Special experiences on the water while fishing

[rolmops]

Did you ever see something  very special while out on the water?

I will never forget one September morning on Honeoye Lake. It had been a cold night ,but the lake was still quite warm. There was absolutely no wind and the fog was rising in all the strangest forms and shapes. The surface was alive with sunfish feeding off bugs. I felt as if I was in a different world like Narnia or some fairyland like that. I'll never forget that morning. Or the time, out on Owasco Lake, also in the early morning around sunrise. While slowly trolling for lakers an eagle swept by me maybe three feet away and with one claw it grabbed a fish and flew on. He had seen from hundreds of yards away what I had not seen from 5 feet away. The most amazing experience I had this September. While maybe 2 miles north of  Oswego I was out trolling for Salmon wearing a hat with a tomato shape embroidered on it. I thought I heard something above me and looked up. There was a hummingbird maybe two feet above my head checking out this red shape on my hat. I guess it had flown from Canada on its way south to its wintering grounds. I was utterly amazed and delighted to see that little bird thinking that my hat was a flower.

If you had a special experience on the water please add it to this thread so we can all enjoy what you experienced

[TyeeTanic]

Well, my story is a bit different to yours ... it started with a boat floating without power ... and 3 ladies in bathing suits ... just kidding.

 

But for real, we were out fishing and then I see this floating object ... so we navigate to it ... it's  suitcase and it has floating balloons tied to it.

I'm like, is this thing full of drugs or cash or something ... we were all confused .... and even worried to a degree.  Then we saw the search and

rescue air craft above us ... and figured it was a mock mission, and that was what they were looking for.  So we moved on our marry way ... 

OR

it might have been a suitcase full a drugs and cash ... not sure. LOL.

[Kevin J Legg]

While trolling in Chaumount Bay I observed something in the water a ways off. Turned out to be 4 deer, a buck and three doe,

swimming from Point Salubrious to Cherry Island.

i also once caught an eel on a dodger fly  off a downrigger in the trench.

[Shakemsam]

Trolling off of Braddocks one spring, I noticed a small doe outside of me heading deep. Knowing she most likely was chased into the lake, I figured she would keep heading north till her lungs gave out. We pulled up our gear and cut her off, forcing her back to shore.

 

While fishing in Black River Bay just outside of the river, I noticed something swimming in a tight circle. When we got close enough, my dad reached for it with the net and then realized it was a badger that had most likely been hit by a prop. Dam lucky he didn't bring it into the boat.

 

Another early evening on the Black, I saw a couple odd shapes in the sky coming toward me from over Sackets. Not even a minute later, I got buzzed by 2 Stealth Fighters, most likely out of Ft Drum. Scared the hell out of me and almost went in the drink!

 

Drifting for SM east of Bear Creek near Pultneyville, without a GPS or any other idea where I was for that matter, I had apparently drifted into the NO Boat Zone near Guinnea Power Plant. Soon, I was given a nice reception both by air and water. It's surprising how much water, those helicopter blades can move.

[Kevin J Legg]

No badgers around here. Perhaps an otter or martin.

[HB2]

So my friend and I  straight out from Green Harbor 150 ft  on a slight chop mid morning. I see a boat we were coming up on and as we got closer i see it was dead in the water and no body was in it . I figured it broke loose from moring and drifted out overnight as the breeze was offshore . We trolled right up to it and as we got close I saw a guy stand up  quick and sit down fast . I was about 100 ft away and I asked if everything was OK . He said I'm fine and seemed real embarrassed . I looked at the boat and am saw another guy laying on the floor hiding . Saw them both at the ramp putting their boat on the trailer . 

 

I don't know what was happening our there but I have my suspicions . 

 

 

[Shakemsam]

53 minutes ago, Kevin J Legg said:

No badgers around here. Perhaps an otter or martin.

Could have been an otter

 It was well over 40 years ago. And badger's do exist in NY, although rarely are they seen.

Edited December 12, 2023 by Shakemsam

[LongLine]

Once had a couple big orange butterflies land on a rigger rod out in 150 FOW.  They stayed for about 10 minutes and then took off.  About 20-30 ft away from boat a bird swooped down and grabbed one of them.  The other flew back to boat and stayed on dash next to side window for about 2 hours.  Guess he felt safe there.

 

 

Years ago, was E-W trolling in about 30-35FOW in front of river.  Heavy fog set in and could just make out pierheads.  Was startled by the foghorn.  Then heard a loud engine rumbling and remembered there was no foghorn.  Freeking concrete boat headed right for me. Gunned the motor, rigger wire snapped but I got out of its way quick.   It past about 200 ft behind me and looked like a ghost ship.  Scared the "S" out of me so I don't go out if fog is in the forecast.   

 

Also, years ago, while fishing off my dad's dock at Port Bay, saw a pike come up to surface - tail first.  His head was probably halfway down another pike's mouth.  Funny because neither one of them was all that big. 

[Kevin J Legg]

1 hour ago, Shakemsam said:

Could have been an otter

 It was well over 40 years ago. And badger's do exist in NY, although rarely are they seen.

I stand corrected. Never knew they existed in NY.

[Hop]

Great thread.  From my Dad many years ago. He was trolling n on the east side as he usually did. Off to his port he noticed a loon acting weird. As he passed his rigs (thermocline, thanks Dad) started bobbing. He grabbed the rod,brought it in and of course the loon started moving. Eventually Dad pulled in a rod/reel combo (that I use to this day) he pulled the line in as close as he could and cut it. Anyway got a bunch but Dad was there.

[whaler1]

3 hours ago, HB2 said:

So my friend and I  straight out from Green Harbor 150 ft  on a slight chop mid morning. I see a boat we were coming up on and as we got closer i see it was dead in the water and no body was in it . I figured it broke loose from moring and drifted out overnight as the breeze was offshore . We trolled right up to it and as we got close I saw a guy stand up  quick and sit down fast . I was about 100 ft away and I asked if everything was OK . He said I'm fine and seemed real embarrassed . I looked at the boat and am saw another guy laying on the floor hiding . Saw them both at the ramp putting their boat on the trailer . 

 

I don't know what was happening our there but I have my suspicions . 

 

 

Lake trout guys for sure

[JJBat150]

The zen of kayaking - When you're alone on a lake and your kayak and fishing lines make the only wake on the lake...

 

[dhhurlburt]

When I was in the Navy we did a swim call in the Caribbean somewhere...quite the big deal for a submarine. We had guys in the sail as the shark shooters. Some dudes swam, so.e fished and some lit the grill for the steel beach picnic. We didn't lose any one to the sharks and ended up eating some yellow tail. Then back to the merky deep to do some bad ass submarine ****. 

[Sk8man]

I've had a bunch over the years but the one that sticks out in my mind is when fishing one of the Spring ESLO derbies back in the early eighties it was pretty rough in the lake for my 13 ft. Whaler so I fished Sodus Bay. I was somewhere near Thornton Point when I observed something in the water coming toward me and it looked like an animal of some type but couldn't tell what from the distance as there was quite a chop on the water. I was fishing two top lines off outriggers at the time so I couldn't make real sharp turns. The thing sped up towards me and  then I realized it was a deer swimming toward me. I had slowed up the motor and the deer swam faster and faster toward me. It came close to the boat and tried to get in ( I kid you not). The boat had very low gunwhales only a few inches up from the surface and I was a bit concerned he might tip my stuff out as I knew the boat itself wouldn't sink. I sped up the motor and got away from him and called the Sherriff boat that happened to be out in the bay. They somehow steered the deer back to shore and everyone lived happily ever after

Edited December 13, 2023 by Sk8man

[Pete Collin]

Have I ever seen anything special while fishing?  Gotta choose only one or two stories....  Some of them I have already written about on this forum.

There was the time I was flyfishing Sandy Creek.  Some days you drive from bridge to bridge and find all of the good spots too crowded to join in.  It looked too mobbed to bother getting out of the car.  But a thunderstorm was looming, the purple/black clouds and advancing thunder claps sounded pretty ominous.  The whole batch of fishermen skedaddled once the maelstrom hit, soaking rain coming in sideways.  In just a few minutes of slammed car doors and starting engines, I was the only guy parked by the bridge.  I could see wakes and splashes in the run upstream.  It was obvious there was a ton of migrating fish before me.  So I ignored the lightning that seemed way too close for comfort, and waded into casting range.

It's a phenomenon that an approaching storm front will send fish into a frenzy, seen it a hundred times.  Can't imagine why those brown trout weren't terrified by the constant bright flashes and thunder that must have rumbled the stones beneath them.  Instead, they bit on any fly I could drift into their roiling mass.  It was amazing.  I caught and caught and caught spawning browns, some of them pretty big.  The storm was so intense that there must have been some actual danger standing up to my knees in water waving a stick in the air.  But I thought the reward was worth it, I could die with a smile on my face!  I thought about that scene from Fantasia where The Sorcerer's Apprentice was standing on a craggy mountain top, directing lightning bolts at his will.  I felt that way except each jolt came from a fish.

That scene played out right up to sundown.  I was actually sad when it faded to darkness, that the most intense session of stream fishing had come to a close.  At sunrise the next morning, everything changed.  The storm brought in a cold front that shut the fish down, they couldn't be budged.  But what a time, having mother nature herself sweep a loaded stream clean of human competition, and usher in a cosmic bite just for me.

Edited December 13, 2023 by Pete Collin

[jk1]

A group of us charted two boats (about 20 years ago), Capt Lenard Something  and a Capt from Pa the other.  In the boat I was in was a young guy and his Dad on his Dad's last fishing trip.   Well Dad pooped in his pants after a beer or two and we washed him off and his dirty pants somehow got dropped into the water.   30 minutes later the other boat with our buddys said(on walkie talkies then) "you will never guess what we caught"  Well we guess it right away.   There were boats scattered everywhere that day and they got his pants on a line......jk

[Gill-T]

12 hours ago, whaler1 said:

Lake trout guys for sure

No doubt bottom bouncing

[longtimefisherman]

1984 fall eslo derby. My buddy and I had partied hard the night before.. and fished the morning off the mouth of the Niagara. It turned into a blow so we ran up river and anchored to sleep it off. We’re nodding off and over the vhf we hear old #7, old #7 coast guard calling old #7.. which was my call sign. I answer and am told “your wife is goin into labor”. F me! It was a month early and my last time away.. This was over channel 68 I think.. which most boats in the derby monitored. We did a fire drill and I drove back to Rochester and made it with about an hour to spare!

[TFB]

Best memories...

10 yr. old son and I trolling 10 miles out Olcott in our 16' Penn Yan. Early 80s if I remember correctly. Suddenly, intense gasoline fumes hit us. Our trusty 6 gallon metal gasoline can developed a pinhole leak leaving a lot of gas at the transom. I got on the radio and asked if someone could lend me a gasoline can to transfer 5 1/2 gallons. Sure enough I had many concerned fellow fishermen answering my call. Soon a boat located me and lent me a can. That man saved the day and I returned the gas can to the address he gave me even though he said keep it. I never had the chance to thank him. So..

Thank You Sir.

Thanks very much !

[laker1]

I have mentioned this before but I think it bears retelling. Bob and I were in a musky tournament on Lake of the Woods. We were trolling, long lining 10 inch Jake’s. All of a sudden my line went skyward - then Bob’s  followed. We looked up and there was a huge eagle with our Jake’s singularly hooked in each talon. We reeled and pulled it in and then somehow turned it upside down and it quieted down. Bob released the Jake’s while I kept a paddle in front of that beak. The eagle flew off half in the air and partially bouncing on the water to perch later high up on the tallest tree nearby. Quite an experience!

[Gill-T]

In my youth fishing with my brothers in the Green River, NC, my youngest brother was holding my days catch of trout on a metal stringer dangling them in the water while sitting on a large boulder.  I hear him giggling all of a sudden and look to see him raising up the fish with a giant Hellbender latched onto one of the trout. Thankfully, it let go. Ugly things!

[Sk8man]

Years ago fishing near Maxwell creek in my 13 ft Whaler during late July I was trolling along running a dodger and fly and a dodger and squid in about 30 ft of water. I had a real good hit on the squid combo and grabbed the rod and started reeling it in. Right from the start it felt odd as the rod was bouncing around all over the place while reeling. When I got it near the boat I realized it was an eel about 3 1/2 ft long. I didn't want to lose my set-up so I carefully brought it to the side of the boat and was going to use needle nose pliers to release it when it slithered over the few inches of gunwale into the boat. It was wriggling around like there was no tomorrow and finally after pinning it to the floor I was lucky enough to be able to release it. Unfortunately for me though it had slimed all over the floor and bench seat and it was nearly impossible to clean and was present for many weeks afterward so I guess it got the best of me after all.

Edited January 18 by Sk8man

[Pete Collin]

Les, was that an American eel that you caught?  I once tasted eel that a chum got ice fishing. They actually are delicious, and eel sushi is proof. A finger lakes guide once cooked lamprey and said it tasted surprisingly good. 

[fisherdude]

I was camping at stoney creek private Campground. They lake roaring and a group of us wanted to fish . The  senior guy at the place said we can go to dexter and fish the black river so 6 of load up with a bucket of worms . While drifting fishing one of the girls caught an eel . When it came to the boat the old timer held the line up with eel twisting and twirling around off the side of the boat  he took his cigar that he was smoking and started stuffing ashes in the eels mouth. I said what's that going to do said it would spit the hook sure enough it did .we must have caught a dozen of those eels that day everyone was released by cigar ashes

[Kevin J Legg]

6 hours ago, Sk8man said:

Years ago fishing near Maxwell creek in my 13 ft Whaler during late July I was trolling along running a dodger and fly and a dodger and squid in about 30 ft of water. I had a real good hit on the squid combo and grabbed the rod and started reeling it in. Right from the start it felt odd as the rod was bouncing around all over the place while reeling. When I got it near the boat I realized it was an eel about 3 1/2 ft long. I didn't want to lose my set-up so I carefully brought it to the side of the boat and was going to use needle nose pliers to release it when it slithered over the few inches of gunwale into the boat. It was wriggling around like there was no tomorrow and finally after pinning it to the floor I was lucky enough to be able to release it. Unfortunately for me though it had slimed all over the floor and bench seat and it was nearly impossible to clean and was present for many weeks afterward so I guess it got the best of me after all.

Years ago I also caught an eel off a down rigger down 80 feet on a dodger squid. I was fishing out of Henderson in the trench.

i was very surprised to see it come twisting in.
We use to frequently catch them fishing bullheads or bass in the SLR but haven’t caught any in years.