Bycatch
The world is awash with specialists. Fly fishing is a case in point. Flies, rods, lines, and techniques have all been developed for specific species and water bodies. Nearly every fish that swims can now be effectively targeted with fly tackle. Purchasing a fly rod for "general" fly fishing would be like playing Pebble Beach with only a five-iron. Hank Patterson would spew warm beer in your general direction. Even with all the specialized gear now available, occasionally a non-target species finds your fly. My nickname of "The Sucker King" was bestowed on me one day when a buddy and I were nymphing a run thirty feet apart with the exact same flies. He caught trout after trout. I matched him fish for fish, except all I caught were red horse suckers. I even moved farther upstream and my sucker streak continued. Although I have never had another day quite like that, I have never lived it down. Last September I snuck away for a socially distant week alone in