Catching The Wrong Species

[Senko lover]

How often do you guys catch the wrong species of fish or animal while fishing for bass? What's your biggest wrong-species catch? 
I catch turtles and bream with regularity on fake bait, typically by foul-hooking, but sometime's they'll actually eat it. I've caught some crappie as well, but never a big fish like a cat or a carp yet. I know a guy who foul-hooked a goose and had a terrible mess getting the hook out. Not fun!

Share your stories.

[desmobob]

On southern Lake Champlain, it's a regular occurrence.  Channel cats, sheepshead, northern pike and pickerel, bowfin...  I even caught an unexpected 6 lb. 15 oz. walleye on a crank bait early one morning!

 

My biggest "mistake" was a 14 lb. 4 oz. northern pike.

 

Here's an ugly bowfin that ate a wacky-rigged Senko:

 

Here's a 10 lb. 1 oz. northern caught the same day on a 'trap:  (I lost two spinnerbaits to big northerns that morning.)

Tight lines,

Bob

[Mr_Scrogg]

Bluebasser is the KING of Drum and cats. But! HiSalenity catches MONSTER Flatheads dragging a jig in 10-30 FOW

[DFrench97]

For some reason pike hit senkos at my lake?

[fishguy613]

Back in summer I had a really nice muskellunge thump my jig when I pitched it under a boat, was good times

[Dwight Hottle]

On Lake Erie you just never know. I have caught walleye, pike, lake trout, steelhead, channel cats, brown trout, perch, largemouth, rock bass, white bass, drum, gobies and white perch while fishing for smallies. I know I lost a musky that smoked me in front of a creek as well.

[EmersonFish]

The drum bite really seems to be on for me this year. They have developed a taste for Baby Brush Hogs.

[Munkin]

Depends on where I am fishing?

 

Lower Potomac I catch some nice blue cats on bass lures. Deep Creek Lake you catch everything that swims in a 8 hour bass tournament. Upper Potomac it is a lot of big panfish.

 

Allen

[buzzed bait]

caught like an 8 lb carp one time on a 5' ultra light setup with 4 or 6 lb line that was fun.  

aside from that i caught a gar one time and had no idea how i was going to get the hook out left my net and grippers at the house that day....  got it right up to the kayak and for the first time smiled from ear to ear when the fish spit my crank bait into my kayak....

[Bluebasser86]

It's a rare trip that I don't catch the "wrong species". As an avid multispecies angler though, there really isn't a "wrong species" in my book

14lbs on a baby brush hog under a dock.

Rattle trap wiper

20lb blue cat on 4lb test and a 2" power minnow.

Monster pumpkinseeds on baby brush hogs and jerkbaits

13" jerkbait crappie.

Big wiggle wart rainbow

15lb gar on a Mattlures trout

Keitech wallys

25lbs on a finesse jig.

 

My 2 biggest "wrong" fish. Neither got weighed, scale broke trying to weigh the flathead and it was too far of a walk to the truck for the carp.

6 3/4" S waver eating grass carp

Hardest jig bite I've ever had.

[shanksmare]

Here in SW FL there are many "wrong species" of fish present. I've caught gar, bowfin, mayan cichlids, white and blue tilapia, a variety of catfish species and tarpon on lures meant for bass. But the most frequent accidental catches are snook that have made their way into freshwater. A 15 lb snook is a worthy advisary. Their raspy lips make short work of 20 lb mono if they come in contact with it. By the way, they just love bladed jigs although I've caught them on a variety of lures - even worms.

[Catch and Grease]

I catch big bowfin and pickerel all the time but don't weigh them often, I know I've caught bowfin atleast 8lbs before probably more...

[boostr]

Here in SW FL there are many "wrong species" of fish present. I've caught gar, bowfin, mayan cichlids, white and blue tilapia, a variety of catfish species and tarpon on lures meant for bass. But the most frequent accidental catches are snook that have made their way into freshwater. A 15 lb snook is a worthy advisary. Their raspy lips make short work of 20 lb mono if they come in contact with it. By the way, they just love bladed jigs although I've caught them on a variety of lures - even worms.

I wouldn't mind at all going bass fishing, and hooking up on a Tarpon our or Snook.

[boostr]

I've caught the usual Pickeral or Pike. I don't mind catching Pike as long as they don't break off my lures.

[Scott F]

My wife used to get mad when she caught something she wasn't fishing for. Happens all the time. Here is a drum I got down on Pickwick and a walleye in Wisconsin.

 

 

[desmobob]

 

 

A nice walleye has been the only thing that has made me fill up the live well and keep a fish.  I'm a 99.9% catch-and-release guy.  Except for nice walleyes!   They come home to the frying pan.

 

Tight lines,

Bob

[Catch and Grease]

Hey desmobob, I see in that picture of the bowfin you caught you are holding it with a fish grip vertical. I would advise you not to do this... Bowfin have some pretty crazy rolls and they will freak out even when they seem completely wore out, if they spaz out while you are holding them like that it can mess their jaws up bad. If one happens to start freaking out don't try to stop it just kinda go with it, still hold onto the fish grip but let him do what he wants if that makes sense...

 

I used to do that to but stopped not to long ago becaue I realized it was bad for them...

[Dwight Hottle]

A-jay likes the diversity when the smallies quit biting.

 

 

[desmobob]

Hey desmobob, I see in that picture of the bowfin you caught you are holding it with a fish grip vertical. I would advise you not to do this... Bowfin have some pretty crazy rolls and they will freak out even when they seem completely wore out, if they spaz out while you are holding them like that it can mess their jaws up bad. If one happens to start freaking out don't try to stop it just kinda go with it, still hold onto the fish grip but let him do what he wants if that makes sense...

 

I used to do that to but stopped not to long ago becaue I realized it was bad for them...

 

Thanks for the tip!

 

I know it's risky to hoist a fish vertically by the lower jaw, but it's the only quick and easy way I know of to take a quick photo when I'm by myself.  I guess an alternative is to lay the fish down on the deck, but I know that rubbing off some of the fish's slime layer can be a very bad thing, too.  Any ideas?

 

Tight lines,

Bob

[SHaugh]

I've developed a severe case of photo *** from this thread.... those don't look "wrong" to me....

[Catch and Grease]

Thanks for the tip!

I know it's risky to hoist a fish vertically by the lower jaw, but it's the only quick and easy way I know of to take a quick photo when I'm by myself. I guess an alternative is to lay the fish down on the deck, but I know that rubbing off some of the fish's slime layer can be a very bad thing, too. Any ideas?

Tight lines,

Bob

I just lay them flat with some kind of object so people can see how big it is, I'm sure laying them down for a few seconds to take a picture won't hurt... Mudfish are one tough fish! I wonder how well they respond to catch and release...

[geo g]

We all catch other species when we go out fishing. Sometimes conditions will make it make for increased junk fishing. In South Florida there is a wide variety of other fish on the menu. Caught regularly, snakeheads, peacocks, bowfin, chain pickerel, gar, alligator gar, huge grass carp, pacu, myian cichlids, freshwater snook, freshwater tarpon, Oscars, rock bass, occasional gator, just to name a few. You never know what will tug on your line.

[PersicoTrotaVA]

My other species is usually these guys:

 

I have hooked bowfin but never gotten them to the boat and I catch the occasional crappie slab but I like crappie fishing and don't get upset when I catch one.  Sometimes I get a big bull bluegill, also fun.

[Senko lover]

I forgot to add in the forum starter that I have caught a Northern. It was a small 20-incher on an equally small Bomber spinnerbait. 

I rarely target species besides bass, but I want to catch both a big carp and a big cat, which are present in the ponds I fish. I see giant (20 lb) carp all the time finning and stirring up mud in one of the ponds. There is about 10-20 of them, including a koi which is bright orange and you can see it from across the pond. That would be fun to catch! I'm told they are great fighters. 

I don't eat any of the fish I catch; my parents aren't too big on cleaning fish. (I'm thirteen) Bummer. I would if they'd let me, though. 

[geo g]

I forgot to add in the forum starter that I have caught a Northern. It was a small 20-incher on an equally small Bomber spinnerbait. 

I rarely target species besides bass, but I want to catch both a big carp and a big cat, which are present in the ponds I fish. I see giant (20 lb) carp all the time finning and stirring up mud in one of the ponds. There is about 10-20 of them, including a koi which is bright orange and you can see it from across the pond. That would be fun to catch! I'm told they are great fighters. 

I don't eat any of the fish I catch; my parents aren't too big on cleaning fish. (I'm thirteen) Bummer. I would if they'd let me, though.

I have never had a big carp bite a lure, but I have snagged them twice with a wacky rigged trick worm, and once with a zara spook. One had to be over 20 pounds.