TOP FISHING STORIES

[Natebg1]

Hey Everyone,

Just wanted to see what some of the top fishing stories are between Chapter 57, 59, and 60. I am sure there are plenty to go around and what better way to reminisce than while getting cabin fever right before spring comes. I know for me, one of my greatest stories comes back a few falls ago when my cousin and I went back to our home lake. We were back on the good ole Chippewa Flowage AKA (The Big Chip) which I am sure some of you are familiar with, for those who are not it's located in Hayward, Wisconsin. It is where the World Record Muskie was caught back in October 20, 1947 by Louie Spray and where the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame is located. Anyhow getting off track, my cousin and I were on our final day of fishing and things had been tough all week while we were back, but that didn't stop us from going for a quality day of fishing. We had been fishing around catching smaller size fish every so often thru out the day and my cousin and I were starting to get the itch just to feel something on the end of our line. We have a guaranteed spot that no matter how bad fishing is we can always go to if we just want to catch some good crappie and decent sunnys and bluegill which can be a great time when fishing is tough. This day however I was bound and determined not to just throw in the towel and told my cousin lets just stick it out a little longer and see what happens (Famous Last Words). About ten minutes later my cousin felt the end of her line get slammed like a ton of bricks at which point both of our attitudes changed and things became very exciting. She kept the line tight and let the drag go so that the line wasn't being jerked too hard. All of a sudden she saw the back at which point she flipped out and became even more excited. I dropped my rod and reel and went straight for the net, which I had no idea at the time was older than dirt and wouldn't be of much use, so hand catching was the only other option. Finally she got the fish to the boat and I helped grab it under the gills and pulled it up into the boat for her. What a relief, especially considering this ended up being the fish of a lifetime for her. She ended up after measurement with a 32 1/2 inch Pike with a nice size girth and a huge head. I am just thrilled to have been a part of that and to see the look on her face after all the hard work we had gone thru that entire week and for her that meant everything. It may not have been the massive 40 or 50+ incher that most consider a monster but it was a huge step for her and is something she still talks about today.

Nate

[fishcreekspinners]

Great story! Here's one of mine from Wisconsin, too. Sharing the story, cause I’ll never forget it.

Marie and I took the grandkids back home to Wisconsin for my sisters wedding and the place was crawling with the families collection of kids. We decided to take a few fishing for northerns in the tailwaters of Mondeaux Flowage, north of Medford and west of Chelsea. I collected the rods, reels and tackle I could find, then loaded a carfull of the boys and headed out for adventure.

We stopped along the way to get some minnows, bigger hooks and bobbers, and sinkers. I fished spinners and spoons, but the kids used bait. I was having a grand old time, watching the bobbers disappear, untangling line, baiting hooks and ducking poorly controlled minnow casts, occasionally getting a cast myself.

The flow below the dam was pretty good but there were ‘plenty’ of young northerns hanging out preying on whatever went through the dam. It was overcast and we caught and released a bunch, the kids were having a blast.

Downstream a couple other guys were bank fishing the current and I noticed that they had a fish on. The rod was bent almost to breaking. The effort continued for about what seemed like a half-hour. He would get the fish out of the current and close to the bank and back it would go. Effortlessly into the current, but well hooked. He did a great job with the drag and was tiring the fish out. Eventually his buddy was anxiously wading off the bank with their net. I kind of ignored the kids and edged my way closer to the main attraction to get a look at the fish.

The Fish still had some fight, but was playing along, in hindsight, I think it had done this before. The guy in the water with the net made his move as the big fish came within his reach. The walleye net was far too small and all he could do was get a third of the fish into the net. He couldn’t land it and when he tried to lift it, all it would do was bring the fish’s head up out of the water. The bank chatter started once everyone saw the fish’s massive head. By now I was close enough to see the Colorado spinner rig with a small fluorescent green grub hooked in the corner of it’s mouth. The head was massive, bigger then a football and looked like the top of a cedar post, deep dark green. What a fish.

Once he saw the size of the fish, the guy with the pole was doing what he could to keep the rod up and line off the net, while shouting instructions and encouragement to his buddy in the water. The guy in the water was feeling the pressure and didn’t know what to do. Fish too big, net too small, no grip pliers and lots of big fierce teeth.

As he tried to lead the wise old fish closer to the bank, using the net lip as a fulcrum, time stood still for an instant. Hard to say what happened in that split second. My memory says the guy mis-stepped and slipped, raising the net too high. The northern did his favorite bank dance, thrashed its head, the guy with the net went down, the line broke, the rod sprang back and the guy on the back slipped too, the ground was kind of wet as it had started to rain. The sequence will never get untangled.

The curtain fell in a moment of silence as the great northern left a swirl of bubbles and was gone.

Curses were heard, lessons were learned. Me, I took a note to buy some Colorado spinners.

[sparky1doug]

It was Labor Day weekend 2001 on the Olympic Penninsula here in good ole Washington. The wife and kids were on a visit to California for the holiday and I had electrical work on Friday and Monday. Hum, all by myself Saturday morning and the Coho are running at the Quilicene River. My waders, a hand full of flys my rod and reel, I'm good to go. It was a beautiful morning, which means it was only a lightly raining. I went directly to the mouth of the river where it enters the Hood Canal. The best fishing is on the incoming tide and I was there right at the turn, perfect. There were three fisherman parking their trucks as I pulled into the pasture. We all walked the trail together, myself two even older flyfishers and a teenage gear slinger. The sound of splashing water and slapping fins could be heard over the rain and rustling leaves. We spread out below the marker and it was on! The flys worked very well this day and it wasn't long before I had a mint bright 6lb female on the beach. I grabbed a baseball sized river rock and proceeded to put fish out of her misery. I stowed her neatly away in the tall grass and rushed back for another. I repeated this one more time before taking a break to watch the fun. The young gear slinger was having a tough time getting the fish to bite but finally he hooked up. As he brought his good sized buck to the beach we all stopped to admire his catch. He unhooked the brut and then the fun began. Grabbing the fish just under the gills with his left hand he reared back and punched the Coho with a mean right cross like a prize fighter going for a KO. All that did was piss the fish off and cut his knuckles on the teeth. Unfazzed he punched again and again. By now I'm rolling in laughter and figured I'd run to give him some assistance. I picked up a rock and with a quick little whack the Coho was out. He looked me straight in the eye and said you used a rock on your fish didn't you and I repilied well sure I did. He said wow I thought you must have been the toughest guy I ever seen. The young man a little embarrased an bloodied laughed and learned that day. We still meet on the river from time to time, no words spoken just a nod and a chuckle.

[Amx]

I finaly rememberd one!

Back in high school [I won't say how many decades ago] I was fishing a small crick in Northern Calif. On the way home from the small pond on the small crick I sat down and fished some more for awhile. Had some bluegill on the stringer laying behind me. After a bit I turned around and there was this snake eating one of my fish. I took the fish away from the snake and sent the snake on it's way - no I didn't kill the snake - it was only a garter snake. Had it been a rattler I would have figured out a way to unstring the fish - rope stringer - and left the fish with the snake and ran home. LOL

[BentRod]

I finaly rememberd one!

Back in high school [I won't say how many decades ago] I was fishing a small crick in Northern Calif. On the way home from the small pond on the small crick I sat down and fished some more for awhile. Had some bluegill on the stringer laying behind me. After a bit I turned around and there was this snake eating one of my fish. I took the fish away from the snake and sent the snake on it's way - no I didn't kill the snake - it was only a garter snake. Had it been a rattler I would have figured out a way to unstring the fish - rope stringer - and left the fish with the snake and ran home. LOL

LOL. I had this same thing happen to me. I was trout fishing the Tucannon River in eastern Washington when I was about 10. Had caught a nice rainbow, but didn't have a stringer, so dropped it in a little shallow pool of water on shore and went back to work the hole some more. After a bit, I turned around and saw a Garter with the nose of the trout in it's mouth....there was no way that small snake was going to swallow that fish, but it sure was going to try. It didn't take much to retrieve my catch from the little fella, but I made sure I had a stringer with me the next time I went out.

[Amx]

Yup, I've heard that has happened to a few people. Some have said they've lost salmon to bears in Alaska. Give me a little 'ol snake any day. lol Or have been chased by mooses. :-):rendeer:

[Fish_Bait111397]

Went fishing a couple weeks ago at Bartlett Lake down here.
Saw a bobcat eating a rattlesnake !!
It was about 20-25 feet away from us. :cyclopsan

[BentRod]

Went fishing a couple weeks ago at Bartlett Lake down here.
Saw a bobcat eating a rattlesnake !!
It was about 20-25 feet away from us. :cyclopsan

Being Arizona, you sure that wasn't the rattlesnake eating the bobcat?!

[Anonymous]

There is a video on YouTube of a rabbit fighting a big snake. I think it was a rattler. The rabbit chased the snake away. lol

[Fish_Bait111397]

Went fishing a couple weeks ago at Bartlett Lake down here.
Saw a bobcat eating a rattlesnake !!
It was about 20-25 feet away from us. :cyclopsan

Being Arizona, you sure that wasn't the rattlesnake eating the bobcat?!

The rattlesnake wasnt that big, only 2-3 feet, but still very deadly.
A rattle snake eatin a bobcat, now that would be a site. :dwarf: