Do you count your fish?

[Shawnster]

Maybe an odd question, but do you count your fish? If so, why?

I primarily fish with my 9-year-old son Theo, and like a lot of you, we’ve made a habit of counting how many fish we catch. It started simply enough — it’s not hard to remember 4 fish days —but as we’ve improved, I’m happy to say that sometimes it’s easy to loose track. So much so that on our last outing I brought along manual counters — score keepers if you will.

But I’m starting to feel like fish counting may actually be taking away from our experience. It was admittedly a bit stressful yesterday trying to break my record (I did not) and Theo trying to set a new one (he did).

There are definitely benefits:
*Data tells at least one story of how the day went
*Helps track patterns (seasonal bites, best lures, etc.)
*Adds some competitive edge
*Bragging rights for some
*Art of the possible

However:
*It can turn a peaceful fishing into a scorekeeping session
*Creates pressure—on us and maybe the fish
*Potentially discouraging when the numbers don’t stack up *Measure fun / value based on fish counts
*May limit exploration of terrain and lure experimentation in lieu of “go tos”
*May shift focus away from why we’re really out there (I like fishing with friends and family, catching is a bonus)

I’m just wondering how others are thinking about this (or if you are thinking about it)!

So I’m curious—do you count your fish?
Why or why not? Ever feel like it adds stress or changes the vibe? Or is it just part of what makes a good day even better? Also, if you count your fish, what counts? Assuming just “lipped” fish?

Would love to hear your take.

[falafeluver]

Yup all the time, it’s part of the fun and it’s not about beating the others on my boat but rather doing for our own personal bests. Nothing like hearing our separate clickers going off.

[Dfishin]

I do count my fish for the most part. At one time I was taking a picture of every fish. On the opener of San V after Damn rebuild I posted on the site 95 bass. Of course some said no picks BS. I had pics of them and posted pics of group pictures. I was weighing also as a lot were 4 to 7lbs. But at one point just took pictures. I gave up on all the pics but count them with a few pics.
There are always those say no way and math doesn't add up. It doesn't matter if they believe it. Maybe they say stuff because they can't figure out how to do it?
I use to keep a log of baits lures time of year. For me now it's better to have locations to fish as the bite can change from day to day.
Barrett counting fish is a tradition for me, if you don't count how do you know when you hit the (100 mark CLUB). I don't think it's pressure to get 100 as I have not done it many trips to Barrett and it's still was fun. I have been counting size 12" up ( so many 8"s), lipped or net. Not a boat flip fan.
It can be kind of a competition, Like yesterday at Barrett. My son in law and I on our tubes I started out in the lead by 20 something fish at the end of the day he was a head of me by 21 fish. Bottom line if it's nots fun for you don't do it.

[StinkyPinky23]

On any given day, on any lake, I’m keeping track. As far as what constitutes a catch, that’s always been the same no matter the location. Have to touch it. Doesn’t mean lipping it, just gotta touch it before it got off if that happens. That being said, I totally agree with pretty much everything Shawnster said. I didn’t keep count on opening day or Mother’s Day, but my son did. So, having waxed his teenage arse, I had a good idea where I was. It a lot of fun just fishing free and not struggling to think about a number. Easy when he’s throwing his out there every fish. It definitely leads to fishing certain baits, vs what you want to fish. You can’t always force feed em, but I’ve always used Barrett to try some random stuff. When I fished the San V reopener I watched everyone realizing the fish weren’t up shallow and were just dragging worms and jigs trying to catch as many as possible. I spent the day throwing a 10xd with some other junk fishing for over 60 fish. Way more fun to me than ANOTHER worm fish

[JWall]

We definitely count in our crew. Each one of us is extremely competitive whether on the lake, bay, or ocean. I don’t think it takes away from anything, its just who we are. I also think it forces us to adapt quickly to stay in the game. Its rare that the lures tied on the night before aren’t changed up before the day’s end. Its more or less our own tournament and added fun, win or lose.

[Shawnster]

Thanks for the feedback guys! I’m going to approach as mini-competition count days, and other days when I want to explore new areas and new techniques not worrying about fish counts. I think there is definitely fun to be had with both approaches.

[MaxZmus]

Everyone that fishes Barrett was drawn to it for the possibility of catching “100 fish in a day”. If you don’t count, how will you know if you achieved that magic number? I do it for fun just to see if I could beat my personal best. Numbers as well as weight.

[MistrRocko]

Fishing might be my chill get away from the stress of life thing but I'm still super competitive and need to keep score with myself. I always count. If I could have netted it or gaffed it, it counts. When the bite is on fire, I let tons of fish under 4lb jump and quick release on slack line at the side of the boat so I don't have to bend down and unhook them so I can get back in the water faster. Saves time, my thumb and their jaws. I count the <12 inch fish but I try to let them shake off as soon as I see how small they are. Don't need to get them to the side of the boat to admire them.

I don't imagine I'll ever beat my personal best numbers day but I enjoy keeping track of not just the overall number but how much I'm catching on certain baits as well. I'll also never stop being impressed by how many fish you can catch on a single elastomer bait. Lost count but had a paddle tail that caught like 120-150 last season before I lost it in my house and it was still in good shape. Caught exactly 50 on one bait last session but it's pretty beat.

When I take inexperienced friends out fishing whether it's Barrett or somewhere else, I usually keep track but if they think we caught more than we did I'll just go with that number so they're happy. If I actually lost track, it's because the fishing was good and I spent a ton of time putting them in the best position to catch fish so that's great.

[Shawnster]

Fishing might be my chill get away from the stress of life thing but I'm still super competitive and need to keep score with myself. I always count. If I could have netted it or gaffed it, it counts. When the bite is on fire, I let tons of fish under 4lb jump and quick release on slack line at the side of the boat so I don't have to bend down and unhook them so I can get back in the water faster. Saves time, my thumb and their jaws. I count the <12 inch fish but I try to let them shake off as soon as I see how small they are. Don't need to get them to the side of the boat to admire them.

I don't imagine I'll ever beat my personal best numbers day but I enjoy keeping track of not just the overall number but how much I'm catching on certain baits as well. I'll also never stop being impressed by how many fish you can catch on a single elastomer bait. Lost count but had a paddle tail that caught like 120-150 last season before I lost it in my house and it was still in good shape. Caught exactly 50 on one bait last session but it's pretty beat.

When I take inexperienced friends out fishing whether it's Barrett or somewhere else, I usually keep track but if they think we caught more than we did I'll just go with that number so they're happy. If I actually lost track, it's because the fishing was good and I spent a ton of time putting them in the best position to catch fish so that's great.

I appreciate the extra context on what qualifies as a counted fish for you — and Theo will be especially happy for the reference point. My PB (of 40 fish) was based on lipped/boated/netted fish. Theo’s PB (of 69 fish) was based on fish he touched or were otherwise close enough to touch/net/lip. I struggled a bit balancing the relief of standard fish shaking off at the boat when the bite is on with knowing they would not be counted. Your approach makes more sense to me and will help level the playing field when I choose to compete with my son — or you — muah ha ha ha.

[JWall]

Thanks for the feedback guys! I’m going to approach as mini-competition count days, and other days when I want to explore new areas and new techniques not worrying about fish counts. I think there is definitely fun to be had with both approaches.

Guessing you already are, but be prepared for Theo the Machino to prevail most of the time. The kid is a natural and will likely be a tournament champion someday soon. And you are responsible for that setting the stage for him to succeed and most importantly have fun!

[Shawnster]

@jwall you might have me there — maybe I’m just frustrated because Theo el Machino’s counts are blowing mine away these days. In my defense, I was only counting lipped fish and someone has to drive the boat! I may sabotage his gear to level the playing field. Shhhhh…

[Gotfish?]

You don't have to be competing to count fish. I like knowing how many I catch in any situation. I will often fish new lures or techniques regardless of the count just to see what works since that is how one gets better. And I count fish no matter whether I am fishing with others or alone. But you must have a counting device or it is too easy to lose track in the double digits.

[foulhook]

I bought this pack on Temu for me and my friends for 2 dollars

[Surferjohn]

If you can't take a picture with it doesn't count. Alot of people count the long range releases especially on a tube.

[EL_prowler_619]

For the most part NO. I usually like to try different lures at barrett cause they will get hit so I do really bother counting unless I'm fishing a funny or cool lure and its catching like crazy but 10 15 fish is easy to keep track of IMO.

[Midnightpass]

I’m not a bass guy. ,but really enjoyed this post. I surf fish and have always struggled with keeping count of various species of fish caught in a session.. I used to take pics of every fish, but I think that time puts too much stress on he fish.. So now I just estimate… Good enough for me.. I still take pics of nicer grade fish, but I try to get them released as quick as possible.. This morning I had a very good surf perch session with a fish on every cast except one cast.. I farmed a few, but a lot were caught… In the old days, half of the morning would have been taken up by camera time… This morning was just catching… How many did I catch? No idea.. More than 30 less than 100? Probably… Thank you Shawnster for posting this …
Butch

[Everydog]

Party pooper alert: If I catch more than 10 fish anywhere, I won't be able to give an exact count most of the time. I don't care and don't like those kinds of thoughts - how many will I catch, affecting my choices? I learned at Loveland that chasing the highest numbers of the easiest-to-catch fish never mattered to me as much as doing what I wanted, where I wanted, and how I wanted, including looking foolish sometimes. I don't have a fish finder, for instance, and a lot of the time I don't. I also don't like catching busters; I won't catch more than a handful of busters before getting bored. I don't take photos often. While I don't have exceptional prowess at catching the biggest bass or the patience to fish week after week for them like some do, what I do enjoy is averaging bigger fish, or trying to, especially when I'm at one of the easiest places in the world to catch fish. Once the skunk is securely off, or sometimes before, I'm looking for something different, even if it's just catching one using a new-to-me or old-school technique, rather than focusing on numbers. My guestimates of how many I caught and what size they are are good enough for me and the people I know. I don't usually share what I did because one or more people usually helped me in private conversations, either with where to put the fish on the line, pick the lures, or both. Maybe I couldn't catch 100 Barrett fish in a day, even though I was fishing alongside someone who did. It isn't, and never has been, in my plans to worry about it or try it. Recently, I have been thinking about the number of pounds I catch in an hour as a personal best category....But I don't own a scale!

[Shawnster]

I’m not a bass guy. ,but really enjoyed this post. I surf fish and have always struggled with keeping count of various species of fish caught in a session.. I used to take pics of every fish, but I think that time puts too much stress on he fish.. So now I just estimate… Good enough for me.. I still take pics of nicer grade fish, but I try to get them released as quick as possible.. This morning I had a very good surf perch session with a fish on every cast except one cast.. I farmed a few, but a lot were caught… In the old days, half of the morning would have been taken up by camera time… This morning was just catching… How many did I catch? No idea.. More than 30 less than 100? Probably… Thank you Shawnster for posting this …
Butch

Thanks Butch. Always wanted to try surf fishing — looks and sounds really fun.

[Midnightpass]

Thanks Butch. Always wanted to try surf fishing — looks and sounds really fun.
[/quote]

Give it a try… I loved stream fishing for trout, but this is kinda the same thing… Always looking for structure and moving.. I’m not much of a lake guy, and haven’t had a boat in years..So this is perfect for me…
Butch

[Shawnster]

[/quote]
Give it a try… I loved stream fishing for trout, but this is kinda the same thing… Always looking for structure and moving.. I’m not much of a lake guy, and haven’t had a boat in years..So this is perfect for me…
Butch
[/quote]
I was all about fly fishing for trout and steelhead in moving water. Lakes were never my thing either. But Barrett got me completely and forever hooked on lakes and largemouth. The only type of fishing I’ve tried which I will never like is fishing with a bunch of people — pier fishing, charter fishing, fishing for recently stocked fish. Oh, and ice fishing.

But surf fishing sounds great. And catching a keeper Hali is a goal of mine. I may hit you up for pointers at getting started!