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You caught a what?

5K views 65 replies 52 participants last post by  scottybs 
G
#1 ·
Stewart gave me the idea with the fly question. What is the strangest, weirdest, or craziest thing you've ever caught/snagged alive or inanimate object.
 
#30 ·
I've caught a couple odd things. I caught a girlfriend once (she wasn't one at the time). She was bathing on the river bank I was fishing and my fly (thankfully) only hooked her bikini. We dated for awhile, until the commute to see her killed me.

My funniest one was gear fishing. Was mooching off Pt Defiance. Had a solid bump and set the hook. Felt the "fish" bounce on the line. It kept swimming around the boat. As I'd work it up, it would change directions around the boat. When I got it into view, I had hooked a barnicle on a rock. As I reeled up, it hit the different currents coming up and would change the rocks direction (plus we were on the drift too not under power).

Also caught a 6 pack of rainier (back when they had two push tabs to drink them). I was only like 8 at the time though, so my Dad confiscated them. LOL.
 
#31 ·
In my long fishing career, I've caught many oddities: a seagull, a robin (mid-flight on a forward cast), several clams/mussels, a snapping turtle, a snake, two frogs, a gar, a boot, a beer can, my own finger.

The last one in the list was way back in the early 1990's, and convinced me to de-barb each and every hook in my entire arsenal. It makes getting out of a pickle far easier.
 
#32 ·
In a lifetime of fishing I have caught most of the usual "odd-ball" catches - several bats, swallows, sea-gulls, mallards, bull frogs, snapping turles, a couple snakes, filleted rocfkish on the Nooksack, various inanimate objects, etc. However the most notable was the one that got away.

While fishing a nice pool along I-90 I somehow managed to "hook" a semi on my backcast. While the fight was short lived I swear that it ripped line from my reel at a rate that approached 60 mph. Unfortuantely the 3# tippet proved to be inadequate to slow down let alone stop that beast.

Tight lines
Curt
 
#34 ·
In a lifetime of fishing I have caught most of the usual "odd-ball" catches - several bats, swallows, sea-gulls, mallards, bull frogs, snapping turles, a couple snakes, filleted rocfkish on the Nooksack, various inanimate objects, etc. However the most notable was the one that got away.

While fishing a nice pool along I-90 I somehow managed to "hook" a semi on my backcast. While the fight was short lived I swear that it ripped line from my reel at a rate that approached 60 mph. Unfortuantely the 3# tippet proved to be inadequate to slow down let alone stop that beast.

Tight lines
Curt
Now that story made my day. Thanks for posting it.
Sounds like something I would do.
 
#33 ·
One of my early fishing memories - casting spinners on a zebco at the lake when I was about 10 years old. I thought I got hung up about 10 yards from shore, but it slowly came in. When I got it in, I had mono lining the treble. I pulled on it, and not too long later here came a spinning rod, still attached, with a nice shimano reel.

Of course, the other end was still out there - and sure enough - fish on. I got the fish in close enough to see a flash and a splash before the line broke. Luckily - 2 uncles and a number of cousins were there to verify my story.

I used that rod until the end of high school. The lost fish still torments me, though.
 
#36 ·
I snagged a C&R net from the bottom of an OP lake, and lost another one in another OP lake the following year, for a net gain of zero.:rofl:

Dang, Curt, I wish I could have been there to see that semi rip line off your reel. That would have been absolutely hilarious to witness.

Back in the mid-60's I hooked a large steelhead fishing in the lower Dungeness River. As it was ripping line off the cheap spinning reel i was using, the drag dial loosened and a bird's nest suddenly formed in my line and fouled on the bail, resulting in my line snapping. Happened so fast I didn't have time to think and run after the fish.
I re-rigged, resumed fishing, and pretty soon hooked the end of some mono. Looked familiar, and I pulled it tight. That was a mistake! The steelie was still hooked, and now I was handlining it. It ran downstream, taking me running after it to the low end of the gravel bar. Below was a deep hole. I had the bitter end of the line wrapped around my hand, and fought the fish the best I could, but it still had a lot of juice left, and busted me off.
If that ever happens to you, don't check to see if the fish is still on before you barrel knot your line back together. If the fish feels you, you won't have a chance!
 
#37 ·
there were some pretty funny ones on a similar thread a couple years ago http://washingtonflyfishing.com/board/showthread.php?t=42746

Last spring, between Hebgen and Quake lakes on the Madison, I hooked a fly line and began pulling it in thinking I may find someone's rod. Instead, I produced the terminal end with a short leader, swivel, egg hook and a decaying sculpin impaled through the lip. That was either one hell of a strong sculpin or I discovered Matney's secret.
 
#39 ·
Curt,

You reminded me of a similar event that happened to me. We were on a family trip touring Yellowstone and the Teton's way back when I was a kid. I was fishing with my 6 foot yellow Eagle Claw rod and Mitchell spinning reel. One of the best casts of the day, went over a bridge. As I was contemplating my next move a car proceeds over the bridge. Oh Oh. Then I heard a screech of the tire when the driver noticed a line of monofilament running from one side of the bridge to the other. I guess that would have been a refusal, eh?

ShiTzu no fight there. Duck, seagull, star fish, sea anemone, sea cucumbers, squid. A guy I was with caught a suit case drifting down the Yakima.
 
#41 ·
I think the strangest thing I ever saw was a few years ago. I took my Grandson fishing. We were fishing out of my boat and i was letting him do the fishing and I did the talking.
Well he caught and landed a couple of respectable trout. I am a C&R man myself, but since these were special fish to him, we took them home. I told him right off that there was two rules in my boat. #1 was I was the Captain and #2 was "If you catch it, and you kill it, you clean it and you eat it." So when we got home we went out side to clean the two trout. The first one and largest one had a rubber toy lizard in his stomach. It had apparently been there for some time because it was deteriorated to a degree. Apparently it had fallen into the lake and mr trout thought it was dinner. No wonder he was hungry.
 
#47 ·
A seagull, it took line in the air..., a dead bat floating down the river, two pollock on a cut plug herring, and a fresh water clam. One of the most interesting...up above Staircase on the Skokomish, I caught a rainbow on a small stimulator, the poor guy had a worm hook in its mouth and a snap swivel hanging out its ass...the line was attached. I cut the line at the hook, and slowly pulled the line out his ass. Hopefully his digestion improved!
 
#55 ·
Hooked something in a lake one time several years ago. It didn't fight like a fish but I was able to slowley bring it up being careful not to break off. As it neared the surface and the water started to clear I saw that it was a fully stuffed canvess bank bag with the bank's name on the side. I thought I had won the lottery. :thumb: However after getting it in the boat and opening it, I found it full of corn. :beathead: Somebodys unique method of chumming for fish.

RoyS
 
#57 ·
One Muscrat Rocky Ford on a emerger patern. Two Pelicans. One about ½ miles from Diamond Head using a very large Marlin lure the other off the coast of Oregon using a red and white Tuna jig. Several seagulls fly lining anchovies. Two or three cats playing in the back yard and of course myself lost count on how many times that’s happened.
Now if only I could catch a Steelhead?
 
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