chasing those green meanies that sometimes i forget some of the other fun things ive done fising. sorry but i am going to give a few with my apologies for the indulgence.

zara spook on salto catching big fish

swimbait on salto again.. big fish knocking slack in your line then coming back and sucking a 6" storm down like its a minnow.

on the damn at texoma whacking 12 pound stripers on a pencil popper (t-water)_during the shad spawn just as the sun's coming up.

me and my buddy laughing our butts off while being pulled around in tubes by 2 pound guadalupes on the guadalupe.

My dream... want to see about this peacock bass and wood chopper...mentioned above.one of these days....imagine a 19-20 pounder slamming a top water! i see it on tv and it looks incredible!

this is just fresh water.. think about all the salt water anglers that have experiences as well...like above on reds and specs.. man thats fun! but ever talk to anyone with marlin fever? they say thats the pinnacle of the sport, but not financially feasible for most of us.

fishing is a wonderful sport that I enjoy with my whole family and will carry me to the end of this wonderful journey we call life. thanks for yuor post.

Sight fishing for spotted gar with a flyrod

fly fishing for hybrids under the lights

dry fly carpin

Man, nothing beats a cooler full of beer and a hand cranked telephone generator! Oops, I thought this was the OT area!

Crystal blue water in close, a ribbonfish 30' behind the transom, and a hot kingfish bite is hard to beat. Waist deep in a warm gentle surf with the trout smashing anything that looks edible is a close second.

Probably until recently I would have said that it was when I first got my driver’s license at 16. My three good buddies and I would go out to Brazos Bend State Park and do what we called truck fishing. We would go a catch and keep alive brim in the day on rod & reel and then at night we would blow up some balloons and nose hook the brim under the balloons on a hand line (green cord you get at the hardware store) and throw them out in the swamp. These huge gar would come up and eat them and drag the balloons around for a min or two. When we knew they had it good we would grab the line set the hook with everything we had and wrap the cord around the tow ball on the truck start her up and drag the big gar up on the shore. Not sure what ever gave us the idea to do this but I remember it like it was yesterday and it has been more than 20 yrs since we last did it.

I too have been searching for that feeling again and just recently have found it. My 9y/o son has started bass fishing with me and watching him catch his first bass on his own was the best feeling outside of getting married and watching them come into this world. In the last month he has learned how to fish with a baitcaster and has landed a 5.5 lber all on his own. Watching his progression in skill and his love for this sport grow almost brings a tear to my eye every time we go. Take your kids fishing; it does far more for you than it does for them!!! Moms and Dads we owe it to our children and we owe it our selves too!

A largemouth bass caught on topwater is by far the most fun for me. Second is a plastic worm; I love feeling them hit the lure, then consciously setting the hook. As opposed to just a reaction hookset like a crankbait.

Buzz bait for bass, live bait for flounder and reds.Huge cut bait for alligator gar. Bowfishing for shark , longnose gar, buffs, and carp.

Most of my fishing time is spent chasing crappie these days, but my favorite trips of every year are spent at Fork throwing small baits on spinning gear to bass on beds. The photo in my signature is from one of those trips. Notice that all you see on the deck of my boat is two spinning rigs.

Watching a Spro frog get hammered in the grass and trying not to set the hook too soon!!!!! Adrenalin and an "oh sheet" at the same time!

big trout on dry flys 5 weight rod, colorado or northern new mexico is hard to beat

well lets see hear. i like fishing soft plastics for large mouth bass with a ultra light & 4 lb line. its a lot of fun that way. catfish id say jug fishn, i like it when i get close & the jug starts going crazy. bluegill fishin with a pinch of nightcrawler under a float.

carbide in a weighted baby food jar with holes punched in the lid

Been a long time since I have been able to do it, but I would have to say off shore spearfishing. It is much more challenging than most think. It is the hunter in me I guess.