flying fish

[Wesley]

Wife and I went out yesterday. Trolled caught a few whites and large mouths. Using white deep divers. Decided to crack a couple cocktails and stopped and floated beautiful sunny day. After a few minutes this eagle comes at us screeching flys twice 10 feet right over the boat again screeching at us. Could not figure it out turned around and looked. My lure floated to the top and a seagull had my lure in his mouth sitting in the water, splashing a lot trying to get it out of his mouth. The eagle was going after the seagull because the seagull was splashing. So I reeled in the seagull why I was unhooking him the eagle continued to attack, screech and fly right over the boat he wanted that seagull. I unhooked the seagull and he flew away, he was fine and the eagle left us. Than pulled the boat out and a beautiful red fox walked about 20 feet behind the boat and stood there and looked at us. We leave the ramp 3 blocks up the road there roughly 20 deer standing in the field. What a memorable day.

 

[Champ188]

We are certainly blessed with a plethora of wildlife.

 

[David Unnerstall]

39 minutes ago, Wesley said:

Wife and I went out yesterday. Trolled caught a few whites and large mouths. Using white deep divers. Decided to crack a couple cocktails and stopped and floated beautiful sunny day. After a few minutes this eagle comes at us screeching flys twice 10 feet right over the boat again screeching at us. Could not figure it out turned around and looked. My lure floated to the top and a seagull had my lure in his mouth sitting in the water, splashing a lot trying to get it out of his mouth. The eagle was going after the seagull because the seagull was splashing. So I reeled in the seagull why I was unhooking him the eagle continued to attack, screech and fly right over the boat he wanted that seagull. I unhooked the seagull and he flew away, he was fine and the eagle left us. Than pulled the boat out and a beautiful red fox walked about 20 feet behind the boat and stood there and looked at us. We leave the ramp 3 blocks up the road there roughly 20 deer standing in the field. What a memorable day.

 

Those must have been potent cocktails,

[Quillback]

Very cool.  I have an eagle/seagull story myself.. 

Was on a salmon fishing trip on the saltwater off Vancouver island.  The guide we were with was using anchovies for bait behind a flasher and running them off downriggers.  He'd bait the hook then let off about 30 feet of line before attaching it to the down rigger ball.  Well one time when he let the line out, a gull came down, grabbed the anchovy, and got hooked.

The guide clips the line with the attached gull to the down rigger ball, and drops the ball down, taking the gull underwater with it.  After submerging the gull for about 30 seconds, he brought it back up, the gull was still alive, but somewhat subdued so the guide was able to bring the gull in and unhook it without having to battle a fully energized and PO'd gull.

Once released the gull just sat on the water flapping its wings and acting somewhat distressed, meanwhile we were back to trolling and moving away from the gull.  A bunch of the gulls buddies showed up, and started circling the dazed gull, diving at it and raising a ruckus with their screeching calls.  All of a sudden, out of nowhere, an eagle appears and swooped down and grabbed that gull and flew off with it.  Truly a bad day for that particular gull.

[176champion]

When i lived in Florida and i use to fish the grass flats i have caught several seagulls and pelican's, the pelican is the worst of the 2 to fight with as they beat the heck out of you with there wings.

[vernon]

15 minutes ago, Quillback said:

Very cool.  I have an eagle/seagull story myself.. 

Was on a salmon fishing trip on the saltwater off Vancouver island.  The guide we were with was using anchovies for bait behind a flasher and running them off downriggers.  He'd bait the hook then let off about 30 feet of line before attaching it to the down rigger ball.  Well one time when he let the line out, a gull came down, grabbed the anchovy, and got hooked.

The guide clips the line with the attached gull to the down rigger ball, and drops the ball down, taking the gull underwater with it.  After submerging the gull for about 30 seconds, he brought it back up, the gull was still alive, but somewhat subdued so the guide was able to bring the gull in and unhook it without having to battle a fully energized and PO'd gull.

Once released the gull just sat on the water flapping its wings and acting somewhat distressed, meanwhile we were back to trolling and moving away from the gull.  A bunch of the gulls buddies showed up, and started circling the dazed gull, diving at it and raising a ruckus with their screeching calls.  All of a sudden, out of nowhere, an eagle appears and swooped down and grabbed that gull and flew off with it.  Truly a bad day for that particular gull.

And without cocktails?

[fishinwrench]

I caught one on a Mag Pop-R once and when trying to release him he got a hook caught on my pant leg.  The gull started freaking out and biting at my ankle, which freaked ME out, I panicked and ended up stomping him into a pile of blood, guts and feathers on the deck of my boat.  

I caught a huge water snake on that very same popper the same year.   Then when fishing it after dark a year or so later a bat bit my line in two in mid-cast and backlashed the reel beyond repair.  That Pop-R had bad karma.

[Johnsfolly]

2 hours ago, 176champion said:

the pelican is the worst of the 2 to fight with as they beat the heck out of you with there wings

I had caught a pelican in Florida as well and can also attest to what a pain in the butt it was to get that bird off my line. I ended up cutting the line. This bird had three other fishing lines in its beak already.

[bluebasser86]

I had a huge owl pick up a jitterbug while I was night fishing once, one of the biggest explosions I've heard at night.

I caught a blue heron night fishing this summer. I was running a bladed jig off the front ends of some shallow docks and never saw him until he had already flown through my line and gotten tangled up, the hook buried right at the shoulder joint. Thought I was going to be brave and unhook him, but after he took a couple lunges at me with that bill, decided to cut my losses. 

[Hammer time]

Great stories guys, thanks for sharing!???