Strangest Catch?

[Johnsfolly]

I think that most folks go on a fishing trip with a targeted species in mind, going for crappie, bass, catfish, etc. Have you ever hooked into something that you didn't expect? What is the strangest thing that you have ever caught? This could be the strangest fish or something else.

The strangest fish that I have ever caught has got to be the sea robin. As a kid we would vacation on Cape Cod and would go out on deep sea charter boats to bottom fish for porgy and black sea bass. Every trip someone would catch a sea robin (borrowed internet photo), which is a bottom fish that is very common in those waters. They use those finger like projections on their pectoral fins to creep along the bottom.

 

[Ham]

You choose.

I got a pretty darn big Spoonbill on a LIttle N up the James river arm of Table Rock. I'm keeping the color a secret though.

I caught a Striped Mullet on a single spin spinnerbait (home made) just off Big Bayou Pigeon. They pull pretty well.

I caught a pretty freaking large Common Snapper on a Slider Head and Tiny Brush Hog. I was lucky in that is was only skin hooked and the boatside release was easy. I'd suggest Green Pumpkin TBH if you are turtle fishing.

I got a pretty darn big water snake on a Bandit 100 on the Red River in Pool 5. Cranking brush just off the main river in dingy water. He had both trebles in the mouth. Heavy but didn't pull for crap.

Oyster Toadfish in the Calcasieu River by a barge terminal on a smallish jig. I was trying for pinfish. I caught those too.

Cutlass Fish surf fishing off Last Isle (which has been lost to coastal erosion). FREAKY!

I hooked, but chose not to land a 40 poundish Nutria Rat on a white Boogerman Buzzbait. He looked angry and the orange teeth can do some damage.

 

 

[MOPanfisher]

Well this wasn't me but I was in the boat.  Crappie fishing at LOZ with a buddy and his pastor.  Caught a few fish before the pastor tied into something big, would gain a little lose some the whole time asking for divine intervention and asking what it might be.  Finally as I manned the net speculating on what it might be, i.e. drum, catfish, carp.  Up from the depth appeared a mostly round shape which I skillfully netted.  A very nice sized keeper odd shaped rock, with his crapie jig stuck nicely into one of the few holes in it.  After the laughter subsided was still a good trip, sent the fish home with them, where upon they had a nice fish fry a few days later.  Buddy's wife baked what appeared to be a gorgeous pie for dessert and they asked the pastor to cut it for serving.  In case you haven't guessed by now the only thing under that golden crust was a rock.  He took it well then laughed till he cried as the real pie was brought out.  

[kjackson]

Perhaps the strangest fish I've caught was the one in my avatar-- a rock greenling off Kodiak Island in Alaska. Seeing that fiery red fish come up from the bottom was a shock-considering the camo colors of the other species we caught that day.  The photo doesn't the fish's colors justice---it had sky blue lips and gum line and black tongue.

Perhaps the strangest walleye I caught was in the Columbia River. I was fishing with a guide who was one of Minnesota guys who basically opened up the trophy walleye potential of the Columbia (another story). We were trolling crank baits in the main flow when I hooked a fish. It pulled hard, gave some great head shakes, ran a bit, and the guide and I both thought that it was a big walleye (like the 14s and 15s the guys had been catching). We finally pulled into some slower water, and the fish just dogged it--stopped fighting and held to the bottom. When I finally reeled it up, the walleye turned into a piece of plywood that I'd hooked in a hole in the middle of the piece!  The current had done all the running and head shaking when the plywood hit the different current flows.

The strangest catch I made happened one fall a few years back. I was fly fishing for chum salmon in Washington's Hood Canal (a fjord-like bay on Puget Sound). On one cast I "snagged" something, and it turned out that an oyster had closed on the hook of the fly. It wasn't snagged--the fly apparently touched the open oyster which then closed on the hook. 

 

[bfishn]

Back in the '80s I caught (and released) several foot-long Hellbenders on creek shiners. If you'd told me back then how rare they are I'd have argued with you. If you think a greased pig is hard to hold on to, try to remove a hook from a Hellbender's lip.

Caught a few American eels in the Arkansas River. Those too were many years ago. Haven't even seen one in the last 20.

Had a 'gull take a swing and a miss at a free-lined live shad once. Glad he missed.

[Flysmallie]

35 minutes ago, bfishn said:

Had a 'gull take a swing and a miss at a free-lined live shad once. Glad he missed.

I caught one doing the same thing when I was in 8th grade. My dad was thrilled.

Used to catch a lot of bullfrogs when I was a kid in Oklahoma. Dangle a texas rigged worm next to them and they would take it every time. It's a whole different type of fight to land one.

Hooked a big water snake on a topwater once. Fishing around the big rock at Cedar Ridge campground waiting for enough light to run up the lake. I saw something hit my chug bug but when I would reel it in it was like nothing was there, just extra weight. He was hooked right in the mouth so I really think he hit it. I'm sure we woke some people up. Three guys in a bassboat with a live snake makes quite a bit of noise. 

[MOBass]

Sarcastic fringe head, midshipman, mantis shrimp, wolf eel, octopus, various rays, skates, and guitar fish, angle shark, remora....There are a lot of oddities in the ocean.  Most will bite, horn, sting, or otherwise ruin your day.

[Smalls21]

caught a pelican once fishing off a pier on anna maria island, i had just tossed a live shrimp close to a piling , pelican picked up the shrimp and took off.

[marcus]

i hooked into a blue cat on the mississippi river and he snapped my line 30 min later i went about a half mile up stream and caught a blue reeled it in ....it was the same fish he followed me all the way up stream i guess.....found my broke off stinkbait tube and sponge in his mouth while i was taking the other one out so i got the fish back and my stink bait tube back he loved that sonnys stink bait so much he chased me up river 

[Johnsfolly]

Kjackson - I would love to see a larger picture of that greenling. Awesome looking fish.

Ham - a cutlass fish but you can't catch a gizzard shad .

In Florida you catch just about anything. I was fishing a drainage slough and nearly stepped on an alligator getting down to the waters edge. It swam off and I got to fishing a 3" sluggo. No fish after a couple of casts which was pretty unusual in this ditch. I made another cast and all of a sudden the alligator was back chewing on my bait. I tried to flip the bait out of its mouth which just set the hook into its tongue. The 4 foot long gator came in like a wet towel. I snapped the line as I got it to shore. I didn't choot it as Troy would say.

I was surf fishing with a piece of squid, I had a strike and thought I set the hook and began reeling in the fish. The fish would pull pull pull and then pull pull pull. It was heavy but was a strange fight. I thought I might have a stingray. As I got it into the surf the "fish" turned out to be a sea turtle. Fortunately it wasn't hooked and just spit the bait as it got into the surf. I wasn't looking forward to find a way to unhook this turtle.

Smalls21 - did you land the pelican? In the Jupiter inlet the pelicans are thick and you have to use heavy weights to the get bait deep enough after you cast to avoid the pelicans. I hooked up on one and it flew off pulling drag. I did get it back onto the pier and broke it off. This bird had at least four or five other lines in its beak. A habitual bait stealer. Also forget about catch and release. The fish don't stand a chance getting back into the water.

In PA both water snakes and bullfrogs love hula poppers. Enough said.