Have you ever caught fish during a fishing outing that you usually leave out of the conversation when your friends ask you about what you caught? Some fish just have a bad rap. Some words used to describe them are "rough fish", "trash fish", "junk fish", "nuisance species". More recent politically-correct verbage is "under-utilized fish".
I like this terminology better. It is certainly more accurate. The reason for something being underutilized is usually that people don't have an accurate or adequate understanding of something. This is often the case with many of these fish species.
Sometimes I catch these underutilized fish species while targeting other fish, or while using non-species specific techniques. But sometimes I target them intentionally. This can be VERY fun and often quite challenging.
Here's some of these species that I was fortunate to tangle with in 2010:
Freshwater Drum will hit bait and lures, and often put up an excellent but usually short-lived fight.
Channel Catfish aren’t completely underutilized. Baitfishing for them is very popular, but not many specifically target these predators with lures and flies. Very stong fighters once hooked!
Grass Carp…I’ve only caught them on fly-fishing gear, which is challenge and often frustrating. I haven’t tried baitfishing for them yet. Excellent fighters once hooked, they don’t give up.
Common Carp are another excellent challenge on flies and lures, but they can be caught without bait or snagging!
Shortnose Gar are aggressive predators, but their bony jaws are difficult to penetrate with a hook. Fly-fishing gear with “nylon rope flies” is an excellent way to catch these fish, and sightfishing for them can be very exciting.
Yellow Bass are often considered an “undesirable species”, since they can quickly become overpopulated in lakes and reservoirs. There are many ways to catch these fish.
River Carpsucker…this one was accidentally foul-hooked, not uncommon when fishing with lures near the bottom.
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