What Is Your Strangest, Unintended Catch

[A-Jay]

2 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

I have bad luck with birds. I've caught a couple seagulls, a Grebe, an owl, and a blue heron. The owl slammed into a muskie jitterbug while I was night fishing, thought I had a state record. 

 

My jerkbait Grebe.

 Sweet ~   I have loons chasing baits all the time. 

Never caught one but I guess it seems inevitable; although I don't think I've heard or seen anyone else hook one so maybe they are just 'chasers'.  Either way, when I don't know one's around and it suddenly shows up behind my bait at the boat - there always a moment of "Holy $%^&", followed by some random, out loud name calling and some directions as to where I'd like that water fowl to go . . . . 

They're actually pretty big up close.

A-Jay

 

[Bluebasser86]

1 hour ago, A-Jay said:

 Sweet ~   I have loons chasing baits all the time. 

Never caught one but I guess it seems inevitable; although I don't think I've heard or seen anyone else hook one so maybe they are just 'chasers'.  Either way, when I don't know one's around and it suddenly shows up behind my bait at the boat - there always a moment of "Holy $%^&", followed by some random, out loud name calling and some directions as to where I'd like that water fowl to go . . . . 

They're actually pretty big up close.

A-Jay

 

I had a loon come out from under the boat chasing my jerkbait at Table Rock, a big male. You're right, they're a large bird when you see one up close, especially when they surprise you like that. That little Grebe was easy to deal with, would not want to have to try to unhook a loon. 

[Jigfishn10]

I was striper fishing in Maine in the bay and hooked into "something". I knew it wasn't a striper just from the fight, this was more like dead weight, kind of like trying to reel in a garbage can lid. It took a while or what seemed like forever but I finally got it to the boat:

Not the actual pic, but this Goosefish or "Monkfish" as titled on a restaurant menu, was pretty scary to me at first. I was a little more careful than usual taking the hook out. I ended up with 4 that day. All went back in the water.

[Megastink]

1) computer monitor

2) sock full of change

3) shopping cart

4) goose

5) snapping turtle

6) various articles of clothing/shoes

[A-Jay]

13 minutes ago, Jigfishn10 said:

I was striper fishing in Maine in the bay and hooked into "something". I knew it wasn't a striper just from the fight, this was more like dead weight, kind of like trying to reel in a garbage can lid. It took a while or what seemed like forever but I finally got it to the boat:

Not the actual pic, but this Goosefish or "Monkfish" as titled on a restaurant menu, was pretty scary to me at first. I was a little more careful than usual taking the hook out. I ended up with 4 that day. All went back in the water.

Back in the day we called those "the poor man's Lobster"

Ugly but the tail is some good eats.

A-Jay

[Scarborough817]

i hook into muscles all the time when throwing a crank, had multiple seagulls try to eat my spook, but the strangest was a tool box 

[12poundbass]

About 11 years ago my wife and I were night fishing. She had never done it before so I was excited to take her.

 

It was over cast and extremely dark. She was using a Pop-R. She lost sight of her lure as a swan was swimming by. She panicked and started reeling in so they wouldn't cross paths. She felt a tug followed by a honk and flapping of wings, followed by a giant white bird flying right by us with her line!

 

It quickly snapped and she worried about the bird. Needless to say that was the end of the night and she hasn't been night fishing since.

[jr231]

About a decade ago when I was 13 or 14..  I was bobber fishing in a state park in Michigan. Just trying to catch anything I could... I ended up having a huge take on my bobber! It was a giant splash not even 10 feet from where I was standing. I reeled in out of excitement and the fish ended up taking my worm... I battled it on my little ultra light and got it to the walkway I was fishing off of...and at the time it was the strangest thing I've seen.. the fish was about 20+" , had an eel like body with a round head and had teeth ! Not only that but it made a very strange grunting noise out of the water. 

 

I had no idea what I had... My step father was a paramedic and was sitting outside of the park on call, his buddy told me it was a dogfish... Which made sense to me cuz of the weird noises it was making out of the water.. 

 

I know today that it was a bowfin. And it's not so strange after all... But at the time, it was very exciting and odd. 

[NYWayfarer]

14 hours ago, NHBull said:

A seagull......and I did get my lure back!

 

Same here. Gull dove and snapped up my catch as I was reeling it in while surfcasting.

 

My son recently caught a snake that struck his lure as he was bringing it in. I unhooked it myself after determining it was non-poisonous.

[Jigfishn10]

Oh sheesh @A-Jay, back when you I started eating seafood, lobster was considered the poor man's seafood dinner, what were they doing with monkfish, giving it away?!?!

 

Actually, not long after I caught them I heard that the tail section was delicious. I should have tuned into the Food Network a long time ago...

 

We actually caught Spiny Dogfish that day as well and I found out that Dogfish was originally used by the English for Fish & Chips. I'm not sure how true that is though.

[Jigfishn10]

1 hour ago, 12poundbass said:

About 11 years ago my wife and I were night fishing. She had never done it before so I was excited to take her.

 

It was over cast and extremely dark. She was using a Pop-R. She lost sight of her lure as a swan was swimming by. She panicked and started reeling in so they wouldn't cross paths. She felt a tug followed by a honk and flapping of wings, followed by a giant white bird flying right by us with her line!

 

It quickly snapped and she worried about the bird. Needless to say that was the end of the night and she hasn't been night fishing since.

A bird on the hook is worth 2 in the....Ah never mind

[A-Jay]

17 minutes ago, Jigfishn10 said:

Oh sheesh @A-Jay, back when you I started eating seafood, lobster was considered the poor man's seafood dinner, what were they doing with monkfish, giving it away?!?!

 

Actually, not long after I caught them I heard that the tail section was delicious. I should have tuned into the Food Network a long time ago...

 

We actually caught Spiny Dogfish that day as well and I found out that Dogfish was originally used by the English for Fish & Chips. I'm not sure how true that is though.

Times were tough for some of us back then.  We had a family friend who was a commercial fisherman out of Boston.  I used to take the "T" into town as a kid and meet the boat at the dock.  Helping to unload fish & then load ice would get me a little scratch.  That's where I learned about the monkfish tails.  The dealers considered them trash fish / worthless but the fisherman knew better and kept everyone. 

A-Jay

[UPSmallie]

Caught 3 of these mudpuppy salamanders ice-fishing this past year.  This one wasn't my PB, but the longest I caught was just over 12 inches.

 

[Doelman]

I've hooked into all kinds of weird things saltwater fishing.

An absolutely huge green sea turtle, easily 250 lbs, with a cobia jig.

A 6 foot sand shark on a piece of squid the size of my thumb, hooked it in the corner of the mouth and managed to get it in on Fluoro on a snapper rod.

Fought so many dolphins, I've almost had one ram me when I was wade fishing, never hooked one though.

Caught a cuddlefish on a sibiki rig.

Octopus on cut bait.

Cormorant on a twitch bait.

A boot.

[Djohn]

High top Chuck Taylor. It really put up a fight!

[AustinHellickson]

Not really strange but unintentionally caught a catfish while fishing in Florida today. Never seen a catfish before so I was kind of freaked out a first LOL

[Russ E]

a 4 foot long nose gar on a squarebill. never dealt with a gar before and did not want to lose my last crankbait, so I netted him and brought him in the boat.

won't do that again. he went nuts. teeth and sharp scales flying around my deck. got my bait back, but his scales shredded my hands and he slimed my boat.

[Crestliner2008]

I caught a large carp on a fast retrieved spinnerbait once.

[Dens228]

A big bullfrog on a hollow body frog.

 

[scaleface]

1 hour ago, Dens228 said:

A big bullfrog on a hollow body frog.

 

A big bullfrog on a buzzbait .

[.ghoti.]

Ever see an old cartoon of a guy reeling in a boot? The old style galoshes, with buckles? Caught one of those with a jig. The jig was inside the boot, hooked just above the heel.

 

Reeled in a small aluminum ladder on LOZ.

 

My fav; a bikini top from an obviously well endowed lady. That one put a smile on my face.

[deaknh03]

On August 17, 2017 at 11:28 PM, A-Jay said:

Striped bass fishing in the Merrimac River, Newburyport, Ma, fall of 1980 something -  on a dark, cold & windy night.

Hooked something BIG - wasn't fighting much, or at all. Seemed very heavy, like dead weight.

Took forever to get in.  Had 2 Buddies helping me. Couldn't imagine what the heck it was, but it was slowly coming in.

It was like a war pulling against the out going tide.  Had the flashlights beaming out into the river trying to see what the heck I had.

Finally came close enough to get a glimpse - looked weird.  Couldn't tell.

Then someone said jokingly "Hope it's not a body" . . . . . . . .

I started getting a little bummed out but I was too far into this to give up now - I had to know.

Mistake.

It was a big old bloated & very stanky, beheaded deer carcass. 

I cut the line and earned a new nickname.

Deer Hunter.

 

A-Jay

The wife and I are going to newburyport today...not fishing, dining.

[Hurricane]

Figured i would try braided line again a couple weeks ago and had a decent day on the water but not the best.. It was a crazy day on erie with pleasure cruisers everywhere.. i cast out and these 2 idiots drove real close to us and my braided line wrapped around their motor.. Easy way to get all of the braid off my reel.. i am sure he was happy with the 100 yards of braid wrapped around his weekend joy ride...

[A-Jay]

1 hour ago, deaknh03 said:

The wife and I are going to newburyport today...not fishing, dining.

 

 While stationed at the USCG small boat station (1982-85) there on Waters St. I ate many a meal & spent many night at the Starboard Galley - right next door.   

Really good eats & fuzzy times. . . .

A-Jay

http://starboardgalley.com/

 

[deaknh03]

7 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

 

 While stationed at the USCG small boat station (1982-85) there on Waters St. I ate many a meal & spent many night at the Starboard Galley - right next door.   

Really good eats & fuzzy times. . . .

A-Jay

http://starboardgalley.com/

 

While I'm sure its a fine place, not sure the wife and I will be going to a sailor hangout.