# Species hierarchy



## tx8er (Jun 3, 2016)

What are your five favorites ? For me it is:

1) Tarpon
2) Bonefish
3) Permit
4) Snook
5) Redfish

And a nod to the grunt of the bunch- the disrespected sheepshead.


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## pbcatchemup (Dec 28, 2020)

Snook, tarpon, jacks, trout, reds.


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## loganlogan (May 8, 2020)

Tarpon, snook, then whatever hits. Hot take----Large mouth are still tons of fun, and less overall work.


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## btpeck14 (Mar 18, 2021)

Northeast perspective...Stripers, Bluefish

When I make it south....Snook, Tarpon, Reds


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## UpStateAngler (Sep 2, 2021)

I mostly fly fish, so for me it's: 

1) Tailing Bonefish
2) False Albacore
3) SC Redfish flood tide in the grass 
4) Angry Amberjacks on topwater poppers
5) Topwater pond Bass & Bream


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## Loogie (Jul 24, 2019)

Any gamefish tailing or sight casted.


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## mightyrime (Jul 18, 2016)

What i actually fish for list
1 Tarpon, 2 Snook, 3 Striped Bass, 4 Trout, 5 Redfish

Dream list that i hope to fish for
1 Golden Dorado ( Argentina / Bolivia) , 2 Peacock Bass ( in amazon), Barramundi ( australia), GT ( somewhere in the Pacific), Roosterfish


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## spc7669 (Apr 15, 2015)

1. Tarpon
2. GT
3. Permit
4. Jack Crevalle
5. Bonefish
6,473,112. Crappie


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## mro (Jan 24, 2018)

My favorites are the ones that will eat a streamer.


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## Fliesbynight (Mar 23, 2020)

My favorite? What's available where I am right now?

Seriously, in order of fun:

Bluefish
Weakfish, when I can find them
Stripers


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## crboggs (Mar 30, 2015)

1) Bonefish
2) Redfish
3) Snook
4) Juvi Tarpon


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## Newman (Jan 22, 2018)

Tarpon.
Nothing else counts.

Edit: adult reds, big jacks or kings on poppers great too, but don’t really count..


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## BrownDog (Jun 22, 2019)

I don’t think I’ve ever caught a fish I didn’t enjoy.

maybe I’m odd but I have no “bucket list” for fishing, I just like to fish.


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## 17Patriot76 (8 mo ago)

I’m mostly a fly guy as well, and with as crazy a schedule as we have, I don’t get out/anywhere fun much. So I’m pretty simple:
Beach Snook in the summer, Fall Redfish, and I swear to god this is the year I catch a tarpon or I quit…


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## Str8-Six (Jul 6, 2015)

1) Tarpon
2) Bonefish 
3) Snook
4) Permit (maybe they’ll move up the list when I catch one)
5) Yellowjacks


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## Ironhead (Mar 24, 2021)

1. Tarpon
2. Everything else.


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## mfdevin (Jun 18, 2020)

Smallmouth bass, redfish, bowfin, largemouth, speckled trout. My favorite of species I’ve caught. 

Had my heart broken by beach snook, threw the kitchen sink at tarpon to no avail, while in Florida recently. I’ve landed one juvie tarpon(recently in SC) , it ate the fly about 5 ft from the bank, i set, it jumped, landed at my feet bounced around, I gave it a nudge back into the water, hook came free, but I didn’t get any fight out of the ordeal, so no real frame of reference on the tarpon.
Grass carp are fun but infuriating. Smallmouth are the funnest freshwater gamefish(to me),period. Fight like hell, go airborne, fairly easily coaxed into eating, live in beautiful places, not really much more you can ask for in my opinion.


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## ShaggyPalm (Sep 30, 2021)

Beach Snook
Backcountry Snook
Juvie Tarpon
Redfish
Bass


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## Drifter (Dec 13, 2018)

Jacks, Snook, Barracuda, Reds, Tarpon. If I fished the summer Tarpon would be further up the list.


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## Skram (Feb 8, 2019)

Man that’s tough when I actually think about it. Tarpon, Jack Crevalle and Redfish are definitely top 3 though. The few snook I’ve caught while traveling make me want more of them no doubt.


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## devildog (Jun 12, 2017)

SNOOK


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## jay.bush1434 (Dec 27, 2014)

Sheepshead (because I get to fish for them locally and they are damn hard on fly)
Bonefish
Snook
Tarpon
Jacks
Redfish

Honorable mention to big speckled trout. Sight casting those big girls is really hard. There is a limited time of year they are on the flats in any numbers and they are easily as hard to see as bonefish. You really can't be fishing for any other fish so you just stand there on the bow of the boat watching reds and sheeps swim away.


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## BM_Barrelcooker (May 4, 2011)

Mines more about places than fishes 
The species are pretty easy to figure

Bonefish
Redfish
Tripletail 
Bluegill 
Bass


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## Stephe (Apr 2, 2021)

I get jealous reading all the Florida posts -- time for a trip to Charlotte Harbor in the new Vantage

Here in NC:

1. Reds
2. Trout
3. Flounder


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## Nway93 (May 9, 2016)

Sightfishing large snook has to be the most frustrating and rewarding. Most of the time you don’t even get to show them the fly before they blow out but when you do everything right and they blast the fly the second it moves there’s nothing like it.

Second to that would be 30lb plus tarpon for a favorite followed by tailing/crawling redfish.

Yeah they’re not the most challenging but it’s what made me fall in love with the game and seeing them do their thing is more fun than catching them. If I had to come up with 5 the others would be bonefish and tailing floodtide sheepshead.


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## WC53 (Dec 2, 2015)

Have to categorize, taco related vs non taco related


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## Lee Singleton (Jul 3, 2018)

NC Fly guy, only care about sight casting. 

The only fish that acts right up here is the redfish, they're #1 for me because I cant live without them.

Occasionally I get shots at trout, sheepshead, bluefish, and even a tarpon once every 2 years. But it's hard to put a fish that stays shallow and hungry 365 days a year anywhere but #1.

I also love the popping bug action on largemouth this time of year.


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## Featherbrain (Nov 5, 2021)

Lee Singleton said:


> NC Fly guy, only care about sight casting.
> 
> The only fish that acts right up here is the redfish, they're #1 for me because I cant live without them.
> 
> ...


I agree with this 100%. I’d put redfish at #1 for me but being an hour from the salt, largemouth are much more accessible for me on a regular basis and I do love catching them as well! I’d like to get on some big bowfin this summer as well.


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## SS06 (Apr 6, 2021)

1. Mangroves
2. Sticks/logs
3. Rocks
4. Myself
5. Any fish species that will bite


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## Jason M (Aug 13, 2017)

Tarpon
Permit
Snook
Bonefish 
Cuda
Big jacks

If I could reliably find double digit jacks I'd never fish for reds, especially here in Tampa Bay.


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## Fliesbynight (Mar 23, 2020)

Do Jersey Tarpon count?


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## bone1fish (May 8, 2016)

Catfish, needlefish and toad fish!! Lol


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## SS06 (Apr 6, 2021)

bone1fish said:


> Catfish, needlefish and toad fish!! Lol


New variant of the "trash can slam"


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## Fishshoot (Oct 26, 2017)

1) migratory oceanside tarpon
2)laid up tarpon


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## TX_maverick (Oct 26, 2020)

I thought I knew my species hierarchy until I caught a decent brown trout the other day, now I am rethinking things...

BUT for now...
Redfish
Sheepshead
Jacks
Speck - I think I will spend sometime chasing them exclusively this winter.


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## mro (Jan 24, 2018)

TX_maverick said:


> caught a decent brown trout


Bigger baits, better chance of catching bigger fish.
Works for German Browns as I use 3 to 5 inch streamers for them.
Now and then a large Rainbow eats too.


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## TX_maverick (Oct 26, 2020)

mro said:


> Bigger baits, better chance of catching bigger fish.
> Works for German Browns as I use 3 to 5 inch streamers for them.
> Now and then a large Rainbow eats too.


It was an honest 20" fish on a nymph rig. I want to go throw big streamers at them though and catch a jumbo.


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## Ferrulewax (Mar 19, 2018)

fresh/salt guy checking in:

1) Tarpon
2) River Striper
3) Musky
4) Bonefish
5) River Bass (Small/Shoal)
6) Wild Trout
but I’ll chase about anything that swims

bucket list:
GT
Peacocks
Tiger fish
Arapima not in a glorified trout pond
Golden Dorado
Pelagics


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## mmcintyre44 (12 mo ago)

1. Redfish
2. Redfish
3. Redfish


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## brokeoff (Sep 2, 2016)

TX_maverick said:


> I thought I knew my species hierarchy until I caught a decent brown trout the other day, now I am rethinking things...
> 
> BUT for now...
> Redfish
> ...


It changes things. I’m adding it to my list.


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## brokeoff (Sep 2, 2016)

1. Permit
2. Bonefish
3. Tarpon
4. Striper
5. Brown trout


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## matt_baker_designs (Nov 27, 2012)

Tarpon
Redfish 
Snook

On the bucket list:
Permit
Bonefish


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## sjrobin (Jul 13, 2015)

Redfish 
Snook
Tarpon
Peacock bass >10 lbs
List
Barrimundi


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## texasag07 (Nov 11, 2014)

I’ve avoided this thread for some reason. Probably depend on who leads the list from most targeted to who I would prefer was at the top of the list.
Migratory tarpon on fly
Panhandle overslot reds 
30” sight casted speckled trout on fly
Snook over that 30”length 
Sightfished Gar over 4’


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## mro (Jan 24, 2018)

texasag07 said:


> Gar over 4’


Are Gar those 6 to 8 ft monsters in some of the Texas revivors?


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## loganlogan (May 8, 2020)

Catfish, by "noodling"


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## The Fin (Sep 28, 2021)

tx8er said:


> What are your five favorites ? For me it is:
> 
> 1) Tarpon
> 2) Bonefish
> ...


Not necessarily my list, but I did land at least one on it yesterday as part of my “river slam”! 1. Hybrid 2. Asian Carp 3. Freshwater Drum 4. Gar 5. Skipjack. My list includes Permit, Tarpon, Stripers/Hybrids, Brown Trout, Bluegill


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## Eric-C (Aug 1, 2020)

Redfish
Redfish
Redfish
Smallmouth 
Redfish


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## Mark H (Nov 22, 2016)

Whatever I can sight cast.


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## lemaymiami (Feb 9, 2007)

I like 'em all - freshwater, saltwater - and I love the places you find them...


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## The Fin (Sep 28, 2021)

Eric-C said:


> Redfish
> Redfish
> Redfish
> Smallmouth
> Redfish


How about Redfish?😁


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## Mark H (Nov 22, 2016)

Fin posted something funny!


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## The Fin (Sep 28, 2021)

Mark H said:


> Fin posted something funny!


I knew that you’d come around to my side eventually!😎


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## Mark H (Nov 22, 2016)

Ahh heck, and you were doing so good.


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## The Fin (Sep 28, 2021)

Mark H said:


> Ahh heck, and you were doing so good.


I’m just trying to learn from you and smack!😂


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## exit (Aug 22, 2017)

Tarpon
Snook
Redfish
Anything while wading
Largemouth


> llllll">


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## mro (Jan 24, 2018)

Actinopterygii, pretty much covers it for me...


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