Caught A Gull

[deaknh03]

So I hit the water for a couple hours yesterday with my wife, hoping to catch a couple bass and enjoy some conversation. Near the end of our time on the water, I cast out a Jackall deka hama kuru, not a cheap bait, and as soon as it hits the water, a giant seagull swoops down and snatches it. I have had birds swoop and attempt to grab my lures, but have always been paying attention, and have been able to reel fast enough to get away, but not this time. I now have this bird flying above our head, while I tug and jerk trying to get the lure free, and with every tug, the bird does some crazy acrobatic, not normal, flying maneuvers. This goes on for about 4 minutes, and finally I grab my knife to cut the line, there was no way I was reeling this ticked off bird into the canoe with my wife next to me. As soon as I grab the knife, he nosedives into the water next to us, does some spinny moves, while flapping his wings, and I manage to tug the lure free, and he immediately flies away, far away. I can now say I have caught my first bird.

[Shane J]

Wacky birds. Must've been on bath salts. Cool story, though, Deak. Was your wife freaking out, cuz mine woul've been having a heart attack.

[deaknh03]

Shane, she was just enjoying the show, as long as I didn't reel him too close to the boat.

[georgeyew]

You can't count that as a catch!!! You didn't get it in the boat

[BassinLou]

Keep an eye out for those gulls. I fish at a park close to my house where gulls pass through every once and a while. Everytime I start jerkbaiting on the surface a gull appears out of no where and dives at my bait. I have to literally wait until I think he is far away enough to safely cast. Let me tell ya, he has to be pretty far away because their eye sight is amazing.

[TrippyJai]

I can never fish top water lures at my local ponds/lakes that have gulls around. I once had a "tug a war" 10 feet in the air with a gull for a few minutes. Luckily, it came loose. It was not fun at all.

[Nashua Nev]

No gulls for me but i did catch a beaver and then there is that 48 lb turtle on the white weedless frog, have had several ducks chase those topwaters as well. Not that i have not tried, i have several lures just waiting in the tree limbs for theose gulls. Many in the Nashua river and Merrimack just a bit too high up to reach

[SoCalFisher]

I have caught 4 pelicans in 1 day and have caught one before even leaving the dock. Those things love sardines, some days its like wide open pelicans and thats all the deckhands are doing is unhooking pelicans.

[Talmadge]

yeah ive caught a few pelicans before reeled him in grabbed it by the beak and got my bait back

[Bluebasser86]

Had a great big owl pick up a jitterbug while I was night fishing one summer. Thought I'd hooked a new state record with the monster splash and the way he was pulling drag. Thankfully he crash landed in some blackberry bushes and the hook pulled out when he flew off again. I've had several seagulls pick up freelined shad fishing for hybrids during the winter. The unfortunate part is the shad are usually on the surface because a big wiper chased them there and was probably about to eat them, until the stupid bird picked it up Oh yeah, and don't pull a swimbait past a blue heron, they're fooled by the bait just as bad as a bass and they strike with incredible speed and accuracy

[dale.m]

I caught a duck once as he was flying overhead, but thats all so far! Your story cracked me up! Thanks for the laugh!

[bassfisherjk]

Neat story.Thanks!

[clayton86]

Had a great big owl pick up a jitterbug while I was night fishing one summer. Thought I'd hooked a new state record with the monster splash and the way he was pulling drag. Thankfully he crash landed in some blackberry bushes and the hook pulled out when he flew off again. I've had several seagulls pick up freelined shad fishing for hybrids during the winter. The unfortunate part is the shad are usually on the surface because a big wiper chased them there and was probably about to eat them, until the stupid bird picked it up Oh yeah, and don't pull a swimbait past a blue heron, they're fooled by the bait just as bad as a bass and they strike with incredible speed and accuracy

Not a swim bait but I had one chase a spro frog all the way to the canoe. I bombed a fog to the bank never seen the bird till it was flying at the frog so I burned it back it followed all the way to the canoe. My nephew was freaking out with a oar ready to play baseball with the thing. I don't think it ever noticed us till it was right on top of us and my nephew began his back swing to clock the bird about 3ft from the canoe.