What Is Your Strangest, Unintended Catch

[Pro Logcatcher]

I've caught some weird stuff...

 

A vacuum cleaner

an umbrella

a snapping turtle on a homemade crankbait (I got a backlash and it was sitting in the water, once I got it out my crank was gone)

a tiny sunfish on a 1 oz jig

an enormous snapping turtle ate a two pound catfish off the stringer once, bent the metal...

 

And 

The bottom, more than fifty times ?

 

 

[haggard]

[Fishingmickey]

I saw a Heron was mentioned earlier. This spring I caught a great blue heron on a spinner bait. I was beating the bank and the heron flew up from behind some reeds and right into my line. It got tangled in my line just after I had made a cast. I managed to land the heron. Covered it's head with my jacket and untangled & unhooked him. I was in my kayak at the time and didn't know it at the time but one of the other guys fishing the tournament saw me catch the heron. It was joked afterwards at the weigh in on whether or not I should get the big bird award. I've also caught the usual plethora of turtles, clams. A couple rods and reels, one used to be a decent combo (Shimano Curado E50 on a St. Croix rod).  I've been meaning to send the reel off to DVT and see if it is salvageable. Last but not least was a gill net (probably 20-30' long) I snagged it on a crank bait. Highly illegal in fresh water here in Texas. I notified the game warden and trashed the net.

Fishingmickey

[Dr. Watson]

10 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

Just don't try to lip them, trust me.

Ouch.....I had no intention of grabbing him, I left him hooked and paddled to the shore to get more leverage and some help lol

[slonezp]

On 12/3/2018 at 2:36 AM, Bluebasser86 said:

Just don't try to lip them, trust me.

A mere flesh wound

[flyfisher]

my ex wife

[A-Jay]

11 minutes ago, flyfisher said:

my ex wife

Stick Bait ?

A-Jay

[N Florida Mike]

This thing is probably mine. It's some kind of puffer .

[Way north bass guy]

2 minutes ago, N Florida Mike said:

This thing is probably mine. It's some kind of puffer .

 Not many nice places to get ahold of that guy! Looks like a good one for a “pliers only release”.

[FishDewd]

On 8/17/2017 at 6:44 PM, GrumpyOlPhartte said:

7. My own water shoe (containing one foot ... mine)

 

 

Man sounds like a bad day when you loose your foot and water shoe all in one! Careful or you'll end up like Chubbs Peterson!

[slonezp]

Last summer I caught a Natty Light with a pull top on a jerkbait

[Bluebasser86]

9 hours ago, slonezp said:

A mere flesh wound

Pretty sure it either broke a tooth off in the joint of my index finger or it did some kind of damage to it, still hurts to bend it all the way. 

[N Florida Mike]

22 hours ago, Way north bass guy said:

 Not many nice places to get ahold of that guy! Looks like a good one for a “pliers only release”.

You got that right. Hardest fish Ive unhooked in years. Hard even with pliers.

[J.Vincent]

Many years ago I was casting a Jerkbait on Lake Erie, and I snagged what I thought was a water logged orange life preserver....but when I got the life preserver within 20 feet , the life preserver began swimming....and it actually turned out to be a giant bright orange Goldfish. 

[Hillbilly Bennett]

I caught a mud turtle on a $20 popper out of Guntersville. It destroyed that lure. I also caught a 10+ pound catfish on that popper during that trip too. Anyone else ever catch a catfish on topwater? Blew my mind. I watched my dad catch a beer can and a shoe out of Chickamagua and he caught a 20+ pound Carp that he snagged right in the bung hole while we were trolling for walleye on Dale Hollow. He thought he had the state record on when he was reeling that thing in. Every time it would swing its tail when it was swimming it looked like a massive head shake. Crazy. 

[Sam]

Our club's last tournament of the year this past November on the Historic James River had me nailing a used condom.

 

I shook it lose and never touched it.

 

Gross.  

[Bluebasser86]

8 hours ago, Hillbilly Bennett said:

 Anyone else ever catch a catfish on topwater? 

Lots of them. They love a buzzbait. I catch several every year on them. The worse are when they destroy a frog through the grass, it looks like a state record every time they do it and you can't really tell what it is because they bury in the grass and it isn't until you see them that the giant letdown happens. 

[soflabasser]

On 12/15/2018 at 5:17 PM, N Florida Mike said:

This thing is probably mine. It's some kind of puffer .

Yes it is a pufferfish. They are very common in South Florida, especially in the Florida Keys. I have caught huge ones over 12 pounds on live blue crabs as bycatch while fishing for permit.

9 hours ago, Hillbilly Bennett said:

 Anyone else ever catch a catfish on topwater? Blew my mind.

I have caught a couple channel catfish on poppers and channel catfish, bullheads, and other types of exotic catfish on poppers, jerkbaits, crankbaits, swimbaits, and jigs. 

[Hillbilly Bennett]

9 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

Lots of them. They love a buzzbait. I catch several every year on them. The worse are when they destroy a frog through the grass, it looks like a state record every time they do it and you can't really tell what it is because they bury in the grass and it isn't until you see them that the giant letdown happens. 

Looks like that cat hammered that Cavatron buzzbait. That’s the only cat I’ve ever caught on topwater and I swore that it was “Ol Rufus” himself when it hit it. 

[slonezp]

On 12/17/2018 at 11:18 PM, Bluebasser86 said:

Lots of them. They love a buzzbait. I catch several every year on them. The worse are when they destroy a frog through the grass, it looks like a state record every time they do it and you can't really tell what it is because they bury in the grass and it isn't until you see them that the giant letdown happens. 

So, you're wearing gloves. What temp are you catching cats on topwater? I catch cats all summer where the bass should be. I catch them in cold water with crappies. Don't fight worth a **** when the water is cold. They roll all the way to the boat.

[Bluebasser86]

25 minutes ago, slonezp said:

So, you're wearing gloves. What temp are you catching cats on topwater? I catch cats all summer where the bass should be. I catch them in cold water with crappies. Don't fight worth a **** when the water is cold. They roll all the way to the boat.

Those are Guidewear sun protection gloves. It was probably 60-70 degrees out with water temps in the 70s still.

[brgbassmaster]

Channel cat on a spro frog

[MO_TightLines]

The two that really stand out for me are:

 

#1 - I was fishing a Chatterbait on Lake of the Ozarks and had a Drum hit it. I couldn’t even believe his mouth held up for me to get him to the boat.

 

#2 - I was fishing a river for Smallmouth with a Ned Rig and my Spinning Rod Doubled over and felt like it was going to break. I took it slow and pulled up a HUGE snapping turtle that I had hooked in one of its toes right behind a claw. That was quite a chore getting him off.

[TnRiver46]

On 12/15/2018 at 5:20 PM, Way north bass guy said:

 Not many nice places to get ahold of that guy! Looks like a good one for a “pliers only release”.

One of those things literally ate a small chunk of my thumb.

[GonzoFishing]

Bass fishing in a local pond with a topwater prop bait I got smashed by a Pacu which after fighting for approx. 30 min ended up weighing 27lbs! An amazing hit in shallow water and a great fight. I'm guessing it was mating or protecting a bed of some sort but it hit this topwater like a truck and with a vengeance!