When I originally started putting together this numbers-driven yearly recap in 2020, I had two goals: the first was to show that the information and perspectives I share through my work are the product of significant personal experience.
The second was simply to let my inner nerd breathe for a little while.
This is the fourth installment of this annual series and, looking back, I am pleasantly surprised at how popular this piece tends to be. Each year, this collection of numbers is one of the 10 most-viewed pages on my site.
Thank you all for a great 2023. Let’s take a look back at the year that was:
218 – Hours spent in the outdoors
I spent the time equivalent of just over nine full days fishing, hunting, or dip netting this year.
477 – Fish caught
If you’ve known me long enough, you know I am pretty bummed about this number. Very little fishable ice early in the season put my fish count in a hole I just couldn’t dig out of. However, I still managed to catch 22 species of fish.
I’ve caught 2,567 fish since I started tracking in 2020.
Here’s my 2023 fish count, broken down by species:
| Species | Number Caught |
| Smallmouth Bass | 147 |
| Rock Bass | 137 |
| Bullhead | 44 |
| Largemouth Bass | 29 |
| Yellow Perch | 28 |
| Bluegill | 22 |
| Round Goby | 18 |
| Golden Redhorse | 7 |
| Common Carp | 6 |
| River Shiner | 6 |
| White Sucker | 5 |
| King Salmon | 5 |
| Creek Chub | 4 |
| Pumpkinseed | 4 |
| Coho Salmon | 3 |
| Northern Pike | 3 |
| Freshwater Drum | 2 |
| Brown Trout | 2 |
| Rainbow Trout | 2 |
| White Crappie | 1 |
| Lake Trout | 1 |
| Redear Sunfish | 1 |
97.9 – Percent of my fish that were released
Any time I mention my preference for catch-and-release fishing, I feel the need to quickly follow up with the fact that I have no problem keeping some fish for a nice meal every now and then. But I take a lot of pride in the fact nearly all of the fish I catch in a given year are given the chance to grow and be enjoyed by other anglers.
311 – Suckers caught dip netting this spring
Though it is a dying art, I love dip netting. This year was a very productive spring. My groups and I averaged over 44 suckers per trip, including one epic night when we pulled in 141 in the span of three hours.
48 – species of birds spotted and logged into eBird
It feels good to participate in citizen science and help provide meaningful data that can be used to study wildlife and shape policy. I now have 84 different species of birds on my life list.
6 – Deer harvested on our annual deer drive weekend
The annual “Big Push” got off to a slow start, but my gang of hunting buddies was able to harvest six deer during our two-day series of deer drives, including a nine-point buck that set a new record for largest buck taken on one of our drives. In the last three years, this group has harvested 18 deer on drive weekend.
16 – Bodies of water fished
This is the third straight year I got to fish outside of Wisconsin. My fishing adventures spanned seven different counties and five bodies of water I had never fished before. Per the usual, the Sheboygan River was my water body of choice, encompassing 47.6 percent of my trips this year.
1 – New book released
After years of work, I finally released my first book: “The Year of 500 Fish: How I Rekindled My Love of Fishing.”
This book, which I started in late 2020, details my most memorable fishing adventures during the pandemic-stricken 2020 fishing season.
You can score your own copy here.
Nathan Woelfel Outdoors 
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