I ain't lyin' dis time...really...

[NightTrain]

OK,Guys...let's amuse ourselves with stories of things that happened to you while on the water,fishing.Not necessary to be a catfishing story...just something "strange".I personally can think of quite a few.This is for starters(not the best...but,true).Post up,guys!
My buddy and I used to fish these 7 ponds,on an "experimental farm"(raised goats and sheep for medical use-blood,breeding,etc....and had the big red and black Louisiana-type crawfish in the ponds, along with non-indiginous Alligator weed,and Florida-strain bass).These ponds were fenced and monitored,and we were the only allowed fishermen on this great place.You could guarantee that one would catch at least a 5 lb. bass,every trip.Many 7-8 lb. fish were caught there over the few years that we had acess,and,3-10lb.Largemouths were taken by me,my partner,and my younger bro.
Anyhow...One day,Freddy,my bud,was fishing a weightless plastic worm around a big beaver hut,in the lilypads.A 1.5lb."bankrunner"bass took his worm,and as he reeled him in,an 8 lb.bass scarfs down the smaller hooked fish!Freddy gets the big fish to the bank,and,before he could lip him,the big fish regurgitates the little fish,and regains his freedom!Well,I'm standing there takin' all of this in,and listenin' to Freddy invent new cuss words.Freddy leaves to get another new plastic worm from his tacklebox....under the Oak tree,half way around the pond.I,before casting,ask Freddy if'n he minds if I give it a shot while he is gone....to which he replied,"Goathead!!".Thinkin' he said,"Go ahead!",I loft a beautiful,long cast onto the beaverhut,ease the weedless worm into the pocket in the pads.....BAM...When Freddy returns,I'm standing there with his 8lb. bass!!!hehehe!We sure had some unfreekin'believable days on that farm!
Seeeee....ain't dat hard.I think this'll be a good thread!

[NightTrain]

Another:Back in the Spring,my buddy,Dave,and I,were fishing up near the old railroad tressel,where it crosses Lake Gaston.About 1am,we hear a train whistle blow long and hard,a couple of times.Problem is....Trains haven't used those tracks in years and no train crossed the tressel!!!:confused: :eek:

[NaClH2O]

Twice a year a bunch of friends and I go camping for a weekend. Well, one year, one friend and I decide to have a little fishing contest at the little pond on the farm to pass the time. We were catching little bass, and during the middle of the contest I lose my lure to a bass I had hooked. Nearing the end of the time limit we set, we are tied. Then, he hooks a little bass, and when he brings him up, he's got my lure still in his mouth. And yes, he beat me by that one fish. I, too, was inventing new cuss words.

The following year, at the same place, I decided to take a break for a little while since I had been fishing for a couple hours and wasn't catching much. Another friends asks if he can use my rod and reel for a bit. "Sure, no problem." Not five minutes later, he catches a 5+ lb. largemouth. Son of a %$*#%$#^&$#**^. What the #$*^%*%#^# just happened? How the *%#$*&$*&$%# did he do that? In the several years I fished that little pond, I never caught anything over a half pound. And in less than five minutes someone else catches the trophy of the place.

[mudd_catt]

Try this one, I was fishing a regular Tues. night tourney, and caught a 5 #'er on a plastic lizard that had a 6 inch plastic worm sticking out the OTHER end. :eek:

Or bream fishing with Rooster Tails, when my dad had a bluegill at the side of the boat, and a 9 1/2 # cat comes up and SWALLOWS this bluegill.

Or at the same Tues. night tourney, fishing a crankbait on the rip-rap, I snatched into what I was SURE was the lunker of the night, turned out to be a 13.5 # channel cat, but three casts later, using the same lure, caught a 17 # flathead. Too bad this was the only bit I had all night. :(

Or when we fished all night without a SINGLE bite, and my son catches a dink off the end of the boat ramp. While I took the crankbait out of the fish, just to keep from having to take it out of my son, I placed my rod between my knees. Guess what? KERSPLASH! Brand new, first time even to have this Quantum PT reel with matching Bill Dance 7 1/2 ft flippin rod in the boat. We caught the rod a month later while catfishin the cove across from the ramp. Still ruined. Again, new cuss words.

[Bigcat]

I was using a shark hook on a cable(with a 7-8#carp) lol trying to catch a monster. Well the hook came untied somehow. About 30 hours later other side of the river and upstream about 60 yards (deep wide river BTW) I catch a carp in my cast net. Sure enough next thing I see is my $3 shark hook. I said thank you, eased the hook out and let it go.

I was on the Colorado river jugging with my jugs tied to the bank because of swift currents and debri when something broke off my jugline. later that night about 500 yards or more downstream other side of the river my R&R takes off. Apparently I hooked on to part of the line that he was dragging around. It was a fiesty 22# blue. It had broke off the twine from the tree, one hook, and the weight at bottom. I use 400# mono for line, but I think the sleeves slipped due to mold or something.

One more ...

I was fishing from my dock and caught a gaper goo (freshwater drum) I did not want to mess with it because I was eating or drinking I think. I left it on my line and tried to reel it in after a few minutes. Well it was hung up on something. Finally saw that it was on my trotline I had about 15 yards upstream. So I ran the trotline and sure enough it actually ate that bait also and was now hooked with 2 hooks at the same time. Hungry little devil.

[NightTrain]

Bigcat:
I know 2 guys that were striper fishing with live shad,last Spring,here on Lake Gaston.One rod C's up to the waterline,and a biggun has hooked up and continued under the boat.At the same instant,rod#2 goes down on the opposite side of the boat and the guys think that they have a real nice double on....wrong!Same 22lb.striper ate both baits and hauled booty.After a coupla minutes,they realized the deal,and quit fightin'each other and landed a nice fish.The guy that hooked up 1st claimed honors!

[NightTrain]

One time...at band camp....no,wait...nevermind :D :D :D

[NightTrain]

Coupla summers ago...trolling the edge of the gulfstream,off of Hatteras,NC...box of nice "bailer"dolphin(good eatin')and one citation sailfish...buddy hooks up...it's BIIIIG !!!He "fights" this thang for 25-30 mins.and says,"Somebody take the chair"...'course,'ol NightTrain says,"I got it."(Everybody else was just standing there!)
The captain,Ernie Foster,one of the best and one of only a couple of 2nd generation sportfishing skippers on the Outer Banks,says that we got snagged by a 14'wide,1000lb.Manta ray!We didn't snag it...it snagged us!Well....after fightin'this thang for 45 mins.(total 75mins.)and alot of skillful boat backing,we get the behemoth to about 100 ft.below the boat and with one powerful flap of it's wings...it is gone.One of the less cerebral members of our party asked if the thing would have "fit in the boat"....:ac1090: ...NOPE!
Would have loved to have gotten a pic of it raisin' heII on the surface.Never have and prolly never will catch anything that is a livin' creature...and that"unmovable".It might as well have been a school bus tied to that line.Powerful creatures.

[katchaser]

I figure that if you hook a big ole flathead and fight it a while it will lose interest in feeding and go sull up under a log and think about it a while.

Me and my buddy Clark was fishing for flatheads one night and his clicker went off. When he reared back and crossed it's eyes I could see a pretty good bend in his rod. Our flathead rods are pretty stout so I could tell it was a good fish.
After a few minutes I decide it might be a good idea if I get the net and be ready to land the flathead.

Before I could turn around I heard him cussing and going on. When I peered through the darkness I could tell he was no longer reeling in a fish. I asked if the hook pulled loose and he said he thought his line broke.
I knew he felt bad but after a little while I asked if his line was fresh. He said he adjusted the drag while fighting the fish. I knew Clark and I also knew he didn't like fish taking line against the drag so it was evident that he had tightened his drag---till the line broke.
Well we settled down and waited. About an hour and a half later I heard a clicker on one of my reels start up. I waited till I was sure the fish had the bait and whipped the pole back and set the hook. I landed the fish and as I was getting my hook out I felt something else.
Clark came over with a rope so we could rope the fish till morning and get a picture. He handed me the rope and I said I got something for you. He was reluctant to hold out his hand cause I just finished digging around in the flathead and he expected to be handed a half digested carp or something.
He finally held his hand out and I handed him a hook. He walked back into the woods away from the water and looked at the hook with a flashlight and confirmed it was his hook.

http://www.landbigfish.com/videos/videos/46release.mpeg

The link above is a small video of me releasing the fish. Evidently a post spawn female that was too hungry to resist my bait.

[Catfish]

Robby ,

It took me a minute to figure out who you were .. I have been reading your post elsewhere . Guys we have a true katmaster here when it comes to Flatheads .. I have seen pictures of many of your Hawgs - What is your largest ?

[katchaser]

Catfish

I have caught and released 3 or 4 over 60. 2 years ago I caught a 66 and a 47 on a Friday night after work.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v70/katchaser/66Q2.jpg

I had to go to the other bank and get some guys who were flathead fishing to take pictures and video the release.

Of course when they saw me come across and I asked if they would take pictures they asked "you got a good one"? I said yea I reckon.

Anyway I was pretty tuckered out cause I had been going pretty hard for over 26 hours. I showed them how to work my camera and I went and got the 47. I just weighed it and sent it on it's way. One of them boyz commenced to hollerin why did ya let it go I thought you wanted pictures!

I told em I was too tired to get pictures of that one and I got the bigger fish and weighed it. Things seemed to clear up a bit for my temporary photographers when they laid a cataract on the big male flathead.
Anyway I got a few pictures of this fish and then released him. I hope to cross his eyes again because if he still lives he will be a State record.

[NightTrain]

Robby:
I see your location is Ohio...What's your homewater,dude?

[katchaser]

NightTrain



I flathead fish a chain of lakes in Eastern Ohio called the Muskingum Watershed District.

I make trips to the Ohio river, James River, Red River Manitoba, and the Cumberland in Tennessee. These trips are for blues and channel cats. Fished Santee-Cooper and Tennessee and Barkley lakes.

I hit several creeks and small lakes in search of baits or panfish.

Give me a few hours and a boat and depthfinder and I make myself at home wherever catfish swim.

[NightTrain]

Next time you're in da neighborhood(James River)give me and Hawk a holler.I live an hour from Dutch Gap and Hawk is prolly a little closer than that.Would like nothing better than to hook up with ya and snag some pigs.