Kayak anglers enjoy fishing for different reasons. Some anglers soak up the solitude and relaxation while others look for camaraderie and friendly competition. Some people seek a mess of fish for the frying pan and others are on a quest for a new personal best trophy. Maybe it’s my OCD, but I get satisfaction from achieving a fishing slam.
What the Hell Is a Marshmallow Slam?
Basketball has an achievement called the triple-double, scoring double-digit points in three categories in one game. In baseball, if a player hits a single, double, triple and home run in one game, he hits the cycle.
In fishing, a slam requires catching three different species in one outing. Most slams have a theme, such as offshore slam, inshore slam, flats slam and so on. The International Game Fish Association, the official trophy fish clearinghouse, recognizes a variety of one-day slams such as permit, tarpon and bonefish as a flats slam. And, they also award citations for a lifetime Royal Slam for anglers who catch every species of billfish, salmon, bass or other genus.
The origin of the word “slam” may be from card games when the players slams his winning card on the table. Or maybe slam refers to Denny’s famous two pancakes, two eggs, two bacon strips and two sausage links. Slam might also be short for a basketball slam dunk or a wrestling body slam.
Slams-a-Plenty
While other sports have strict requirements for completing a slam, anglers are always ready to recognize their accomplishments, no matter how random or irrelevant.
Some slams are based on anatomical feature of the fish such as a billfish slam. Others slams are location-based. For saltwater kayak anglers in the tropics, an inshore slam consists of a tarpon, bonefish and permit. In the Northeast, an inshore slam includes bluefish, striped bass and false albacore.
There are also freshwater slams. Of course, three species of black bass in one day or all 10 black bass species in a lifetime is admired from coast to coast. In the mountains, a trout slam of rainbow, brook and brown trout gets respect.
Sometimes a lucky angler scores a slam without trying. More often, maniacal anglers looking for a real challenge set out to catch three species in one day. This often requires using a wide variety of tackle and tactics, changing locations, and persistence and dedication to stick to the plan. As soon as you catch one species to satisfy the slam, you have to switch to the next species. This goes against the old adage, “never leave fish to find fish.”
There are plenty of commonly recognized slams, but enthusiastic anglers get creative to satisfy their glory lust.
My kids and I have several atypical slams. For example, we have invented slams based on a fishing technique or specific lure. Our “Spinnerbait Slam” includes any three of the dominant species in our local lake including white bass, largemouth bass and sunfish.
A few of our slams are specific for the body of water. The “Allegheny Bobber Slam” uses live bait for at least seven species. In Oklahoma, we might go on a quest for an “Off-White Trash Slam” of carp, gar and bullhead.
Completing my son’s “Weed Lake Slam” requires catching and releasing a pike, largemouth bass and crappie. To score extra points, he shoots a massive carp with a bow and arrow.
Something New to Strive For
Slams allow me to assess my skills and expand my experience as an angler by dialing in patterns for multiple species in one outing. The challenge encourages me to appreciate the diverse behavior and habitat of each species I’m targeting.
I don’t have the means to chase a billfish slam or salmon slam, but that doesn’t stop me. I create my own slams and then challenge my family and friends to complete the series. I make the most of whatever fishing opportunities are available, even if it’s an urban slam, micro rod slam or marshmallow bait slam.
Andy Whitcomb is an award-winning outdoor writer and host of the humor blog justkeepreeling.com. The self-professed stressed-out dad blows off steam chasing pike and smallmouth on ponds, rivers and lakes in western Pennsylvania.
Feature illustration: Lorenzo Del Bianco
