I wish you guy's could have been with me today

[brownieman]

Thanks for the kind words guy's.

brownieman - I have lost plugs to fish in ponds before and gone back later to hopefully find them washed up on the bank. Never found a one! Dang it! Do you guy's use the "Finders Keepers.." when you get one of your buds plugs?

LOL...it's the never ending debate...everything from plugs on fish or tree limbs to pliers on pond and river banks.

Have been returned back plugs on several occasions...only from LMB and cats in the same day.

Trout a couple of times but generally their memory tends to be a little better...most fish if you sting em hard it's my experience they will not feed for a few days...rightfully so i reckon.

One of my strangest, I'll make it short as I can. Was trout fishing, could see my plug easily...felt a strike, bird hit my line, something ??? but a fish no where near my plug. Downstream about 15 ft. or so was a trout that appeared to be hooked.

Long story short someone else had broke off using real light line and my plug had hooked the line left on the fish from the prior break off. Sure was a new one for me having caught bats, even an owl one time.

[drew03cmc]

Finders Keepers rules are definitely in effect!

I caught the same fish at Bennett twice in a span of three hours. He had a scar down his side from apparently being just missed with a lure.

[Chief Grey Bear]

Hey Rainbow that reminds me of a similar time. As a kid we were camping on Center Creek in Jasper County and my father and I had floated down stream a little to do a little catfishing with some Red Wigglers that I had dug up.

So we get to our spot, bait up, cast out and wait. In just a few minutes I'm screwing around and the line goes tight and the tip of my rod bends. I snap to attention and wait for him to try that again cause I got a surprise for him.

I wait and wait and wait. Nothing. I guess he showed me. A few minutes later my dads gets a bite and reels him in. Lesson learned to always pay attention. As dad is reeling in the fish, my line goes limp. Odd!? Dad reels in a flathead of about 1 1/2 pounds that also has my hook in mouth!

BTW did I ever tell you guy's about the time my dad and I were Crappie fishing on Stockton and I caught 6 Crappie with one cast?

[Brian K. Shaffer]

Many years ago.. I was on a dock bait fishing with a few rods out when a family showed up. I pulled in all but and kept fishing while they threw in 5 or so rods around me... one manned by a young boy of about 8.

His uncle catches this nice rainbow.. a brood stocker fish that rarely shows up around this dock... and he breaks it off at the dock.

Not 10 minutes later... the young boy somehow hooks the 3 way swivel that had the fish his uncle caught. He landed it with the biggest smile I have seen in years.

Yes.. it was quite a moment.

Brian

[Chief Grey Bear]

That is pretty wild Brian. Talk about luck!!

That is a good story brownieman! What part of the woods do call home? Just name the nearest trout park or good river if you want.

[brownieman]

GB,

I grew up in / on "The Big Piney" neck of the woods,...wish I had a nickel for every rock I've skipped on that river, lol

[MOFishwater]

back when I lived in GA i used to fish an old farmpond behind our subdivision. I had a shiny new Zara Spook I bought w/ some lawnmowing funds and used to catch some real hogs with it on my killer Zebco Rhino 33 One day I'm walking it back in and have a monster erupt on the spook. I fought as hard as my rod would let me and the fish just buried itself and got hungup on something, probably an old tree on the bottom. I sat there for an eternity trying to pull and work this fish out and finally my line snapped, I was heartbroken. I was just sitting there gathering my thoughts and tying on a slug-go, the only other lure I'd brought since I could put it in my pocket and not hook myself, it was a long walk to the house and I had to travel light (also needed to be able to make a hasty retreat if the old farmer caught sight of me fishing in his lake, I was 12 or so and didnt feel the need to obey fences for some catch & release fishing). While I'm tying on this other lure, 1/2way across the lake I see this giant bass come flying up and jump out of the water, shaking its head- out comes my zara spook and there it floats in the middle of the lake! I immediately ran around the lake and got as close as I could and made cast after cast until I somehow snagged one of the trebles with my slug-go and got it back

Flash forward a little bit, I'm camping with some school buddies at a friend's grandma's house on Lake Altoona. Whipping the same zara spook down the bank and snag it in a tree. Cant retrieve it since its hanging out over the water, had to break it off, I'm crushed again. Few weeks later my dad takes me out in our old basstracker one night after he got off work, he decides to try a new area of the lake we'd never seen...as we're idling around the corner I think "That bridge looks familiar!?" I realized we are pulling into the cove my friend's granny lives in. I tell my dad "head over to that dock!" Lo and behold my beloved spook is still wrapped around the same limb, dad manages to stand on the seat and pull it off the limb, saves the day once again Still got that beauty in my tackle box, put some new trebles on it but I just never bring myself to tie it on, been unused for a good 15 years or so now, figure i'll save it for my son to have someday (who arrives Aug 27th!). Always use a new zara spook instead, just gotta keep it in the tackle box for memories. Nothing like a "magical" lure...Great thread! Obviously got me reminiscing, sorry for the longwinded post.