I remember as a young man when I first started fishing, my buddies and I would dig some worms and head to the nearest creek. Like a lot of other young fishermen, we didn’t give much thought to what we might catch just as long as we caught something. As time went on, I got much more involved in the fishing scene, and I began to target certain species on any given outing. Part of that evolution also involved a move to artificial lures, and there is obviously no shortage of lure choices these days.

These days I fish almost exclusively with artificials, and I often select my offerings based on the species of fish I intend to target on any given outing. Still, as the title of this piece suggests, I sometimes miss the target.

For example, last week, I geared up my fly rod, tied on a dry fly, and waded out into the stream. Several fish were rising, and it wasn’t long until I put a bend in the rod; an hour later, I had caught and released four trout. Then I thought it might be interesting to target some of the smallmouth bass that inhabit the same waters, so I traded in my fly outfit for an ultralight light spinning outfit and a small Rebel crayfish lure. That crayfish lure is known for attracting bass. An hour later, I had added six more trout to my day’s catch; surprised yes — disappointed, no.

Certainly, trout will eat crayfish as well as a lot of other things that bass eat, like a variety of minnows; that’s why in-line spinners and small minnow-type artificial lures can be counted on to take both trout and bass as well as some other fish. Even though the trout’s mouth is smaller than a bass’s mouth, the crayfish lure did result in some missed strikes, but hookups were frequent enough to make it worthwhile.

I remember another occasion when I was targeting crappies and other panfish at a lake that also happened to be stocked with trout. I was fishing a small bay in about seven or eight feet of water, casting a one-sixteenth ounce jig with a white Berkley Power Grub attached — a good choice for taking crappies. I suspected all the trout would be down at the deep end of the lake, so I was really surprised when my first strike resulted in a nice trout. A half-dozen trout later, I was even more surprised; I missed my target, but I couldn’t have been more pleased.

A fishing friend recently told me his buddy was fishing for bass with a jig and artificial plastic grub when he hooked a huge catfish. Several years ago, my wife and I were fishing for crappies at Bald Eagle State Park using a lead-head jig and a soft, plastic grub; it took her the better part of an hour to land the huge catfish that sucked in the jig. At that same location several years later, I was fishing the same rig for crappies when I hooked and landed one of my largest ever largemouth bass — missed the target but couldn’t have been happier.

While I still tend to target certain species on each outing, I am very conscious of the fact that I may miss the target on occasion, and sometimes that miss can be even more rewarding.