Hawk fishing

[N Florida Mike]

I bought me some Z-Man frogs.First time user.Cast a few times and pulled the frog out of the water.Right then a hawk flew right under  my arm and attacked the frog while it was dangling 2 feet or so from the end of the rod.As soon as he realized his mistake,he disengaged and flew off into a tree.Just glad he wasn't hooked!!

[Bluebasser86]

I caught an owl on a jitterbug night fishing. A few weeks ago, I had a blue heron fly through my line mid-cast while night fishing and got my bladed jig stuck in it's side right in front of it's wing. Not something I recommend trying. 

[Turkey sandwich]

31 minutes ago, Bluebasser86 said:

I caught an owl on a jitterbug night fishing. A few weeks ago, I had a blue heron fly through my line mid-cast while night fishing and got my bladed jig stuck in it's side right in front of it's wing. Not something I recommend trying. 

How'd that get resolved?

[Bluebasser86]

The owl put up a good fight and eventually crash landed into a blackberry bush and the hooks pulled out in the process. 

The heron was brought close to the boat to see if I could push the bait loose with my lure retriever, but could not. No desire to find out how sharp that bill really is, so it's now sporting a trendy new bladed jig piercing. 

[OCdockskipper]

I had a small sparrow or swallow do that to me about a month ago, except the bait he was interested in was a ZMan TRD.  Smaller baits attract smaller birds.

By friends sister told me that when she was a teenager, she hit a swallow mid cast with a buzzbait.  She wasn't aiming at it, she just cast it toward a bridge and the bird & buzzbait collided.  She didn't know what had happened at first, all of a sudden her reel backlashed and these feathers started floating down a short distance from the boat.

[N Florida Mike]

I took my friends son fishing and towards dark we started seeing bats.Not unusual here in the summer.He mentioned that he was scared of bats.Not 30 minutes later one flew between his rod and line and got stuck,as he was flipping his rod up and down trying to get some weeds off his line.He didn't realize it had been a bat until I told him.

[CenCal fisher]

The only hit I ever got on my whopper plopper was an owl. I had an eagle take a shot at a bass I was reeling in. I also had a seagul fly into my line while I was surf fishing and I had to untangle it. Birds are bold 

[MRBAMA57]

Had that happen with an owl.  It was in the middle of the day and he went for my top water lure. Jerked it away just in time. Owls are very fast!

[ottosmagic13]

Never hooked any feathered friends myself but did see a snapping turtle destroy a pigeon right next to me. 

Was under a bridge fishing along the riprap shore and up against the bridge pilling. Pidgeons everywhere on the underside bridge structure, one had flown down to the rocks on the shore, not a second after landing did this turtle crush this bird and drag it in. 

seen plenty of YouTube videos of birds stealing catches from anglers. 

[Bankbeater]

I've never hooked anything with feathers before, but I have had snakes go after a topwaters and jigs.

[soflabasser]

I recently had a hawk swoop down to eat my topwater lure,but I was fortunate to reel the lure fast enough so the hawk didn't get hooked.Have had cormorants and seagulls take my lures before,not fun removing a angry bird from a lure with 2 treble hooks on it.

[GORDO]

I had a duck drive under water, swim 15 yards and eat my medium diver. I didnt realize ducks ate fish! I would freak out if i hooked into a bird with a sharp beak and talons lol

dive*

 

[geo g]

I have caught a hawk in mid flight on Alligator Alley, when he flew into my line and then the devil horse moved quickly up to the bird and hooked him in the arm pit.  He dropped like a stone into the canal.   it was an ere  bringing the bird in on its back and the talons opening and closing, and squawking like crazy, in a threatening manner.   Luckily we had two big towels we threw over the bird and got the treble hook out   from the wing. The bird sat for ten minutes in a low bush and then flew off ticked at us.  Something I don't want to deal with again!!!!!  

[tholmes]

I had an osprey grab a Zara Spook but never got hooked. 

A couple of months ago, I had a cormorant dive after a spinnerbait. I just barely got it back before he grabbed it. 

 

Tom

[Further North]

I've caught two ducks...one hen mallard grabbed a Rapala underwater, came up to the surface and took off making all kinds of noise,,,had to reel her in like a fish that went up instead of down...if was weird...got her unhooked and set free.

2nd time was last summer on Lake of the Woods; I cast across a small bay and a smallish duck flushed from the water perpendicular to my line before it hit the water...and ran into my line...which ran the lure right into its body...it got unhooked by itself but it was a wild couple of minutes.

A friend I was fly fishing with caught a bat on his back-cast once.  That was a complete PITA as you're potentially dealing with rabies if you get bit.

...I often "fish" for the neighbor's cat when when I'm practicing fly casting out on the lawn.  I use a fly that has no hook, so there's no danger to the cat...it's fun to see her stalk the fly through the grass and pounce.