Heather Edwards Catches 624 Fish Over 100 Days Of Fishing!

She did it! 100 days of fishing down, and lots of lessons and stories to tell!

The Blast's very own Heather Edwards set a goal to fish every day for 100 days back in March. Through rainstorms, bugs, crazy neighbor incidents and heat and humidity, she fished every single day and caught a whopping 624 fish, including something she never thought she would catch in the river - stingrays.

Cue the fireworks! Completing 100 days of literally anything should be celebrated, so the fact that the challenge just happened to hit day 100 on the Fourth of July was an extra special bonus.

As one can imagine, 100 days of doing something will teach some great lessons and offer some amazing memories and stories to tell, and that was surely the case for Edwards.

"I learned how to read the tides. Whether it's high tide, low tide, or slack tide, that's going to determine where to cast, what you're catching, or if you're going to catch anything at all," she said. "I learned all about hook sizes, line weight, different types of rigs, and a lot about bait."

An example she shared is that catfish will eat anything, rockfish eat soft crabs and peelers and stingray like squid and live bait. During her 100 days out on the dock in her backyard, she also learned how to throw a casting net.

"This came in handy when I was out of bait from the store and needed something for my hook," she said. "I learned that you have to tie everything down on the dock, otherwise your things will blow away."

One of the coolest things that happened during this challenge - catching a stingray.

"The first day I caught a stingray in the river my mind was BLOWN! I had no idea that they traveled up into the Wicomico River, and no one on my street has ever caught one here," she shared. "I catch them often now, and they're a fun change from the catfish I normally catch."

Something else new for Edwards was fileting and cooking every type of catch she got, including stingray. In one of her TikTok videos, she shows how to filet and cook the stingray.

Every day out on the dock, she documented the occasion with a TikTok video and picked up a lot of fans along the way. And while she counted 624 catches, she said there were likely more that she ended up throwing back before measuring and photographing.

There was also an environmental bonus to her fishing challenge.

"I was able to remove and kill over 300 Blue Catfish from the Wicomico River during the challenge," she explained. "The Department of Natural Resources is instructing everyone to remove and kill this type of catfish because they are an invasive species in our area."

Once that first TikTok video was shared, she knew she had to see this challenge through. Sharing the experience on the social media app helped to keep her accountable for her goal of 100 days in a row of reeling in some fish and great stories.

"After I posted my first video on TikTok, I knew I was in it for the long haul," she said. "There were definitely days that I didn't feel like fishing, but the thought of breaking the streak felt worse. I would have been kicking myself if I had missed a day or given up completely. My only rule was no fishing if there was lightening, and thankfully the weather held out. There were only a few pop-up storms that passed quickly, so I never missed a day."

So the big question now is will Edwards ever consider doing another 100-day challenge? She said she has no plans just yet but she's "always brainstorming." And while the official challenge has ended, she's still out there fishing often.

"The heat and humidity we've had here in Maryland hasn't been fun to fish in, so I'll definitely be taking some days off here and there," she explained.

For anyone considering pushing their limits to try something new or get into the groove of doing something daily, Edwards suggests picking something you enjoy and just diving right in.

"Documenting it in some way will help motivate you," she said. "Even if it's done privately."