Name your greatest "catches"

[gil1]

If you asked my fishing partners, they'd say I do a bunch of fishing but not much catching.

I disagree. I've done PLENTY of catching in my time.

There was the back of my White River guide�s head (he actually dropped to his knees and cried), my wife�s hair (she dropped ME to MY knees and I cried), almost every color and style hat you can imagine, a couple snakes, my ears and plenty of former friends� ears, lots of bootlaces and waders and a bat and some angry guy�s Great Pyrenees and a pelican and every root and tree that ever lived in and out of the water.

The best fight I ever had ended up being a 10-foot coil of wire hung up underneath a tree. We played give and take for 15 minutes (I didn�t want to lose him). I thought that sucker was going to be a world record!

Rudyard Kipling has a fantastic piece called, "On Dry Cow Fishing as a Fine Art." It is simply one of the finest shorts I've ever read, and you can imagine the hilarious subject matter.

So what have YOU caught?

 

[Kimberman]

I had a topwater plug catch me in the shin a few years back. Went in past the barb, and I couldn't pull it out. Couldn't push it back through either, so I took out my dull pocket knife and carved a small X in my shin so I could push the hook through. I thought my fishing partner was going to puke when I started carving on myself. I caught a very large and very angry snapping turtle once, ended up cutting my line and letting him keep the hook, it seemed like he really wanted it! I caught a real nice rock once on a jig. It was shaking its head, taking drag and making short runs. I would have swore it was a fish for the 1st 10 seconds. I caught a snake once, just trying to "scare" it, ended up center punching it with a crankbait, and then had to get the crankbait back, I found out that snakes do not appreciate a crankbait in the back.

 

[Biggun4214]

I caught my sister's cat on a DollFly when I was about 12. It pulled all the line off the reel, then broke off. Gave my Dad an excuse to have it spayed while at the Vet.
I caught a "dock" duck on a flyrod while fishing for carp. A six pound leader won't slow a duck down.
The strangest catch was a "ghost fish." Was at the beach fishing the Inland Waterway while the tide was going out. Had a hard strike and set the hook. The fish started taking line and putting up a real fight. It would run from one side of the channel to the other. I would gain line and it would make another run. After about 15 minutes I landed it. When I pulled it in It was about a 40 inch redfish............






That had been filleted.

 

[monsterbuck07]

My Brother caught ME....if that counts....

 

[Trapper John]

A pelican in Pensacola, Florida.

I still assign all blame to the bird.

 

[Str8Shooter]

I got caught by a fish once. It was down in Decatur,AL and we were striper fishing and no joke everytime I threw out I had one. We had the stringer filled up in 10-15 minutes. That was the best day of fishing I've ever had. I was using a crank bait and like an idiot I didn't use pliers when I tried to take the hook out of his mouth. As soon as I grabbed his mouth he jerked and one set of the hooks went into my finger. I probably could've got it out myself but then he jerked again and dug in there deeper. But, I got my revenge I made sure I was the one who ate that one lol

 

[catman529]

I caught a duck once.... admittedly on purpose, I was pissed that they were making a beeline for my bread aka. grass carp food. :crazy:

Also caught a cottonmouth, twice in a row. First and only cottonmouth I have seen so far.

Several years ago I caught a small crankbait and decided to keep it. It worked great for panfish, and the next day, I was fishing with it when some random guys showed up. One saw the lure and asked where I got it, and I said in the river, and he said that was his that he had just lost. I got to keep it too..

And this summer, while at the beach in New Jersey, I managed to get a spider crap completely tangled in the line with a dogfish on the hook as well. Dogfish don't fight much at all so it was like reeling in a bunch of junk.

Fortunately I have not caught anyone or myself, at least nothing that I can remember. And I've never got a hook in my skin past the barb.

 

[Crow Terminator]

Was night fishing on Watts Bar and out by a sandbar. Heard a big splash and just knew a big please fish had broke up top. I instantly reeled in and threw in that direction. As soon as it hit the water I heard a big splash and felt my line jerk. So I jerked back. Something was on there but didn't fight worth crap. Ended up being a duck.

Was trolling for crappie when I was about 3 yrs old and I dropped my rod in the lake. It was gone. Then 4 or 5 passes later mom gets a tap and sets the hook in....nothing other than my rod/reel!

 

[rsimms]

I caught a flat rock, about the size of a dinner plate, below Center Hill Dam. I had it hooked dead center, therefore everytime I applied pressure the rock "ran" from side-to-side and bored for the bottom... and absolutely refused to tire.

I never had a clue that it was NOT a huge fish until I managed to wrestle it to the surface. My so-called "friends" could not halt their uncontrolled laughter to resume fishing for at least thirty minutes.

 

[rrhoghead]

my wife

 

[B.D.]

I snagged a rod on Smith Fork Creek one time, dragged it in, and it still had a channel catfish on the line!

I've gotten the "hooked by striper" treatment just like Str8shooter, but mine was worse. I was anchored striper fishing, throwing Cordell Redfins. I hooked a small one - probably only 3 or 4 pounds, but he ran under the front of the boat and tangled in my anchor rope. Somehow he didn't get free, so I pulled up the anchor to get everything untangled.

As I was getting the fish loose, he thrashed around, and I wound up with hooks everywhere - the mid-size Redfins have three treble hooks, and I had one in my hand, one in the anchor rope, and one in the fish. The fish thrashed around some more, driving the back hook into me, which hurt like hell. In pain and panic, I grabbed my pliers and unhooked the fish, then gave him a push with my foot to knock him off my casting deck and back into the water. Well, in my uncoordinated state, I hit my anchor too, with the redfin hooked to my hand still ALSO hooked to the anchor rope!!!

The anchor went overboard, and I had just enough time before the rope went tight to think, "man, this is REALLY going to hurt!!!" And it did!

bd

 

[easy45]

I guess my greatest is the 100 pound blue cat I caught in 2008 on the Tennessee river

 

[shorefisherman]

i was fishin for rockfish early this year when i caught and fought what it felt like a 30 lber, when the hook fell out 5 ft from the boat,i said uhh man it came off..... when the lure floated back to surface, another 40 lber came up and stole the lure....thats what it looked like and another fight was on, landed it and threw it back. man talk about popeye arms, fighting two good size rockfish in one cast


another time few years ago a friend of mine caught a 16 in brown when a good solid 30 incher came up under the boat and tried to eat it...i mean it clamped down on its tail like jaws mouth just chomping on the fish, he hollered to get the net but it let go. i kept eye on it and casted my lure twards it but wasnt interested, threw a bigger 8 in swimbait and it chased it and i felt the fish hit the lure but missed the hook and he was gone fast as he appeared :cry:

 

[B.D.]

I guess my greatest is the 100 pound blue cat I caught in 2008 on the Tennessee river

I didn't catch a 100 pound blue cat but I dated a girl in high school who looked just like it.

bd

 

[gil1]

So I'm hijacking my own thread a little to tell a story that is only semi-relevant.

Taj is my former neighbor Currey's Chesapeake Bay Retriever, a fantastic dog. But Taj used to be the puppy from hell. Currey bought his young nephew some fishing stuff for Christmas, and Currey's wife decorated the wrapped present with Rapala fishing lures (you know where this is going! )

So Taj got under the Christmas tree and started "unwrapping" presents. He "got holt" of the Rapalas, and they "got holt" of him, too. The more those treble hooks got in him, the more he thrashed around making it worse.

They rushed him to the veterinarian with treble hooks all over his face and both inside and outside his mouth. They had to put the dog under anesthesia to surgically remove all the hooks.

Merry Freaking Christmas on that deal!

 

[easy45]

I guess my greatest is the 100 pound blue cat I caught in 2008 on the Tennessee river

I didn't catch a 100 pound blue cat but I dated a girl in high school who looked just like it.

bd

lol

 

[Outdoor Enthusiast]

Merry Freaking Christmas on that deal!

That is hilarious.

 

[Kirk]

I caught a bullfrog on a top water rat. It hit hard and then did nothing until I got it to the boat. Then it peed on me.

 

[rem788]

about a 100lb 7ft gator gar in Louisiana and a 45 lb spoon bill in tennessee. Caught a boot one time. the guys at work said i look like i got hit in the face with an open tackle box cuz of my piercings

 

[timberjack86]

Merry Freaking Christmas on that deal!

That is hilarious.

 

[gil1]

I snagged a rod on Smith Fork Creek one time, dragged it in, and it still had a channel catfish on the line!

I've gotten the "hooked by striper" treatment just like Str8shooter, but mine was worse. I was anchored striper fishing, throwing Cordell Redfins. I hooked a small one - probably only 3 or 4 pounds, but he ran under the front of the boat and tangled in my anchor rope. Somehow he didn't get free, so I pulled up the anchor to get everything untangled.

As I was getting the fish loose, he thrashed around, and I wound up with hooks everywhere - the mid-size Redfins have three treble hooks, and I had one in my hand, one in the anchor rope, and one in the fish. The fish thrashed around some more, driving the back hook into me, which hurt like hell. In pain and panic, I grabbed my pliers and unhooked the fish, then gave him a push with my foot to knock him off my casting deck and back into the water. Well, in my uncoordinated state, I hit my anchor too, with the redfin hooked to my hand still ALSO hooked to the anchor rope!!!

The anchor went overboard, and I had just enough time before the rope went tight to think, "man, this is REALLY going to hurt!!!" And it did!

bd

Man, what a clusterflock!

 

[Anonymous]

That would be the 21 Pound Steelhead i got a few years back on 2 pound test and a Size 14 Stonefly nymph..

 

[7mm08]

I had a seagull fly over about the time my fly landed on the water. It sank as it was designed to do BUT the gull dove at it and picked it up and got hooked!

Catch and release Wild Gulls

 

[ROUGH COUNTRY HUNTER]

that brother catch hurt like heck i bet

 

[Hollar Hunter]

Caught this guy at Old Hickory Dam this year... What a fight!

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[Tree Tramp]

Caught a bat on a rooster tail late one aftenoon. Had no choice but to reel it in and hit with a boat paddle. Caught a coonhound once on a topwater lure he jumped off the bank and bit it. I cut the line on that one.

 

[catman529]

Caught this guy at Old Hickory Dam this year... What a fight!

[/img]

How much gear do you lose snagging down there? I wanted to try snag a paddlefish this spring but never did, now I want to try it next spring. I figure 10/0 treble hooks and a big bell sinker at the end are what I need, but will I need a lot of them?

 

[RUGER]

I caught a rock a little larger than a softball fishing off the bank at Piney one time.

Rattletrap snagged it and oh boy what a fight.

 

[Crosshairy]

My dad caught a catfish that had another hook (and line) in its mouth. He pulled all the line in, and a fishing rod was attached to it. A guy walked all the way around the pond (about 150 yards wide) and said "hey, that's my rod!"

I was bass fishing while my dad was bream fishing. I was throwing a 4" Zoom worm, and my dad had a black beetle jig tied on. I had a bass pick my worm up and start running with it. A few seconds later my dad got a bite. Yep - you guessed it! We started reeling in, and a single bass (only about 1 pound) had both lures in its mouth.

One of my favorite stories to tell is from a fishing trip on our honey moon. Both my wife and I were sea sick. Just before deciding to call it quits, we hooked into a marlin that was about 100- 125 lbs. After fighting it (on light tackle) for roughly 2 hours, we got the fish near the side of the boat. The plan was to lift the fish, grab the bill, take a few pictures, and release. What actually happened is that the fish lunged out of the water and nearly speared my wife in the eyeball while she held the camera - missed by roughly a foot!

The marlin then pushed off the side of the boat, back-flipping into the water. I snatched up the camera and took a picture of its tail (you know, for memories). The fish swam under the boat and cut the line on the hull. Since we were both puking for most of the fight, that was the only picture of the fish...

 

[Football Hunter]

trolling motor at Center Hill