What's the most unusual thing you've caught on a rod & reel?

Started by wfjord, April 11, 2020, 05:35:23 PM

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wfjord

For me I guess it was a 4 foot gator back around 1974.  I was fishing with a college buddy from the bank of a freshwater marsh just off the beach and the gator hit my bait.  It wasn't really a fight, more like pulling in a small log.  The gator would let me pull him in close, then he'd spook and run out about fifty feet.  The process repeated itself a few times --and finally when I got him in close enough he dove down to the bottom and buried his snout in some grass about 5 feet under and wouldn't budge.  I handed my spinning rod to my buddy and told him to keep the line tight while I went down under the water, grabbed the gator around the neck with my hands and hefted it back up on the bank.  I tied its snout and studied it for a few minutes before releasing it.  I grew up catching all sorts of critters, so no big deal with the gator --I was more concerned with keeping an eye on the big gators that were sunning around the area.

There's nothing unusual about hooking turtles, but I caught a snapping turtle once in my grandfather's farm pond when I was about fifteen years old.  My little brother held the turtle while I forced its jaw open with some long pliers and put my fingers in its mouth to remove the hook.  I shudder now when I think about my stupidity in doing that and how lucky I am to have all my fingers.

Tiddlerbasher

Many moons ago (when I was a teenager) I was fishing in a pond. As my worm hit the water a grass snake appeared out of a bed of rushes and inhaled it - it wasn't much of a fight :(
And I got bit trying to get the hook out >:(

CooldadE

Back in the mid 70s my friend Gordo and I went to Pinole pier in the SF Bay Area to fish for Sturgeon. It was January and pretty cold. We got set up with our grass shrimp and waited... we checked out bait every 30 minutes or so to make sure we had fresh bait. Mid morning Gordo got a bite...classic Sturgeon bite. He socked him hard twice, his rod doubling over. The fight was very dogmatic, no long runs or jumps. The current was running hard on the out go...he would gain some line only to loose it straight away. After 45 minutes Gordo was over it and looked at me with questioning eyes... I encouraged him and suggested he button down the drag on his Jigmaster 500S. He did so and finally started to make headway. We could tell the fish was done and I readied my pier gaff... as he cranked in the last few feet of line it came into view . It was a 7 footer !...  A 7 foot Christmas tree ornaments and all !!!

Cool
I would rather be judged by 12 than carried by 6...

Swami805

Back in the 70's I used to fish at Santa Monica pier a fair bit. One day I reeled up a ten speed bike, one of those french ones. Cleaned it up and road it for a few years, nice bike!
Do what you can with that you have where you are

Darin Crofton

I went offshore one time to bottom fish with my brother, his wife and my nephew. We were in 70ft of water anchored up and pulled out the Publix fried chicken for lunch. My nephew finished eating first and fired a bait down and caught an nice 15# Red Grouper that spit out a chicken bone when it hit the deck. We were dying laughing for sure, so I put a chicken breast carcass on my hook, fired it down and caught a 10# Red Grouper immediately. That's why I always take Publix fried chicken offshore with me and break it out when fishing is slow ;D
God, Family and Fishing, what else is there?

Cor

I guess a Yellowtail on a 10lb rig and on a small squid jig.

We tend to fish for squid with very light tackle and on that particular day with two jigs.   I felt the squid and was slowly winding it up when suddenly the line went very tight and started to peel of my reel.

After 20 minutes my buddy gaffed a smallish Yellowtail for me in total amazement.   It had the one jig wrapped around its gills and was solidly hooked.   A fairly large squid was stuck in its gullet.

After some discussion we decided this is what happened:- Squid got hooked on one of the squid jigs, while I was winding him up, Yellowtail came around and saw an easy meal, took squid and in the process got the second jig wrapped around and in his gills"   both squid and Yellowtail became a meal. ;D
Cornelis

philaroman

duck, duck, goose...  literally: ducks took carp bait a couple times &
I'm not quite sure who was who in the hunter/prey dynamic w/ the goose

Maxed Out


A 58# halibut while surface trolling at 5knts
We Must Never Forget Our Veterans....God Bless Them All !!

MarkT

I've caught turtles in both fresh and salt.  I've caught a tern, seagull and pelican on the same day... a hat trick!

I caught a moray eel at the Alijos rocks... the Capt wouldn't touch it and just cut the line... wimp!
When I was your age Pluto was a planet!

El Pescador

A BAT!!!!!

Actually, it was my Brother, Ken,

Our family was camping at Wrights Lake, about 70 miles east of our home in Orangevale, CA,

and as usual, he and I were goof'n off,

he was trying to fly cast with a 6' spinning rod and his Garcia Mitchell 304, when it was getting dark, the sun had set, and bats were flying around,

When a bat tried to swoop down and hit his dry fly, he yanked up and ended up catching a bat by its left wing.

Some slackline and the bat was able to fly away.  

We still today laugh about that evening's event.

Wayne and for my Brother Ken, Ken


Never let the skinny guys make the sandwiches!!  NEVER!!!!

Alto Mare

Seagull a couple of times.
One gave me a hard time when trying to remove the hook.

Sal
Forget about all the reasons why something may not work. You only need to find one good reason why it will.

conchydong

Quote from: MarkT on April 11, 2020, 09:36:07 PM
I've caught turtles in both fresh and salt.  I've caught a tern, seagull and pelican on the same day... a hat trick!

I caught a moray eel at the Alijos rocks... the Capt wouldn't touch it and just cut the line... wimp!

Pretty much the same here. Caught lots of Sea turtles, birds  and Moray eels. The Captain was smart as they just twist themselves up in a knot along the leader and it wouldn't be fun untangling them. Octopus are a pain to untangle also. I have caught a Sawfish before, which isn't that common. Not sure if you have the in California but possibly in Southern Baja where there are some Mangrove habitats.

Hardy Boy

Seagulls, sea turtle, pelicans (fresh and salt), giant wry mouth eel, sea pens, rocks, sea enenemies, fresh water clam, sea cucumbers, sea urchins, coral, sea fans, dungeness crabs and one day while jigging I snagged a humpback whale .............. !!


Cheers:

Todd
Todd

CooldadE

Quote from: Hardy Boy on April 12, 2020, 12:30:38 AM
Seagulls, sea turtle, pelicans (fresh and salt), giant wry mouth eel, sea pens, rocks, sea enenemies, fresh water clam, sea cucumbers, sea urchins, coral, sea fans, dungeness crabs and one day while jigging I snagged a humpback whale .............. !!


Cheers:

Todd

What? No Carpacuda ???

Cool
I would rather be judged by 12 than carried by 6...

Benni3