Tell us a good fishing story.

[junyaah]

My fishing story is how i got into bass fishing.

I was 12 and went to a small lake to fish for catfish. I had a pop-R and decided to throw it on the main part of the lake away from the rest of the group. It was shallow so i went out in the water about 5' to throw a lil further. I had no clue as to what i was doing, never have i fished for bass or with lures. So there i was just casting, reeling and popping. I saw the water explode around my lure. It missed so i let it sit there and started my retrieve over. Well it came back and engulfed it haha and i set the hook. I was so excited and after a long fight, with it leaping several times, i got it out of the water. Now i had on shorts that were a little big on me and through all the excitement i ran with the fish in one hand, the rod in the other back to my dad. and yeah my shorts fell down. So my dad and uncle were sitting on the bank and here i come running around the corner with my shorts down around my ankles holding this bucketmouth bass. It weighed in at a lil over 5 lbs. Needless to say i was hooked..been after em ever since.

[keithdog]

Hahaha, good story! Since you let the popper sit instead of slinging it back over your head, I'd say your gonna be a good bass fisherman. lol
One time I was fishing with my family at a resort in Minnesota that had a horseshoe style pier. I was 15 at the time, and there was a girl the same age staying with her family that I had the hots for. Well, she and a few other people were casting from the pier. I rushed out to join in, planning on catching something big to impress her with. After several minutes, I took a wrong step backwards and fell off the pier and right into the submerged, open topped minnow bait box secured to the pier that the owner of the resort sold minnows from. I was wedged in so tight I had to be pulled out. Needless to say, I was completely embarrassed.

[joedog]

So did you get the girl?

[keithdog]

Originally Posted by joedog

So did you get the girl?

You kiddin? hahaha Got a good laugh though at my expense.

[joedog]

Ok you want a story I may have one that will put a smile on.

This is back when I lived in LaCrosse.
I had a chinese friend who's parents owned the cities only chinese resturant.
My mom raised 5 kids on her own and was a nurse so her shift would start at 7 a.m. and us kids would get up and make or own breakfast (cereal) and get ready for school on our own and off we'd go. Well I was sick one day and called my mom at the hospital to ask her to call the high school and let them know I was sick. She got busy and forgot to call. Next day at school note in hand I wonder in the principles office, mean tough little priest and he was there and asked why no one called in the day before. I told him the story and he said he knew how busy my mom was and that 'I' should of called in...wow the best news I ever heard. I now could call in sick whenever I wanted and my mom would never have to be the wiser.
He in turn had the school convinced that his parents didn't speak english well so he too could call in his self. We were both lucky and able to do the school thing without much effort and got straight A's. It was a college prep school, no shop or wood work or none of those great man classes but when you get good grades folks just seem to not worry or get concerned like they do with students that are struggling. Why, human nature I quess.
Anyways we loved to hunt and fish and if he was in the mood he called me like 7 in the morning and we would both call in and off to the outdoors we would go.
Got a ton of stories on these adventures and the hunting ones are even funnier.
So this day we decided to fish. Got the flat bottom out (jon boat for you non Wisconsin folks) and off we went. Fished the sloughs and some gravel pits on the Mississippi River and got some but not much really happening. Can't really remember anything about what we caught, where, size nada...soon you'll know why.
So we're fishing and in the distance these HUGE Black clouds started moving our way so like good little boys we elected to head in. Pull the start cord on the 25 horse and nothing. So we messed around taking turns pulling the start cord, nothing. Finally we realized...niether of us checked the gas tank before we went out. Out of gas.
Now these clouds were getting blacker and closer by the minute. No problem we got a trolling motor so we put it down and started to the marina.
The marina was up river and in 1978 trollers were nothing like today, not much power, plus we're headed up river against current so the venture and the boat were not making good time and the clouds kept getting closer and closer and blacker and blacker. We are literally 20 yards from the ramp and HERE COMES THE WIND. We got blown back out and the troller wasn't even close to having enough power to do any good at all. Within minutes we're back in the channel headed down river (the wind took us). Not a thing we could do but use the troller to try and get us towards shore, ANY SHORE! FINALLY we reach the little island we were fishing when we started the venture home. Took 20 minutes to get to the marina and like maybe 5 to get back to the island, ya it got a little windy.
So for safty sake, its now raining hard, we secure the flat bottom to some trees and we figured we'd sit out the storm. The the hail came. I'm not talking the little hail storms you get in alot of storms, this hail storm came down like SNOW. Not like snow flakes, we're talking snow storm.
The ground had, no exaggeration, at least two inches of hail on it. The wind was ROARING like a train. (I'll never forget the sound and the hail pummeling us) We both grabed the same tree and hung on for life. The roar was just incredable.
Down goes one of the trees that the boat was tied too and he turns to me and says,"My dads going to kill me if I wreck this boat" and off he goes to tie it to another tree, kid you not. That thought stayed in his head approximatly 20 seconds cause the boat with it's new found freedom figured the island was a good idea too and it got beached by the wind. Again I'm not talking beached, I'm talking the whole 16ft extra wide was pined between to trees right next to us. At least 20 feet on shore This wasn't a large piece of land.
Now these type of storms usually aren't lengthy, seemed pretty long though.
Anyways storm ends, we get boat in the water and back to the marina we go. You could actually see the marina from the island we choose, or got choosen for us.
We get back to the marina and two very large house boats along with other boats were on there sides on shore and one still afloat that actually lost its roof. We are litterally freezing to death from the cold rain and hail so we jump in the truck and BLAST the heater. Air temp was like 75 but man was I shivering....from the COLD. I was happy to be that wet because I'm sure I pissed myself, he probably did too.
So we are in the truck and he turns to me and says, "Joe I think tomorrow maybe we should go clay pigeon shouting (trap) instead of fishing, what do you think?" I can't ever remember laughing as hard as we did!
Some say a tornado came through, some said straight winds I said school is looking good all of a sudden. City was litterally covered with at least 2 inches of hail, looked like a snow storm went through. Ice everywhere.
Oh we both went to class for the next 3 weeks.

Hope ya got a smile cause I do just remembering it .
Hey have a great weekend and try and stay out of the rain.

[keithdog]

Man Joe, sounds like your lucky to be alive. lol Maybe the mean old priest knew what you were up to and summoned up the storm. They have mystical powers ya know. lol

[junyaah]

wow......i was picturing that in my head as i read it...that is pretty intense, i enjoyed it very much and was on edge the whole time..kept waiting for a house to fall on the principle like in wizard of oz haha

[Bassboss]

Well this one goes back to Florida.

Behind the grocery store we shopped at, the South Florida Water Management District had a little lot with a pond in middle, with "NO TRESPASSING" signs littered along the fence line. Like I cared!

Now this was a little pond, MAYBE two acres, but lemme tell ya, this place had some PIGS in it. Covered with lily pads from shore to shore, with just a small clear spot along the south bank, and CRYSTAL clear water. I'd been here a couple times before, and caught some great fish, a bunch over five, and a couple around 8! The little pond received no fishing pressure whatsoever, and the fish were big, and dumb.

So I hoped the fence with my old quantum baitcaster rigged with 50lb braid and a big old chartreuse buzzbait. Didn't take long to hook up with some good ones. Finally I took a cast to the south eastern corner of the pond: An overhanging tree on the shore, reeds growing shallow with a small coontail mat on the side, and lily pads to the north, with a log lying submerged under to top it off -- the perfect cast. As soon a my buzzbait landed, I could see a whale of a bass swim out from the cover lined shoreline, coming right for my buzzer. This bass was to this date bigger than any I'd ever layed eyes on, (my PB is 12 pounds). Easily would have gone 15 pounds... easily. With the crystal clear water, I did what anyone in my situation would have done: get excited. As the bohimath zeroed in on its target, she opened her mouth (I'm replaying this as I type in my mind) and HAMMERED my buzzbait. I imminently set the hook in all of the excitement. The fish was hooked! It surged for the weedline, I reared back preventing I catch from getting tangled up. But lemme tell ya, this thing would have nothing to with it. It did what any pissed off bass would have done, and just the thing you wouldn't want her to do... JUMP. She stuck her big ol head outa the water (the fish was so big it couldn't clear the water), shook and sloshed water everywhere, suddenly my line went limp and all I see in the dusky surroundings is a bright chartreuse blur heading for my head.

Just like that she was gone. Probably the biggest bass I would have ever catch, gone in a single jump. Had the water not been so clear I could have kept my wits and waited a sec to let her get a hold of it before setting the hook. My knees hit the muddy shore line, and all I was left with was a limp line, and the crickets and frogs as my audience.

[joedog]

My knees hit the muddy shore line, and all I was left with was a limp line, and the crickets and frogs as my audience.


And now you have US in the audience too!
Good story and I felt like I was the one loosing the Bass....

Thanks Sam!

junyaah, forgot earlier I see....great story!
"and yeah my shorts fell down"

Isn't that what they call 'down sizing, in Virgina"?

[kennethdaysale]

Hey Joe your hail story made me think of this one from 1974.
One fine spring morning during senior year in high school me and a buddy played hooky and loaded his little 12' flat bottom w/10 lb thrust Mkota! in the back of my Courier truck (pre-Ranger Ford) and headed out on 1.5 hr trek east to the Okeefenokee Swamp. A cooler full of cokes a few moon pies and 2-3 rod & reels and a little something for the head.(not endorsing pot smoking it's integral) We were a couple of Huck Finns!

After getting to our favorite spot a mile or so from the (ramp) we notice that we are being followed by a half dozen or so BIG 8' to 10' Gators. These Swamp Gators had learned 100 years ago that they could just follow fisherman around and eat the culls or worse, steal their catch in mid fight. This behavior (conditioning) had grown very strong in them over the years and had developed some disconcerting nuances. Like if you weren't catching anything, they'd often swim up, bump the boat and open their mouth wide and hiss.

The swamp is also infested with giant hornet nests. They're hanging on half the trees in the water. Big nests as big as cowboy hats packed full of big nasty want to be left alone hornets.

Well as was our habit we enjoyed a fat left handed cig (just to calm our nerves and stay focused you understand). As soon as we finished my buddy Ronnie makes a long cast and hangs his plug in a tree. After a couple of tugs we decide to just go over there and unhang it. When we get 10 or 15 feet from the tree he decides to give it one more Herculean heave and that's when we see his plug come free and pierce the biggest Hornets nest in the swamp.

A cloud of very angry red Hornets comes out of that nest bringing Hells Fury with them.......all around us we are surrounded by some already pissed off and impatient Gators whose stomachs are growling like thunder.

There wasn't time to say anything but as we looked at each other in that split nano nano second before go time I could tell that both our lives were flashing through each of our minds as we pondered the fateful decision that Ronnie had forced upon us.

We had both been stung by Hornets growing up and it's a pain much like what I think a gunshot must feel like. Neither of us had been eaten by Alligators before and rather than put our mothers through the agony of having to identify us by picking through a pile of gator dung with tweezers, we decided to goose the lil Minn Kota and hope for the best.
[Anyway....just so you'll know multiple Hornet stings are only marginally more fun than Gator bites.

[joedog]

Ken I'm still freaking out, called my son to see if he had any 'lefties' laying around the house ( just to get your 'fluking' pics out of my mind).
Had to include pics didn't you!

Great story and great ending.
Thanks Ken.

[joedog]

Haven't shared many fishing tales this season so I thought here may be a place to tell you folks one.
Well you folks know my severe 'fishing addiction' . I'm a two a dayer.
I've changed my glorous 'blood checks' to 4am from 3am so I could stay up and FISH and still start the workday at around 9am.
So I'm usually fishing by sunup. Man I love early morning fishing.
Most also know I work hard at keeping the weeds (negativity) out of my garden. (mind) Most of my gardening takes place on the water. The garden has gotten quite a few new unexpected weeds this summer. So I can assure you I've fished any day, any weather, any place.
Some know my Rotary Garden challenges too.
A week or so ago they called the re-inforcements in (Police). Another story another day
Just know I'm in the right and totally within the laws of the land plus I was with an angler who feels donating to the gardens is a good idea. (dues paying member) But between fighting the fourth warders, the beach and every other self centered ADULT in this community plus not feeling that I should again have to meet with the city council (lengthy complete waste of my time) I decided to give them a break for a week or two before continueing the battle (weeding ) plus there is ABSOLUTLY NO REASON I SHOULD HAVE TO START EVERY FISH OUTING WITH A CHALLENGE! (again weeding))

So where do I go. THE RIVER!
Water is so low I can walk acrosse the whole river at about waste deep, I'm 5'5" so you know just how low the River is. (down 4ft. from norm).
I'm thinking I could live another 30 years, hopefully not here, and never have the river this low again. Being so low I can walk the whole river shore to shore just like a boater. An added benefit is the river has smallies and if catching smallmouth can't clear the weeds, I'm throwing in the towel.
Some also know that my fishing project this year is mastering the FLUKE.

Ok, now for the tale.

I arrive at 5 oclock am on a 102 degree projected high temp day. (today)
Beautiful day, excitement rising and I step off the bank, into the water and BAM, I am slammed by flies or nats or some fluking small flying insects. it's kind of dark (pre-dawn) and if you step out of water, no bugs. See they must hatch at night and once sun hits they seem to disappear. These things are so thick if facing into them your afraid to take a deep breath for fear of getting a mouthful of knats or whatever they are. When I stepped in the water I must of stepped on an open clam because I felt this clamping on my toes. Now after catching a few larger Cats earlier last week all that was running through my head was 'noodling'. Saw an episode that a guy stuck his foot in to get the Catfish. Between the bugs and something nibbling on my foot I can safely tell you I was about to 'freakout'. Turned out to be a clam. Chomped down and held on, untill I introduced it to one of the larger rocks on shore. Kicked it to get the clam to release...it did.

I start with a popper. The pole I was using had braid that is 2 years old and kind of bunched, dug in on the spinning reel. So I figure cast out and let the current take the popper down stream and clear out the spool and then retrieve, kind of like dropping line behind boat and letting it empty down and reel in a well managed spool of line. I literally had 100yds of line out, a football field, and I decide to 'work' the popper back as opposed to a straight retrieve. I am just amazed how well I could pop, walk, splash the popper 90 yards down stream. I'm now enthralled how I can't see the popper but easily can see the splashes and pops of it 90 yards away. So I work very very slowly and about 50 yds. away, BAM, HUGE surface hit, air born and all. I actually could set hook cause of the braid and fight on. Numerous jumps, big smallie and......spits hook like 20 yards away after a jump. This is NOT a 'courtesy release'! It's a spit hook.


I now get the 'fluking' pole out of the car and headed approx.15 feet to the water.

So I'm fluking, kind of slow fishing and all of a sudden I get a strike by a bridge piling. Fish on and HUGE battle. As I fight it I'm backing towards shore and a jump, it's like a 28 inch Northern. And when I finally get the fish to my side it does that Northern last dash they enjoy so much and jumps and does me a 'courtesy release', spits hook.
So the pilings maybe the answer to catching fish.
I fish the piling and after a short time I get the harderest strike I've had since fishing the river, Start with the backwards walk to the shore and it's reallly kind of a nice battle. Now the whole time I'm figuring another northern and having no leader on the keeping the line tight and straight is really kind of important, one twist and spin and the line is likely to get cut by the teeth of my opponent. Fish comes up to surface and low and behold a Wallye!
Release, retie and I'm fishing again.
I kid you not, first cast bounces off pilling (soft bounce) and drops straight down along the piling. Bam, hard hit (not as hard as before but still hard).
I'm thinking Walleye number two. Bigger battle than last, alot bigger, and I head for the shore. After like a 5+ min. battle up comes fish, in about 8 inches of water cause I'm at the bank and low and behold, A 29in. Channel Cat., twisting and rolling around thrashing everywhere. Get it unhooked and retie, cutting off like a foot and a half of line, slimmy things.
Back fishing. Get 2 small (14 inchers) smallies.
Now I head over to the far bank fishing while I'm slowly walking across the channel.
Get to other side and stat working the other side. One like 13 in. smallie but not alot of action. Temps now like 90+ and I start thinking about heading home when I notice these like 'ruffles' in the water like 40 yards up. Must be a log or boulders or something and I figured I went this far so it would be dumb not to work my way to it and check it out.
I'm like 10-15 feet upriver from it and cast over the ruffles and work the fluke back towards me. After a couple of casts trying to figure out the best angle and retrieve for this stucture and after it hit rocks and the currents help the fluke bounces over rocks and into that calm area found behind any structure in a river, BAM hard hit, harder battle and towards shore I go. Get cat into the shallows and it's BIG and starts to thrash like crazy, mud fliying everywhere but mostly on me it seemed. My sunglasses are full of mud my whole fluking body was covered in mud, frankly. Unhook, retie and time to head home. Three more casts at structure and two 14in. smallies later, my fluke gets tossed on last smallie. Now through all these fish I never had to change the fluke, ajusted but not replaced. Anyways no biggie because I had stuck two extra flukes in my front pants pocket before heading over from the other shore. So I reach into my pocket to get a fluke out to replace the one tossed and nada, no flukes...must have floated out of my pocket when I was wading. Time to go home.
Just another morning in 'Joey's World'!
End of story.