A passion for angling—and a knack for landing unusual fish—has sparked 15-year-old Joe Hagengruber's quest to catch all 87 species of fish in his home state of Montana. Species: Rainbow Trout Photos Courtesy of Dave Hagengruber.
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OL: Tell us about your latest species. JH: I caught a slimy sculpin last summer. It’s about 2 to 3 inches and it lives in fast, cold water, and tends to stay under the rocks. I was fishing for trout but I saw a couple of sculpin swimming around and I was using a pretty small hook, so I decided to try to catch one. And I did. Species: Mottled sculpin
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Outdoor Life: Where did the idea for this project come from? Joe Hagengruber: I went icefishing with my family when I was seven. Everyone was catching the usual perch and trout. Then I started catching odd fish that no one else was hooking, like suckers, walleyes, and lake whitefish. So I decided maybe I should catch a lot more. Species: Black Crappie
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OL: Is there a fish you’ve been trying to catch that has so far eluded you? JH: We’ve fished a bunch of places that have about 10 different types of minnows. I can land those, but I can’t seem to catch a fathead minnow. They’re even in the creek behind my house, which is a little embarrassing. Species: Northern Redbelly Dace
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OL: What will you do once you’ve caught every species? JH: I’m going to travel back to the places I like best and start over. My favorite spot is probably in central Montana, where there’s a sort of irrigation ditch the size of a swimming pool right along this big pasture and a huge mountain range. It holds eight or nine different species of minnows. It’s a great fishing hole. Species: Spottail Shiner
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OL: Any special rules for your goal? JH: The only rule is that I have to catch them on hook and line. I can’t use a minnow trap or anything like that, although I did build one of those for fun in the creek in my backyard. Species: Paddlefish
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The Scoreboard Number of species caught so far: 49
First species ever landed: Rainbow trout
Biggest species: Paddlefish (60 pounds)
Smallest species: Stickleback (1.5 inches)
Favorite fish to eat: Deep-fried perch Species pictured: Brook Stickleback
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OL: Is fishing purely a hobby, or do you hope to turn it into a career? JH: I’d really love to get a job working with fish. Biology is the most likely path, because I love handling the fish. I’ve been out a few times with my dad’s friends, who are biologists. They’ll set up big nets and catch walleyes and trout to study. I’m going to start volunteering with them. Species:Brown trout
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Species: Pumpkinseed
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Species: Rainbow Trout
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Species: Pike
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Species: Smallmouth Bass
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Species: Shovelnose Sturgeon
Natalie Krebs
Natalie Krebs

Natalie Krebs is the Senior Deputy Editor of Outdoor Life, where she tackles everything from reporting digital features to producing podcast episodes. Originally from Missouri, she currently lives in northwest Arkansas with her bird dog, Hatchet.

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