Im just fishing! Share your stories!!

[HorrorShowRot]

Soo two neat stories for you folks.... I recently got into fishing in creeks. I used to just troll for big stuff, Pike,Walleye,Musky. Are the top 3. Anyways with the new house theres an old canal system right across the road, So I went fishing over there I notice the currents relatively fast and down the creek more theres a waterfall:goldfish:

Soo I walked over to the waterfall and saw not 1 not 2 but 30 different sized carps at the bottom just eating whatever came over the falls. They need to be incredibly stupid or really smart because the current is so fast as soon as they turn they fall back like 30-40 feet before they get there "footing". And so I googled goldfish myths and there was this.

"According to Chinese legend, there was a place called Dragon's Gate at the top of a large waterfall on Yellow River. Carp would swim up the river, against the current to reach the base of the waterfall. Although many would try, only a few were brave and able enough to attempt the final leap up the waterfall. It was said that if a carp was able to complete the journey through Dragon's Gate at the top of the falls, then it would be transformed into a powerful dragon. In Chinese culture, the dragon is a symbol of great power. The story symbolizes that anybody who is able to persevere through great trials can accomplish their highest goals to become great."

And last but not least. I was fishing in shallow water just minding my own business and I get a little bite. It was a little baby channel cat. Now he was about half the size of my pinky. And there were tons of them swimming around. Soo I cast out again try to get another little guy. And out comes this large 2 foot maybe 2 and a half channel cat. The thing was a monster! Takes the bait and about 10 feet of line till I get the drag set correctly. Landed him after a little bit, about 20 minutes. End weight with my handy dandy scale was 21 pounds and a little. So I let the fish go. And he swims right back to the little channel cats and i see him just watching them. I google if channel cats guard there young and sure enough they do....:11: I felt so bad....But he/she was beautiful sorry no pics wife had to see the fish and he took forever to dehook! I do have some of carp;) will get them shortly

Massive wall of text done! Tell your neat stories here!

[Aeonflame]

One time I was in the swamp, in a little boat fishing for snapper. In the swamp, you fish with just a plastic caster (hand spool). Its all about the quick strike and fast take in.

Anyway, I was anchored in this little tributary between two tiny islands dropping the bait into this spot that I knew had fish in it when all of a sudden I got a bite, so I struck the line. The thing is, the line struck back and yanked forward a few feet. If I hadn't been wearing gloves my hand would've been sliced up pretty bad. I managed to grab onto my spool because whatever it was had stripped the free line and it was spinning around on the bottom of the boat. The next thing I knew, a tarpon as big as I was, breeched the water and splashed down again. It was a good thing I was using heavy tackle because one that size could snap anything smaller in no-time. This one was about 150 pounds

That fish had me turning like top in the boat which was leaning in any direction it went. Took me quite a while but I managed to get it boatside and spiked it. I'm told Americans dont eat it and I cant for the life of me imagine why. Yes, its bony but once you know how to slice it....yummy.

[Strider199]

How does one top a 150 pound tarpon? Nice catch Aeonflame and yes I agree they do taste good. I bought mine at the Super Market though.

It's late October, the leaves have fallen but no snow has of yet hit the area. The Chinook salmon are swimming up the Niagara river from Lake Ontario. My girl friend and I descend down the escarpment to see what we can catch in the Niagara Whirl pool on a nice calm, cool evening. We spend an hour casing our spoons into the current occasionally landing a small mouth bass or a rainbow trout but no salmon to be had. I changed up my spoon for a #2 Mepps so I could play with the Bass a bit more and after a cast I noticed that I had a massive amount of weed cross my 4lb. line. Yes I said 4lb. test line. As I was shaking my tip up and down to toss the weed off the line my line started to be pulled off the reel like I had hooked a train. It took over 45 minutes (two colt cigars) for me to get this fish close to the shore. She was tired and so were my arms. Another angler came up and asked if I needed help in landing the fish due to the stalemate he had seen. The fish was 12 feet from shore and holding over a shallow gravel bed. He walked in and netted her and came over to the bank. It was the largest salmon I had ever landed. My arms ached but I had a huge smile on my face which my girl friend at that time took pictures of. I carried that Chinook back up to my car and we took it home for some more showing. I cleaned her up and found a neighbour who was very interested in the fish so it went there.

The weight of the salmon in the Niagara river caught on 4lb. test line with a #2 Mepps was 34 pounds.

Thats my fish story to you all.

[Aeonflame]

Nice catch! I'd love to go fishing for salmon.

This is what a 150 pounder tarp looks like. Beautiful fish, scales like mirrors. In the swamp they grow big on all the crabs and baitfish schools. This of course, wasnt my fish, just an example

http://sportfishingamericas.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/tarpon150lb_onfly_apalachicolafl.jpg

[Cyberra]

The one time I caught anything worth mentioning was when I went out with my grandfather, aunt and uncle, and some other relatives to fish mackerel in Gabarus. I caught more than my grandfather did, and it took me a couple days to get all the fish scales off my hands. Cooking those mackerel on the bbq wrapped in til foil was the one time I can remember my grandfather actually cooking fish in a way I found edible. Usually he cooked them in a frying pan on the stove and left them there for days, and it tasted nasty.

Otherwise, I'm lucky if I can catch a minnow. And the only time I really "caught" a minnow was the time I was swimming in the Mira River and a minnow got into my swimsuit. Now THAT was an experience.

[Strider199]

I think that Tarpon would eat the salmon I caught Aeonflame. lol Very nice fish.:18:

The salmon in the Great Lakes are introduced to take care of the bait fish and the largest are around the 50 pound mark which I've never personally seen.
Now having a minnow trapped in your bathing suit has got to be the best catch yet. :ssuprised:

[Aeonflame]

Better a minnow than a candiru, I always say..... Well actually thats the first time I've ever said that.

Anyway, heres one of my favourite fishing spots

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn193/amithrius/DSC03938.jpg

[sebastien]

yo yo yo swordfish that was attacked by BIGGG mako shark..deep dropping 1700ft off south fla

[HorrorShowRot]

I wish I could go saltwater fishing. The fish are monsters!! Soon it shall be season for some brown trout... now theres tasty fish!

[Strider199]

Soon it shall be season for some brown trout... now theres tasty fish!


Now thats a fish I will eat! Nothing like a 5 - 8lb. Brown trout fried with a light coating of egg and flour!

Thinking back 25 years ago, my Dad and I were out on Georgian Bay one early April morning fishing for Splake (a cross between a Lake trout and Speckle trout). We were out in our Zodiac some 300 feet from shore casting towards shore when I got this snag. The snag all of a sudden started moving with the shore line at a slow and steady pace. I was grinning from ear to ear as I looked at my Dad and said, "Here is the biggest fish today, your going to be paying me that dollar!"
The fish just seemed to be looking for something as it just moved around the shallows at a slow steady pace. There was another boat trolling between us and the shore which was coming close to where my hooked fish was going. I yelled to the fisherman in the boat that I had a nice one on and it was coming towards him. He cut his engine and after a few minutes my fish rolled on the surface right by his boat. I saw the swell of the water and the guy in the other boat just started laughing. I yelled over, What's so funny? Is it a carp? He said that the fish that just rose by his boat was the largest Brown trout he had ever seen and I was in for the fight of my life.
Long story short, the fish headed out into Georgian Bay at a steady pace and as it was pulling the 6lb. line from my reel I told my Dad to fire up the engine. Dad smiled and said, "If you can't turn the fish it wins."

As I watched 250 yards of line roll off my spool I tried to tighten the drag but I finally ran out of line near the knot when the line snapped. I never did see the fish but the guy in the other boat said it was a Brown trout that was huge so when I think back on this memory I picture a nice football shaped Brown in the 20 pound class.

[Surfdog]

yo yo yo swordfish that was attacked by BIGGG mako shark..deep dropping 1700ft off south fla

Nice Center console, I ran simular, out of Marathon, Fl. 32 Seacraft with twin Verado 300's (carrried 600G fuel), tagged and released a 392lb Blue marlin off of Providentiales, Turks and Caicos Islands in 2008, in 5,000 ft of water....