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Post by wilmsmeyer on Jan 30, 2009 17:32:59 GMT -5
I have 2 of my own and one from someone else. Of course they are all true....seriously.
I am going to a fish fry in about 1/2 hr and don't have time to tell mine right now....but the wait will be worth it. 2 are local NYS stories on small lakes and one happened in Quebec. One involves a muskelunge and one involves 2 geese. The Canadian story involves a massive Walleye and 2 guys in a boat.
Share yours.
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Post by ET on Jan 30, 2009 19:32:06 GMT -5
My recollection of 2-wild events occurred on Lake Erie and Lake Ontario.
Lake Ontario
Early one Spring we headed out about 10miles east along the shoreline of Lake Ontario from our Dock Point. We were fishing in a Salmon derby and were after Chinook salmon, Coho Salmon, Rainbow Trout or Brown Trout that could win you a lovely prize in one of these categories. Our main fish we were after was the Chinook Salmon and the day before in the area we were now in a lovely 35lb Chinook was caught here. It was a cloudy morning with threats of an ominous storm approaching. On such outings into the lake we always took our Weather Radio along and had it set to Coast Guard Weather Report frequency.
The morning started out good with my partner hooking into a nice 26-pounder only minutes after setting up his downrigger. Just after landing his fish he decided we were heading back to our dock. Puzzled I asked why the change of heart of not doing some more fishing as I was eager to hook into one of these babies. He simply said just listen to the radio and you’ll know why. I said okay and listened to the weather forecast through a lot of static occurring. He pointed out the loud intermittent static and said we are out of here. Reluctantly I pulled in our lines as he revved up the old 85-Johnson on the 16’ Glastron with a tri-hull design. Once I sat down after securing the rods and poles he cranked her wide open and we were soon back starting in the channel surrounded by break-walls on either side. As we began our slow run down the channel the wind just picked up like you would not believe driving sand into my face from shore over 100’ away stinging it sharply. Then the rain, lightning and thunder let loose with some of the lightning strikes not all that far away where you could feel the charge of electricity in the air.
With some tricky maneuvering my partner managed to get into the berth assigned to him at the dock without hitting any neighboring boats. There we stayed for over an hour as it heavily rained with constant thunder and lightning. Thanking God I was back at dock in one piece I also swore I would never question my partners instinct when out on open water again.
Lake Erie
This lake has had a few surprises for us also. Back in the early 80’s there was great pickerel fishing to be had. If you found a good size school you would limit out with 6-fish in no time. In most cases we never kept anything under 5-lbs and even had a few Hogs around 13lbs caught. Now Lake Erie is notorious for fast storms developing and coming across this shallow lake. One beautiful morning we were out 5-miles trolling in an easterly direction when we noticed a storm front coming our way. Okay time to pack up and head in. well we weren’t quick enough because the front running wind was generating some awesome waves from the east to make running south to treacherous to try. My partner kept the boat slightly off from hitting the huge waves dead on to try and outride this storm. Man what a ride Mother Nature gave us. Okay we also got treated to a light show from the lightning we observed around us in the distance. Wasn’t too worried about getting hit until the graphite rods I was holding to keep them from breaking gave me one heck of a shock. Man I dropped those rods like a hot potato and didn’t care about them breaking or not anymore. The pounding from the storm only lasted about a ½-hour and then quickly dissipated leaving only rolling waves. As we were already soaked to the a$$ we stayed a few hours longer and surprisingly caught some nice pickerel.
But what really sticks in my memory was the 1-1/2 hour drive home where my body seemed to keep feeling the rocking motion we had in the boat while sitting in the seat of the truck. What a weird feeling.
Ed
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Post by raf on Jan 30, 2009 22:31:10 GMT -5
Ed I know how fast storms can come up. 20 years ago we went to our cabin for the weekend. Our kids were small and my son brought a friend. After we unpacked we headed out onto the lake for a little walleye fishing. We got to one of my favorite spots and anchored. It was a beautiful summer evening, warm and calm. Rigged the rods and everyone just fished over the side. well, the walleye started biting and it got darker but they kept biting. We just about had a limit when I felt a little breath of air on my cheek. Way off in the distance could see lightning but that was miles away. We quickly packed up and headed for shore. We were fishing 2 1/2 miles from our bay and by the time we got there we were in 3 foot waves. The lightning and graphite rods reminded me of another weekend a few years later. Once again my son and I went out for an evening fishing at the start of a weekend. Once again, great weather. I saw a thunderstorm way off in the distance on the horizon so figured we had some time. It wasn't to much longer and I heard these snapping sounds. Couldn't figure out where they were coming from. This went on for quite some time and as I was getting a nibble I looked up to watch my rod tip and that's when I saw it. Sparks jumping in my front guide. Obviously some static in the air. I looked over at my son who at that time wore his hair quite long. It was standing straight out in all directions. We packed up and headed for home quick. The storm was some way off yet but we didn't want to push our luck.
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Post by ET on Jan 30, 2009 23:27:51 GMT -5
RAF
Years ago when graphite rods first came out I was into building a few fishing rods. The blanks back then were easily $100. By the time you got all the top quality components you were almost $200. To protect this investment I got together with a guy you built rods on a regular basis to get some pointers for a nice finish job. The one thing he kept mentioning was to never fish in a lightning storm with these graphite rods.
At first my feeble brain didn’t really comprehend what he was trying to tell me, as I couldn’t associate any danger from a rod not having short access to ground. Then that day on the lake when I got a good electrical jolt I thought back to his warning and realized “Hey he wasn’t Bullsh!tt!ng me”. I still have my built graphite rods and if there is so much as a hint of a thunder storm they stay in there case period, as I don’t need any more shocking surprises. ;D
Ed
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Post by youp50 on Jan 31, 2009 5:30:03 GMT -5
Some storms do not need any indication at all, no clouds or thunder just beautiful weather and then a storm.
I was glad not to be out on July 4 1978. I was in the Navy, on board a guided missile destroyer tied to the dock. Standing in chow line the ship listed over and it seemed like a firehose was spraying in the open portal. The storm hit that hard. Many millions of dollars of damage and loose of life from that storm. Two completely cloudless fronts collided over the Chesapeake Bay. Being the holiday and a beautiful blue sky day it was the Bay was full of boaters. Quite a few naval vessels broke mooring lines, one broke completely free. I do not remember how many pleasure vessels were lost. nor the cost in human life. I do recall a party fishing boat went down. It was a big tragedy.
Big water can be big fun and also big risk. I wear a PFD on Superior, I figure my wife would need a death certificate if something were to happen. Easier to find a floating body, than to wait for the Lake to give your body up.
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Post by ET on Jan 31, 2009 8:09:46 GMT -5
Youp50
You’re right about not knowing a pending storm is about to strike and reek havoc with lose of life. You also make a good point about having a PFD readily available when out on the water. It is mandatory here to have with you along with a few other items when going out on the water in a craft.
What I find that eludes a lot of people going out in boats is the possibility of pending danger and storms. I have even seen small water crafts overloaded with fishermen and the water line awful close to the top of the hull out on the water on a calm day. I mean miles from shore. This makes for a formula for disaster looking for a place to happen. The rule for Mother Nature’s survival seems to apply here. I often wonder if the owner/operator of such a craft overloaded has a lunacy gene in his genetic makeup. Denial of “this will never happen to me” just doesn’t cut it and falls on deaf ears when it does happen.
Ed
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Post by raf on Jan 31, 2009 11:14:39 GMT -5
ET, it's interesting that you made a few custom rods. Never did that but some of my better rods were custom built by a fellow in the city. In fact he sponsored Don Lamont when he had his fishing show and back then those were the only rods he used.
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Post by youp50 on Jan 31, 2009 11:19:47 GMT -5
West of my camp is a wilderness state park. There were a couple of cabins in it when it was deeded to the state. In the late forties people were not so anal about wilderness and they left the cabins. It is truly beautiful in the 'Carp Town', three cabin on the south shore of Lake Superior where the Carp River flows in. The cabins are at a fair price and are popular with deer hunters seeking the wilderness experience. BW (Before Wolves) the hunting could be very good in there. Big bucks pushed out of the high ground to winter along the shores. Less snow tight to the shoreline of the Lake and lots of hemlock trees for thermal cover (good winter habitat) There are no motorized vehicle allowed in the park, but the cabins are accessible by boat. I do not recall how many bucks they had in one boat, but were breaking camp and ferrying stuff to the pickups. The fellow that had the deer went down and was lost. I do recall the boat was very over loaded. Sometimes unsafe acts can cause loss of life and really ruin a trip, maybe forever.
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Post by ET on Jan 31, 2009 12:18:12 GMT -5
RAF
I was really surprised that building a fishing rod is not that difficult when you get a few pointers from someone who has done it. For the top half you roll it a certain way to find the spine that the dictates, which side your eyes, go. Spacing of the eyes is dependant on the length of your pole. Choice of thread color and whether it’s been treated with color preserving or not to eliminate an additional step. Different types of epoxy to coat the threads, etc., etc.
Lets just say I really enjoyed building a few that I use today. The one that gets used the most is my spinning rod that actually was made from a fly rod blank. It is very sensitive to any action on the other end and helps keep a nice smooth tension on the line for small or larger fish up to 8lbs. So far it has been with me for 20 years and still strong.
Youp 50
“I do recall the boat was very over loaded. Sometimes unsafe acts can cause loss of life and really ruin a trip, maybe forever.” I definitely agree that sums it up quite nicely.
Now where’s Wilmsmeyer who owes us a couple of wild fishing adventures because he's not getting off the hook that easy. ;D ;D
Ed
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Post by KerryB on Jan 31, 2009 21:58:57 GMT -5
I was fishing the Gulf of Mexico a couple of years ago and evening had come. The night was black as coal and you couldn't see anything but the boat and a halo of light shining down into the water from the fishing lights. The sharks had shown up en-mass and were cruising the surface hitting anything that we cast out, so we were about ready to call it a night. I decided to tie on a huge grouper jig and drop it straight down below the boat to sink before the sharks could grab it. Well, the deck hand told me i was wasting my time and i wouldn't catch anything on a jig designed for bottom fishing. We were currently in water thousands of feet deep about 100 miles off the coast of Pensacola Beach. I watched my line counter as it clicked off 150ft depth and then I locked in my reel. I gave my rod a couple of bounces and suddenly my rod was nearly jerked out of my hands and then there was nothing there. It startled me something fierce and i wasn't sure what had happened. I reeled my jig up about 50ft and then dropped it back down to the 150ft depth again. When i locked my reel back in, i suddenly had a solid slam on my jig that doubled my heavy deck rod over and line started screaming off my reel. It was all i could do to hang onto the rod as my 100lb test braid peeled off my reel like it was nothing. I yelled to the mate that i had a fish and he blurted out some expletives and came running over to me. He said that i was snagged in the prop and to give him the rod. I handed it to him and he yelled up to the captain to put the engine in neutral which the captain did. Well, the line just kept peeling off my reel and his eyes about bugged out of his head! He gave me my rod back and yelled up to the captain that we had a big fish hooked up and we were going to have to follow it or it would strip my reel. We began to follow the fish and a couple of times actually got it up close enough to identify it as a big yellowfin tuna that the deck hand estimated at 150lbs or more! I fought it for what seemed like an eternity, but it was probably less than an hour. Finally the tuna's tail cut through my line and he was gone, but i was completely exhausted and my hands were so cramped from gripping my rod that i couldn't straighten my fingers for a long time. I finally had to physically un-bend each finger one at a time and it hurt like the dickens! I started thinking what would have happened if that tuna had jerked me overboard with all those sharks circling the boat and my hands cramped up and unable to swim. It was suddenly very sobering to think what a dangerous situation we were all in, 100 miles from the coast and surrounded by sharks. I was too exhausted from the fight to worry about any further fishing that night and i went below deck to my bunk and passed out for the night. I still have dreams of being hooked up to that big tuna and those sharks all around me. Fun stuff, but pretty crazy too!
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Post by wilmsmeyer on Feb 1, 2009 6:51:43 GMT -5
My 1st fish story involves surface casting for Bass on a small lake. My lure was a floating something-or-other with a propeller on the rear. This lake had muskelunge introduced quite a few years earlier but I had never seen one.
My friend and I were in a little row boat. 12 volt battery and trolling motor and not far from the cottage. We were casting all around the boat parked over a weed bed when I spotted a very large fish just hanging out on top of the water with a noticable dorcel fin. I pointed it out to my friend who couldn't see it at first. As we drifted we were getting closer and we both realized that it may be one of those elusive muskelunges. I began casting in front of it trying to entice a strike. Nothing. Finally the fish began to move but stayed on top of the water. I cast beyond him by 10 feet and ahead of him and ended up dragging the lure over his back and hooking him. Uh-oh!
It was obvious that I was overmatched and almost immediately he broke the line. As we sat there incredulous to what had just happened I began to tie on something else to continue fishing. I wasn't yet done when this huge muskelunge resurfaced and like a torpedo in slow motion...made a slow approach to our boat. I said "LOOK, there's that fish again!". He was closing in on the boat slowly...it was very strange. There on top of his back was my lure! When he was 10 feet from the boat it became obvious that we were going to have him right next to us in 5 seconds if nothing changed. I grabbed the net and when he was close enough I tried to scoop him....which worked for a second or 2. He thrashed so hard and was so heavy that he twisted himself out of the net in about 1-2 seconds....making a huge commotion!
There I stood with the empty net in my hands dumbfounded to what had just happened. We looked at each other for a few minutes trying to recount the previous 5 minutes. It was just so weird. I layed the net down and we were deciding what we should do. Then I saw it....my lure had been recaptured in the net when he thrashed around in it! Then the whole "I can't believe this" started over. We estimated the fish at at least 20 lbs and 40 inches long.
Back at the cottage NO ONE believed us. But this did happen.
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Post by wilmsmeyer on Feb 1, 2009 7:11:59 GMT -5
The next story happed on the same lake.
Down by the cottage there was a dock which extended out over a bunch of weeds in 6 ft of water. Lot's of bass...some were big. At the time, my favorite thing to do was to grab a few beers and a comfortable chair. I would turn over rocks on the shore line and find a few crawfish and put them on a single hook and just toss them out there and relax.
Well, one day as I sat there I kept getting srtikes and would pick up the pole and have a good fish on only to lose it. It happened a few times and my hook was lost each time.
The next weekend, my mother-in-law (at the time) and I went down on the beach to do something and there was a huge 6 -7 lb large mouth bass in the shallow water, belly up, looking dead. Upon inspecting the fish, we noticed that it had tried to swallow a sunfish but the smaller fish had gotten stuck in the bass's mouth. A few spines had punctured the bass's mouth and the bass ended up suffocating.
We picked up the fish and were studying how this all happened. The bass had not been dead long but had slightly stiffened up. I got the little fish out of his mouth and to my surprise it was still alive. He actually was very alive and when I put him in the water he swamsideways for a few moments and seemingly recovered. Amazing. There in the bass's mouth was also 2 hooks embedded into his upper palate. I knew they had to be mine.
Anyway, now we had this big dead bass. I told my mother-in-law that I didn't want to eat it and that throwing it behind the cottage would cause a stink in a few days and draw coons in. So we found a baseball size rock and I stuffed it as far as I could in the bass's mouth and flung it out into the water and it sunk. Done....or so we thought.
Next weekend, the wife and I went back to the cottage and my mother-in-law cornered me laughing and laughing. It took her a while to regain her composure and then she told me "the rest of the story"
A few days after we toosed the fish out into the water, the neighbor came by. He was a genuinely great older man...about 90! He had been down by his dock which was 50 feet from ours when he spotted this big fish on his beach and went over to look at it. By golly....he surmised that this big fish tried to eat a rock and died in the process. He figured that's how rock bass must have gotten their name! Funny. What did he do with the fish? Tossed it behind his cottage where we smelled it for the next 2 weeks. Never did see any evidence of coons coming around.
True story.
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Post by wilmsmeyer on Feb 1, 2009 7:34:19 GMT -5
Oh...the goose story.
Fishing for walleyes on a local lake was proving tough one day and my friend and I were changing spots. As we motored across the lake there were a few hundred Canadian geese gathered out in the deep water. We were headed right for them at top speed (30mph) As we got closer, they became nervous and the group began to split. My friend arched the boat at the last minute and went for the group on the left and they took flight just in time.
The air was filled with honking geese and we were laughing. As we continued across the lake I kept watching the flock of geese and 2 of them, now hundreds of yards away, peeled off from the flock and started back our way. I watched them and they seemed to be coming our way and gaining on us. Eventually they were off to our left flying at the same speed as our boat and about 20 feet off the water. After about 5 seconds went by they kicked in their afterburners and began flying faster then our boat and got out ahead of us and cut a hard right....right in front of our boat.
What happened next happened so fast that I wasn't able to process it. Something was coming at me and I just sprang from my front/center seat and hit the deck. My friend cut the throttle not knowing what my problem was. I got up and looked at my boat seat where my back had just been resting against and it was slathered with goose crap...a lot of it.
After we peiced it all together, it seemed as if these 2 geese planned to do this (they probably didn't) for ruining their comfortable sit on the water. Whatever they had planned, worked great. They hit us while we were doing 30 MPH.....they dropped their bombs right on target while banking hard-right.
We had a good laugh over it and not many people believed us.
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Post by ET on Feb 1, 2009 8:22:01 GMT -5
Wilmsmyer The Muskie is one heck of a predator fish in fresh water that can be really unpredictable. Its strength and razor needle teeth can easily take off a finger or two. They don’t only eat what’s in the water but what’s on top of the water as well. Ducklings disappear quickly and a lady visiting friends at a cottage lost her miniature poodle one time when she had it in for a swim in shallow water. I have never heard of them attacking a swimmer but a few people who have just dipped there hand in the water while canoeing to simply enjoy producing a small wake and feel the cool flow of water over their hand have lost a few fingers that way. Have also heard many fishermen tell of reeling in a nice pickerel or bass only to be denied their catch when a Muskie intercepted it. Above attacks by Muskie are uncommon but occasionally do happen. This is one fish I show respect when dealing with it. Scary part is they can reach 40lbs and 4’ in length. I’ve had a taste of prepared Muskie but didn’t find it palatable enough to consider going after. Getting your lure back was a novelty I enjoyed reading. As for that dead fish the neighbor put out back in your other story I imagine a few neighbors that had dogs might have got a surprise if they rolled in it. ;D Okay you are off the hook now. Ed
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Post by youp50 on Feb 1, 2009 9:35:23 GMT -5
Quite a few years ago I would take my oldest son bank fishing. He was wound a little too tight for anything in a boat. At three years old I normally carried a special package for him. It consisted of a paper grocery sack, toilet paper, and newspaper.
Standard operating procedure was "Dad I have to go poop". We would go next to the car, open the doors, spread the newspaper on the ground, and let nature take its course. Generally the return trip would take us through a town and we would pick an alley behind the business district and leave the bag in a dumpster.
We were perch fishing on a d i k e in a flowage that has a decent population of big Muskies. I loved to Muskie fish and would have one or two rods rigged with large suckers. This particular day the wind was from the south, blowing fairly brisk and right into our face. The call came "Dad I have to go poop." The wind would blow the suckers suspended by a float into the shore. One was right up to the edge and I said I would be there after I cast the bait back out. As I reached for the rod the bobber took off under water like it was attached to a torpedo. A sure sign of a Musky, for the Northern Pike like to pound on the sucker for a bit before they take it.
I placed a couple of rocks on the rod butt and left it in free spool and went to attend my son. Standard practice in those days was to let the fish swallow the bait and then try to land it. We also were practitioners of fillet and release. I had my back to the lake holding my son when the fish started to jump. She had felt the hooks in her throat and was attempting to rid herself of them. I stood my boy up and told him he was on his own and I raced down to he bank and grabbed the rod, setting the hook three times. We had a grand battle that attracted the attention of the neighboring fishermen. The fish would clear water and drop back in, she provided us with both the straight up and fall sideways jumps and the jump up and form an upside down U jump. I would get her to the bank and she would streak out 40 or 50 feet of line, only to be slowed by the drag and pulled back toward shore.
The fight was winding down as the runs were getting shorter when my all but forgotten son showed at my side. He had finally got his drawers up. I loosened the drag and we sat down to land the fish together. She was beginning to roll onto her side and it was obvious she was close to 50 inches long and well into the mid forty pounds. Shortly there after she rolled up on her side for keeps and we nosed her up to the shore. There was a smattering of small woody stemmed rushes there and as soon as her nose touched the first one the hook pulled. We just sat there and watched her turn and right herself and slowly cruise back into the tanic stained water..... Then my son announced that he pooped his pants.
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Post by wilmsmeyer on Feb 1, 2009 9:35:45 GMT -5
What color was the poodle??? ;D ;D
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Post by KerryB on Feb 1, 2009 9:39:05 GMT -5
Your goose story brings back memories of a duck hunt that a buddy and myself had a few years ago. We had finished hunting and were heading back to the dock when we saw a huge raft of coots swimming in the middle of the lake ahead of us. My buddy was at the helm and thought it would be fun to chase them, so over we headed towards the flock. They started swimming away from us and the closer we got to them, they started taking to the air. Well, it takes coots a long time to take flight and they were running on the surface with water splashing everywhere. This was great fun and my buddy charged into the middle of the flock just as they became airborn. As we sped with glee through the flock which was now just above our smiling faces the coots were too scared to control their bodily functions. Yup, we both got covered with slimey green coot crap along with our decoys and everything else in the boat. We now have a whole new respect for the lowly coot and for some reason, no longer chase them although we see large rafts of them on every trip! ;D
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Post by KerryB on Feb 1, 2009 9:40:40 GMT -5
What color was the poodle??? ;D ;D Oh man! I nearly pee'd my pants i was laughing so hard!
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Post by wilmsmeyer on Feb 1, 2009 9:54:23 GMT -5
Kerry,
After reading your posts for a long time I can't believe I beat you to that question! ;D
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Post by jims on Feb 1, 2009 11:13:02 GMT -5
Kerry B: Your post brought to mind an article in one of the boating magazine about a fellow that got entangled somehow in a line/rope to large fish. He got pulled overboard, was drowned and never found. There can be dangers involved without question.
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Post by ET on Feb 1, 2009 14:03:56 GMT -5
Guy’s sorry I can’t laugh at this one because the event occurred a few days before I arrived at Balsam Lake for some pickerel fishing. For the next few days peopled up there constantly talked about it and the distraught woman who owned the dog. I really felt sorry for this woman. The miniature poodle was tan/off-white in color.
Ed
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Post by KerryB on Feb 1, 2009 16:54:03 GMT -5
Guy’s sorry I can’t laugh at this one because the event occurred a few days before I arrived at Balsam Lake for some pickerel fishing. For the next few days peopled up there constantly talked about it and the distraught woman who owned the dog. I really felt sorry for this woman. The miniature poodle was tan/off-white in color. Ed I'm building a tan/white poodle lure as we speak! ;D
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Post by ET on Feb 1, 2009 16:55:22 GMT -5
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Post by KerryB on Feb 1, 2009 17:20:50 GMT -5
Wilms story reminds me of a bass i caught a few years ago while fishing with a buddy for bluegills. We were fishing out of innertube boats with ultra-lite rods and reels in a small pond. We had caught several bluegill and i was reeling one in when all of the sudden my bluegill took off across the pond stripping my 2lb line off the reel. I fought the fish for several minutes and told my buddy that i figured a catfish had eaten the bluegill. I didn't know this pond had any decent bass in it. Well, the fish started tiring from the fight and eventually started coming closer and closer. I asked my buddy to try to net the fish if it got close enough. It started swimming between me and my buddy in our "belly boats" and just as it got between us, it jumped and he stuck the net right under it. It was a dandy bass and when we checked, it wasn't even hooked. The bass had swallowed the bluegill head first and the fins prevented the bass from spitting the bluegill out during the fight. I got both fish mounted just like i caught them. Here is a photo of the mount:
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Post by wilmsmeyer on Feb 5, 2009 21:03:50 GMT -5
OK, here's another one:
Before I started fishing with the group of guys I go to Canada with (I started in 1995...they started in the 70's) they had a good one. I know all the players here.
3 guys in the boat. One of them is quite a character and always has to fish differently. When worm harnesses are the thing he has to drag a lure. It goes on and on with him.
One day these 3 guys were out and "Paul" had finally evolved into a worm harness after adding a bead to a hook....then another.....finally a float...then a worm. Took him all day to build what the other guys had been using all week.
Bang!! he gets a strike and starts fighting a fish....the first one for him all day....while the other guys had been hammering them. He fights it for a few seconds....just an average good fish when all of a sudden his drag kicks off and a whole bunch of line peels off. As he worked the fish in everyone was standing in the boat looking over the side. One guy had reeled in and had his pole laid down but the line was still in the water by a few feet rigged up. One had a net ready to boat the fish.
The fish begins to surface and to everyones amazement it was a HUGE walleye later weighed at 11 pounds. The Walleye had a 2-3 lb walleye sideways in its mouth.....not hooked!. Paul went to lift the fish and just before the net was applied the walleye, seeing the boat, let go and grabbed the line of the other guys pole who had left it dangling in the water. The other guy grabbed his pole just before it was tipped into he water and in a few short seconds landed the big tired fish into the boat.
Paul just sat there dumbfounded and said...."hey, that's my fish!" To that the other guy said "not anymore"
This story must get told 2-3 times a year and everytime we are in Canada which is where it happened. I love hearing it cause I can picture the whole thing. I wasn't there but I just know it happened this way.
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Post by wilmsmeyer on Feb 5, 2009 21:10:37 GMT -5
This one is not crazy wild but it is interesting and I'll never forget it. Happened in the Guoin Reservoir in Quebec.
We were trolling a small bay for Walleye 3 years ago. We were hitting the walleyes pretty good. On one pass in the back side of the bay, we saw the water roiling a little. Some fins were spotted and we wondered if one of our released fish was on the surface...not going to make it.
We pulled up and slowly motored over to the scene and could not believe it. 2 medium sized pike each had a death grip on a small walleye. Neither would let go and every fish was tired. I leaned over and netted all 3 fish. In the boat they all let go and flopped around. The walleye was amazingly unscathed and deserving of a second chance. All 3 fish were released and took off just fine. Weird, funny and true.
Common you guys...I know you have more!
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Post by ozark on Feb 10, 2009 17:26:31 GMT -5
Nothing close to the above but I well remember one dark memorable night and having to overcome fear and move on. My brother and I parked our car where the road ends at the end of a ridge around noon. We followed a narrow winding trail of a steep hillside about a half mile to Big creek to fish. The trail zigzagged back and forth permitting us to get through the gaps in bluffs and head high cliffs. In route to the creek we killed a big timber rattler and a medium sized copperhead. While fishing we seen numerous snakes along the streamsides and in the water. Fishing was slow until after sundown and the bass began hitting our lures almose every cast. It was great and we had a ball using ultralight tackle. Soon darkness just seemed to decend on us in a manner that was almost total. We released our fish and walked across a small medow hoping to find the trail. No dice and no lights. We knew that our goal was up hill and that the likelihood of one of getting snake bit was real but we doubted that both would be unlucky. We would have to just feel our way to find gaps in the ledges and hope for the best. To be fair we decided to alternate leading and following. Slowly we worked our way up hill expecting the fangs of a snake to enter our body somewhere at any time. I remember reaching a ledge that was just over waist high and deciding we could climb over it. It took all the guts I could muster to put my hands on the top and follow a good hold with my face close to what I suspected could be a coiled snake. It probably took us two hours of feeling our way to the road and our vehicle. Our plan was that if one got bit the one bit would just sit down and try to stay calm while the other continued to get help and lights. If both should be bitten we would just stay together and wait for daylight or help to arrive. Well, we got to the vehicle safe and as we drove the three miles home it begin to rain like mad an it was a stormy night. We were both scared bad but as we looked back we were both proud of how we faced the danger with a plan and mustered enough courage to stay cool and simply take the needed chance. My advice is: Always take a light. Ozark
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Post by deadeye on Feb 11, 2009 0:45:51 GMT -5
in my teenager years my family frequented this campground & there was this pond that was off-limits to fishin. we snuck in around 4am to find bass striking 2 out of 3 cast. the longest was 23-1/2 " long with none having healthy guts on them, we filled a 5ft stringer in approx 2hr with bass 3lbs -6lbs. the stringer weighed so much 2 of us could only drag it.one bass actually broke off a hook & we caught 10min later w/broken hook barb still in mouth. these bass were starved. got back to the camper & just had to wake up dad to show our many bass,we knew when he responded(without looking)those are nice,he finally got up a few minutes later & looked at them(eyes open wide) & responded,where in the hell did you get all those`nice big bass,reply down there in that little creek,he knew better!
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