Crazy bycatches?

[Mr. Aquarium]

What are some memorable bycatches you’ve caught in a tournie or fun fishing? 

[Luke Barnes]

I'm interested in the answer to this as well!

[bulldog1935]

just for fun, sight-fishing long-nosed gar on fly rod.  

Takes a sharp hook for hook-up, and you only get a few, but it's a blast to watch them shoot 8-10' across the surface to attack your fly.  

If you do hook up, they make astounding aerials.  

[MGF]

13 hours ago, bulldog1935 said:

just for fun, sight-fishing long-nosed gar on fly rod.  

Takes a sharp hook for hook-up, and you only get a few, but it's a blast to watch them shoot 8-10' across the surface to attack your fly.  

If you do hook up, they make astounding aerials.  

Only once when I was a teen I happened to be on a rental boat messing around with a fly rod and a popper when a bunch of gar started chasing stuff including my popper. Had several on but didn't land any...those tiny hooks just didn't hang on to them. It was a crazy time.

[Mr. Aquarium]

I got a Florida gar once. I didn’t get a picture tho, I tried grabbing and holding on to take a picture but slipped out of my hand 

 

would really love to catch more 

[Ski]

[TheBasslayer]

While saltwater fishing in a Florida canal 4 years ago, I caught a stingray on a live shrimp! Needed my big brother's help to pull it up from the bottom.

[Bluegillslayer]

11 hours ago, TheBasslayer said:

I caught a stingray on a live shrimp! Needed my big brother's help to pull it up from the bottom.

My little brother caught a stingray on our Florida vacation a few months ago, he refused to touch it!

[TheBasslayer]

1 hour ago, Bluegillslayer said:

My little brother caught a stingray on our Florida vacation a few months ago, he refused to touch it!

Nice, my grandpa was cautious and used a boogie board to subdue it so we could get the hook out!

[bulldog1935]

23 hours ago, TheBasslayer said:

While saltwater fishing in a Florida canal 4 years ago, I caught a stingray on a live shrimp! Needed my big brother's help to pull it up from the bottom.

In blackwater on the beach one day (blackwater = calm, low tide, gin-clear but black with bait) I hooked a 20+ lb stingray on a fly rod.  Took me a half-hour to drag it up on the beach, while my buddies were limiting out on specs.  

It's OK, they waited for me to get my trout limit, too.  

[J Francho]

Freshwater clams are always funny.  

[TheBasslayer]

3 hours ago, bulldog1935 said:

In blackwater on the beach one day (blackwater = calm, low tide, gin-clear but black with bait) I hooked a 20+ lb stingray on a fly rod.  Took me a half-hour to drag it up on the beach, while my buddies were limiting out on specs.  

It's OK, they waited for me to get my trout limit, too.  

Nice. Mine wasn't that big, but they fight hard!

 

[Mr. Aquarium]

I would die to catch a ray 

[J Francho]

You could die messing with a ray

 

[bulldog1935]

the trick to getting your hook back is getting them turned over, flat on the deck.  

 

Caught a big one on this lazy day in the Arroyo Colorado barge canal, and Lou and I looked pretty pro getting it handled.  

And yeah, would rather it had been a big flounder.  

[Bluegillslayer]

On 4/13/2021 at 1:43 PM, bulldog1935 said:

big flounder.

Rays got nothing on a flounder, I love flat fish

[TheBasslayer]

I have actually caught a flounder before. I was very surprised that it ate a Gulp! Shrimp on a twist-lock jig, but it did! I was on some saltwater river in Florida, in the early morning. At the time I still was a new fisherman, and I just asked the Bass Pro Shops guy what to get.

[redmeansdistortion]

I catch mud puppies fishing smallies on Lake St Clair from time to time.  They're ugly little suckers that look like something out of an alien invasion movie.  They seemingly love tube jigs.

 

 

 

 

[the reel ess]

On 4/15/2021 at 7:57 AM, TheBasslayer said:

I have actually caught a flounder before. I was very surprised that it ate a Gulp! Shrimp on a twist-lock jig, but it did! I was on some saltwater river in Florida, in the early morning. At the time I still was a new fisherman, and I just asked the Bass Pro Shops guy what to get.

I went to the local bait shop in Pawley's Island, SC and asked for some lures for reds, trout and flounder, expecting to pay $30 for an assortment. The guy working there handed me a gold Johnson Silver Minnow and a bag of Gulp Mullet with a couple of jigheads. I caught flounder on both, but nothing else except a small toadfish.

[Mr. Aquarium]

On 4/14/2021 at 10:48 PM, Bluegillslayer said:

Rays got nothing on a flounder, I love flat fish

I catch skates, they are a ray with out the stinger just couple of spikes.   
 I love fluke and winter flounder! They are awesome 

[James Niggemeyer]

On 2/24/2021 at 9:40 AM, Mr. Aquarium said:

What are some memorable bycatches you’ve caught in a tournie or fun fishing? 

Hey Mr. Aquarium,  sorry for the long delay in my response.  I am actually not familiar with the term "bycatches"?  By the looks of it your referring to non-targeted species...I have caught several different fish over the years like: snakehead, mudfish (dogfish), needle nose gar, alligator gar, Needle fish, rainbow trout, etc., etc. but none really stick out to me as super memorable. 

[Mr. Aquarium]

12 minutes ago, James Niggemeyer said:

Hey Mr. Aquarium,  sorry for the long delay in my response.  I am actually not familiar with the term "bycatches"?  By the looks of it your referring to non-targeted species...I have caught several different fish over the years like: snakehead, mudfish (dogfish), needle nose gar, alligator gar, Needle fish, rainbow trout, etc., etc. but none really stick out to me as super memorable. 

No worries buddy. You’re fishin. That’s the meaning.  Catching a fish you are not targeting. So bass fishing and you catch a gar. 

That’s a pretty cool list of bycatchs

[Bluebasser86]

I wasn't in a tournament, just pond fishing. Throwing a 168 S Waver in Bone color when this sucker flew up off the bottom and T-boned it. I'd have never believed it actually bit if I didn't watch it go down. My buddy got a cellphone video of the fight but I'm not smart enough to figure out how to get it on here.

[soflabasser]

Throughout the years I have caught many fish that have surprised me. For example I have caught sawfish while shark fishing. These are rare fish that most will never see in person so it was a awesome experience.

[T-Billy]

Lots of things over the years. Catfish, bowfin,carp,mudpuppies,gar,mussels.... Last week I got my butt kicked by a big Flathead. It hammered my T-rigged beaver and ran back into the tangle of blowdowns I was fishing. I had the drag locked down on my Lews super duty, loaded with 40# 832, and it didn't even slow it down. I clamped down on the spool with my thumb but had to let off as it was about to snap my flippin stick. SLX 7' 10" heavy. Bent the reel handle, braid burned my thumb, nearly snapped a stout rod, and that beast ran back into the tangle and wrapped me up in probably 5 seconds flat. After about 20min of messing with it I gave up and broke it off.

That big cat KO'd me and my gear early in the first round. LOL. Fun experience though.