There’s something “fishy” going on in Chillicothe. While most residents go about their daily business, Ben Cantrell is pursuing a goal that only 10 people in the world have achieved: to catch 1,000 or more different species of fish with a standard fishing pole, line and hook.

“I’ve always been interested in nature,” said the 39-year-old Caterpillar employee who moved to Chillicothe last May. “I just like learning the finer details that most people wouldn’t get into.”

To date, Ben has caught and catalogued 992 fish species in waterways from Illinois, Wisconsin and California, to Peru, Egypt, Japan, South Africa, and Mexico. Enthusiasts like himself call their hobby “species fishing” or “life list fishing.”

“Everywhere you go has good places to fish,” said Ben. On a Florida vacation he snagged 60 different species in just one week. He added one to the tally on a recent trip to California.

Ben grew up in Edelstein, IL, but his interest in fish didn’t begin until he went off to college in Wisconsin. With no formal training and little previous experience, he started fishing to relax and get away from his studies. Starting in 2008, he began taking pictures of the fish he landed and then did research to learn more about them.

By the time he graduated and left Wisconsin he had identified a mere 100 species.

“I had not been bitten by the bug yet,” he said. But it wasn’t long before he discovered a small but passionate community of about a dozen anglers around the country who, like himself, were striving to catch as many different varieties of fish as they could.

Social media, especially Instagram, helped hook more species hunters. When the website specieshunters.com went live, Ben quickly became a member. The site currently boasts 508 registered members from 25 countries. They have identified 4,533 different fish species around the world.

In 16 years since Ben started keeping track, he said he has become much more efficient at finding and catching fish that he knows are in a certain location. He does his own research ahead of time using identification guides and online resources. When he pulls one in, he typically takes 20+ photos so he has everything he needs to make a positive identification.

Ben said he has a particular fascination with ice fishing. One winter he had been trying to catch a fish called a cisco on Big Green Lake in Wisconsin. He finally found his quarry at a depth of 100 feet below the ice.

“It was just surreal pulling something up from that far down,” he said. While kayak fishing in San Diego, it took 10 minutes to reel in a sable fish and blackgill rock fish from a depth of 1,000 ft.

Ben and his wife, Ally, met through their shared passion for species fishing, and she often joins him on his excursions. 

“Everywhere we go, fishing is a part of it,” Ally said.

Ben doesn’t expect much fanfare when he reaches the 1,000 species mark. “I’m just hoping to get an email from the other 10 who have reached 1,000. That’s about it,” he said.

He also does not expect his pursuit to end, although his progress has slowed since becoming a homeowner.

There are more than 30,000 fish species in the world, more than enough for a lifetime.

“l encourage everyone to get out and learn about nature and the world,” said Ben. “It’s bigger than any of us know and always exciting to learn about.”