Here's a fishing story!

[catman529]

This happened this evening...

Me and a buddy were sitting on lawn chairs under a bridge of one of the local highways here. Had a couple of cold ones, some snacks, and perfect weather. Fishing from the bank with lines in the creek baited for carp. We had 4 lines out, I had just recently caught a small carp and was climbing down to cast my other line out. It was after dark, and I was using a flashlight.

Suddenly I heard a big thump in the tall grass next to my buddy, and what I didn't see, he said he saw it fall 15 feet from the bridge above. Whatever it was, it tumbled through the weeds down the steep bank, crashed into the water, and started paddling. I had my flash light on it, and at the first glimpse, I thought it was a fawn. No... it was a dog. Looked like a boxer. It paddled out into the creek, crossed all of our lines, breaking off my buddy's 20 lb test and continuing upstream and out of sight.

What the heck?????

I'm hoping it was just a stray that got scared of traffic and jumped over the rail. Hope it didn't jump out of a truck bed, or worse, get thrown out by the owner... The dog didn't seem too hurt, but sure did seem scared. He left with a hook in him too, unfortunately.

Don't think I have ever seen anything like it while fishing. Anyone got a story to top it?

 

[pledbetter]

I doubt anyone can top that catman , lol. Wow that is crazy , sure hope the pooch is ok

 

[Rackseeker]

I caught a ski boat one time with a Carolina Rig.LOL........I was fishing a drop off about 40 yards off the bank with the whole main lake behind me. When a ski boat desides to come in between my boat and the bank. I decided to make a cast as the boat pasted in front of my boat, just missing the front of the boat. They ran over my line, I could feel the line wrapping around the prop, so I just pressed the button on the reel and let them have about 150 yards of line. Hope they had fun getting it off the prop shaft. Maybe it ate the seals up.LOL....

 

[scn]

I can't top that, but here is another bump in the night tale:

In the mid-sixties the USFS or NPS opened up a new campground (Tsali)on Fontana Lake in WNC. Fontana is surrounded by both Great Smokey MTN NP and some USFS lands. In those days it was still pretty wild.

Our family was one of the first to camp in the new campground. I remember we had it by ourselves that weekend. Anyway, the first evening, I headed down to the lake which was about 1/2 mile from our campsite. I was by myself down there.

I was using my first fly rod to throw a wet black gnat fly and was catching bluegill and a couple of small bass, just having a big time. As it got closer to dark, there were bats flying around. On one of my casts, I hit a bat and knock it aout 30' out into the lake. That started the spooky feeling. About ten minutes later, right before it was too dark to see, across the cove about 75 yds away comes a noise I had never heard before. It was a high-pitched scream/roar. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. I've heard the sound several times since then on TV recordings for cougars. I have no doubt that was what I heard. There was a remnant population in the Park for many years, and I had Ranger friends that occassionally saw them up into the 70s.

Anyway, I departed the lake as fast as my little legs could carry me. I went back a little earlier the next night, and eased on back to camp before it got dark.

 

[Jugfish]

The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. I've heard the sound several times since then on TV recordings for cougars. I have no doubt that was what I heard. There was a remnant population in the Park for many years, and I had Ranger friends that occassionally saw them up into the 70s.

Do you work for TWRA? You actually believe that about cougars in the Smokies in the 70s? Please tell me you are joking.

 

[catman529]

The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. I've heard the sound several times since then on TV recordings for cougars. I have no doubt that was what I heard. There was a remnant population in the Park for many years, and I had Ranger friends that occassionally saw them up into the 70s.

Do you work for TWRA? You actually believe that about cougars in the Smokies in the 70s? Please tell me you are joking.

there was a population of eastern mountain lions around here back when, but if I'm not mistaken they have about disappeared.

 

[scn]

The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. I've heard the sound several times since then on TV recordings for cougars. I have no doubt that was what I heard. There was a remnant population in the Park for many years, and I had Ranger friends that occassionally saw them up into the 70s.

Do you work for TWRA? You actually believe that about cougars in the Smokies in the 70s? Please tell me you are joking.

There may be some disagreement among some that I "work" for TWRA, but I am employed by them. My first 10+ years were in Cocke Co. where I on a fairly regular basis worked with some of the boots on the ground NPS employees. Even though it differed from the "company line" of the NPS, I was told by said employees that they had personally seen cougars in the back country of the GSMNP. My memory is that his last personal sighting was in the early 70s. One of the last strong holds was in the Cattalouchie (sp?) area. I have zero reason not to believe their sightings.

We have had biologists in TN say that there are zero cougars in this state. I have close friends that have seen them in the last 10-15 years in both LBL and Cades Cove. My personal guess is that those friends saw illegal pets that had been turned loose in "protected" areas where the owner thought they might survive. Again, I have no reason to doubt the sightings.

All of the sightings were of normal coloration of cougars. There were no "black panthers" in the group.Since there has never been a confirmed sighting or killing of a black cougar in the whole country, I'm not a believer in black panthers.

After 36+ years of dealing with this stuff, I've learned to be very cautious of saying NEVER....

 

[DBLAARCHERY]

That is crazy...I just heard last night that a friend of ours a couple years back was fishing under a Normandy bridge and had a car speed over the bridge and stop and two guys talking got out and threw something over the bridge in a bag! He said it was heavy and it freaked him out...

Hope it was trash and not a body...

 

[WMAn]

Two stories. Neither true fishing stories, but both involve water. Both occured in MS. One is funny. One is not.

First the funny one. I worked with a retired truck driver. He was crossing the MS river bridge late one night in Vicksburg, when something stirred at his feet. He thought it was just trash rolling on the floor so he kicked it out of the way. Which is when it happened.

The trash turned out to be a cat that did not appreciate being kicked. The cat went crazy running from side to side in the cab of that truck, screaming the whole time. All this is going on, while he is trying to keep the big rig in his lane on the bridge. Right about the middle of the bridge, he manages to roll a window down. The cat flew out the window never to be seen again.

Now, the other one.

A young woman was walking home one Saturday night in the MS delta. A distant male relative pulls up and offers her a ride, which she gladly accepts. He begins to drink and use drugs. He then proceeds to beat and rape her multiple times throughout the night.

Early Sunday morning, he throws her off the bridge going into Yazoo NWR. She clung to a bridge piling until being discovered by fishermen on Monday morning. In three years of working refuges in the MS delta, this was the worst thing I ever encountered.

 

[catman529]

That is crazy...I just heard last night that a friend of ours a couple years back was fishing under a Normandy bridge and had a car speed over the bridge and stop and two guys talking got out and threw something over the bridge in a bag! He said it was heavy and it freaked him out...

Hope it was trash and not a body...

That would leave me with a bad feeling...

Two stories. Neither true fishing stories, but both involve water. Both occured in MS. One is funny. One is not.

First the funny one. I worked with a retired truck driver. He was crossing the MS river bridge late one night in Vicksburg, when something stirred at his feet. He thought it was just trash rolling on the floor so he kicked it out of the way. Which is when it happened.

The trash turned out to be a cat that did not appreciate being kicked. The cat went crazy running from side to side in the cab of that truck, screaming the whole time. All this is going on, while he is trying to keep the big rig in his lane on the bridge. Right about the middle of the bridge, he manages to roll a window down. The cat flew out the window never to be seen again.

Now, the other one.

A young woman was walking home one Saturday night in the MS delta. A distant male relative pulls up and offers her a ride, which she gladly accepts. He begins to drink and use drugs. He then proceeds to beat and rape her multiple times throughout the night.

Early Sunday morning, he throws her off the bridge going into Yazoo NWR. She clung to a bridge piling until being discovered by fishermen on Monday morning. In three years of working refuges in the MS delta, this was the worst thing I ever encountered.

Yeah, that first one is funny... the second one is pretty sick. Hope that guy was caught and thrown off a bridge...

 

[Craddock1]

The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. I've heard the sound several times since then on TV recordings for cougars. I have no doubt that was what I heard. There was a remnant population in the Park for many years, and I had Ranger friends that occassionally saw them up into the 70s.

Do you work for TWRA? You actually believe that about cougars in the Smokies in the 70s? Please tell me you are joking.

Don't know about the Smokies but I saw a black Panther near Dayton Tennessee 3 years ago.

 

[Jugfish]

Don't know about the Smokies but I saw a black Panther near Dayton Tennessee 3 years ago.

A black one? You are the man!

 

[Jugfish]

There may be some disagreement among some that I "work" for TWRA, but I am employed by them. My first 10+ years were in Cocke Co. where I on a fairly regular basis worked with some of the boots on the ground NPS employees. Even though it differed from the "company line" of the NPS, I was told by said employees that they had personally seen cougars in the back country of the GSMNP. My memory is that his last personal sighting was in the early 70s. One of the last strong holds was in the Cattalouchie (sp?) area. I have zero reason not to believe their sightings.

We have had biologists in TN say that there are zero cougars in this state. I have close friends that have seen them in the last 10-15 years in both LBL and Cades Cove. My personal guess is that those friends saw illegal pets that had been turned loose in "protected" areas where the owner thought they might survive. Again, I have no reason to doubt the sightings.

All of the sightings were of normal coloration of cougars. There were no "black panthers" in the group.Since there has never been a confirmed sighting or killing of a black cougar in the whole country, I'm not a believer in black panthers.

After 36+ years of dealing with this stuff, I've learned to be very cautious of saying NEVER....

After 20+ years of dealing with this stuff I've learned to depend on data and actual evidence as opposed to what somebody told me.

 

[scn]

There may be some disagreement among some that I "work" for TWRA, but I am employed by them. My first 10+ years were in Cocke Co. where I on a fairly regular basis worked with some of the boots on the ground NPS employees. Even though it differed from the "company line" of the NPS, I was told by said employees that they had personally seen cougars in the back country of the GSMNP. My memory is that his last personal sighting was in the early 70s. One of the last strong holds was in the Cattalouchie (sp?) area. I have zero reason not to believe their sightings.

We have had biologists in TN say that there are zero cougars in this state. I have close friends that have seen them in the last 10-15 years in both LBL and Cades Cove. My personal guess is that those friends saw illegal pets that had been turned loose in "protected" areas where the owner thought they might survive. Again, I have no reason to doubt the sightings.

All of the sightings were of normal coloration of cougars. There were no "black panthers" in the group.Since there has never been a confirmed sighting or killing of a black cougar in the whole country, I'm not a believer in black panthers.

After 36+ years of dealing with this stuff, I've learned to be very cautious of saying NEVER....

After 20+ years of dealing with this stuff I've learned to depend on data and actual evidence as opposed to what somebody told me.

Good for you. You're the Man.

After 36+ years of dealing with this stuff, I've learned that just because somebody doesn't have advanced college degrees after their name, it doesn't mean that they aren't smart or reliable.

 

[Kirk]

Can't top it. Had something weird happen as I was idling under Wolftever Bridge several years ago. If memory serves me correctly I think Nimrod777 was in the boat with me.

Heard a big crash on the rocks. (These are big boulder sized rip rap rocks that line the bridge.) Saw a tackle box and a couple of rods bouncing around, followed by a burly looking man flipping down the rocks. I guess he lost his footing somewhere near the top and tumbled down toward the bottom.

We asked him if was okay. He said yes. So we went on our way.

One of those things you remember.