Top water wildlife annnnnnd...they gone!

[wcjohnson]

The other night I was out fishing a pond behind my place and the resident muskrat was paddling around the middle of the pond. I went to grab my phone to send my wife a Snapchat because she thinks he's adorable - well, I hear a loud smack and look up to see a huge water ripple where Mr. muskrat was swimming. I couldn't believe it!

 

I'm curious to hear others stories about wildlife you've seen on the water and all of a sudden, they gone! I'm telling myself it was a bass, but it was probably a big 'ole catfish... but most definitely a bass ?

[Black Hawk Basser]

I've seen a little group of baby ducks get blown up on at dusk.  I've also seen a duck that must have been injured, couldn't fly well, get repeatedly harassed by a fish.  The duck just kept on swimming and trying to fly away, but couldn't get far.  Soon enough after landing, something under the surface was messing with it.  QUUUAAAACK QUAAACKK!!

[BigAngus752]

I don't doubt you but just to make sure you are aware, your area (which is where I'm from) has beavers as well as muskrats.  A smallish beaver looks like a muskrat when swimming (I've made that mistake myself) and a beaver slaps it's tail when alarmed causing a loud sound on the water before it disappears under the water.  FYI just in case you have inherited a beaver in your pond.  Take a drive and bring your boat to Clinton Lake sometime.  If you go back in the large no wake area behind the marina on a weekday when there's little traffic you are going to get slapped at. Especially in the fall.  The big ones can slap like a .22LR going off.  

[TnRiver46]

I see several beaver most every evening swimming around and slapping their tails. We also have muskrat, mink, otter, big ole sewer rats, swimming raccoons, you name it. Some of the scariest can be when an osprey dive bombs into the water right next to the trolling motor 

[Steveo-1969]

Years ago when I was a small boy my family was vacationing on a lake in northern Wisconsin. Next to our dock was a huge oak tree hanging out over the water. We watched a squirrel jump out of the overhanging branches onto a rock in the water to get an acorn sitting on there. No sooner had he grabbed the acorn when we heard a huge splash and a musky grabbed that squirrel right off the rock!

 

A couple minutes later we heard a smaller splash caused by that same musky as she placed another acorn on that rock.

[TnRiver46]

15 minutes ago, Steveo-1969 said:

Years ago when I was a small boy my family was vacationing on a lake in northern Wisconsin. Next to our dock was a huge oak tree hanging out over the water. We watched a squirrel jump out of the overhanging branches onto a rock in the water to get an acorn sitting on there. No sooner had he grabbed the acorn when we heard a huge splash and a musky grabbed that squirrel right off the rock!

 

A couple minutes later we heard a smaller splash caused by that same musky as she placed another acorn on that rock.

Hahahaha my cousin tells me the exact same story 

[Tennessee Boy]

I was fishing once when a duck started flapping her wings on the water.  At first I didn’t think much of it.  I’d seen ducks playing hurt many times to draw a predator away from their nest.  This one just wouldn’t stop and I told my buddy that if she kept it up she would convince me that something  really was wrong with her.  Well she kept flapping franticly on the water and started come right at me.  I trolled up close to her a saw that a snapping turtle had her leg.  First I poked the turtle with my rod.  He didn’t turn loose.  Then I dipped him up with my net and he let go. 

[Largies4Life]

I was about to go floating down a river with some friends when we were still in college and right when we were about leave shore, a big Musky came up and made a duck disappear in plain sight! Never knew Muskies were magicians like that.

 

Had another experience this year on the water where we were fishing a bank and had seen a beaver about 100 yards up the bank. By the time we got up there we figured he was gone by now, or so we thought...I casted a swim jig up near shore and when I was about half way from the boat, I heard a huge SLAP in the water. Sure enough, it was this beaver right next to us trying to scare us off. I wasn't paying attention to my lure when it all happened, but I can tell you that I was paying extra close attention the rest of the night. Talk about a wake up call!

[slonezp]

Last fall i watched a bass eat a funnel cake. I'm not totally sure why the funnel cake was swimming in water rather than hot oil. Interesting nonetheless. 

[Jleebesaw]

I have seen ducks and baby geese fall victim to, I assume, pike and or muskies many times over the years. I've never actually seen it happen, but 5 baby geese following mama, a big splash, and then  4 baby geese and a frantic mama. 

     I have been scared half to death by beavers many times too. 

      Last summer a friend of mine had a nice largemouth vomit up a half digested rat onto my boat. It was so gross.

[Koz]

I haven't seen fish blow up on anything exciting, but I've seen gators blow up on birds and fish.

[Way north bass guy]

I caught a 4lb smallmouth on a spinnerbait that already had a full grown squirrel in its throat. Talk about a hungry bass! I’ve also seen largemouth take down squirrels swimming across a small, pad filled channel. 

[MountainMan83]

6 hours ago, Largies4Life said:

Had another experience this year on the water where we were fishing a bank and had seen a beaver about 100 yards up the bank. By the time we got up there we figured he was gone by now, or so we thought...I casted a swim jig up near shore and when I was about half way from the boat, I heard a huge SLAP in the water. Sure enough, it was this beaver right next to us trying to scare us off. I wasn't paying attention to my lure when it all happened, but I can tell you that I was paying extra close attention the rest of the night. Talk about a wake up call!

I brought my canoe one year to a small, mid river retention pond in WV, where the were visible signs of beaver activity. Well, it didn't take long before the curious and somewhat hostile beavers wanted to see what's up. One swam under the bottom of the canoe and tail smacked it hard. That and the giant snapping turtles definitely kept me aware.

 

 

 

[jbmaine]

If only jet skies would disappear like that.?

[BigAngus752]

20 hours ago, slonezp said:

Last fall i watched a bass eat a funnel cake. I'm not totally sure why the funnel cake was swimming in water rather than hot oil. Interesting nonetheless. 

And now, if Tackle Warehouse sold funnel cakes, I would be buying them...