Strangest Catch

[foxfire]

I was fishing the Loyalhanna this weekend about 2 - 3 miles from the headwaters - the coolest and "cleanest" section of it's entire length.

In years past, prior to all the recent stream work, I've caught an occasional smallmouth downstream further a mile or so in deeper pools.

Imagine my surprise when using a sz 16 Prince nymph in fast water, I caught a 12" LARGEmounth!!! I told my wife it was like hunting for beer in Pa and shooting a Polar Bear!!!

Can't explain it?!?!? What are your craziest catches???

 

[CLSports]

Goldfish in the Schuylkill many years ago.

 

[salvelinusfontinalis]

A leopard frog, on a Cahill as it was about to hit the water, right along a Lancaster County streambank.
I almost caught a kingfisher on a sculpin on the Letort but it was a long line release so it doesn't count.

 

[foxfire]

Yeah, I've caught a number of bullfrogs bass fishing with rubber worms. Still scratching my head with catching a largemouth that far upstream, in the Laurel Highlands, on a nymph, in riffles!!

 

[fayettenamese]

I've caught largemouth bass in the smaller, colder tributaries that run into the loyalhanna

 

[trout48]

I caught a bat on my cast at dusk.

 

[salvelinusfontinalis]

I caught a red side dace, extremely rare, didn't seem weird at the time though.

 

[GStan]

On Ridley Creek I once caught a garter snake on a #16 elk hair caddis as the snake was crossing the stream

 

[SmoothOperator]

When I was about 17 caught a duck in it's tongue. Place .....Yellow Breeches along the steep banks about 1/2 mile below the run.....Time .....About 7 Am in the morning on a weekday in July.......

 

[PhilC]

Caught an eel that was attached to about 20' of old mono...
I caught the line first and was just going to pull it out of the water but there was a surprise on the end

 

[CathyG]

I hooked a beaver in the tail fishing for shad on the D. I also caught a crayfish on a worm.

 

[FarmerDave]

Caught my little brother by his ear lobe, once.

What can I say, he walked behind me without letting me know.

I say that counts, because he is definitely on the strange side.

Was able to release him with no real harm done.

Snagged a refrigerator once, but wasn't able to land it.

 

[bigjohn58]

Caught a hellbender on Lycoming Creek last year on my nymphs.

 

[1fish]

Was nymphing a catch and release, artificial only section a wild trout stream north of LA, when I caught and landed a 10 inch rainbow. I didn't hook the fish. My fly hooked the loop of a snelled leader that was sticking out of the mouth of a gut hooked fish.

 

[Swattie87]

Seagull flew into the line on one of my surf spin rods one time. Rod was tubed on the beach with a pyramid sinker holding bottom out past the breakers. Bird flew directly into the line in the air between the rod tip and the breakers. Line got tangled in its feet/legs and needless to say the bird wasn't happy. Wouldn't let me get close enough to grab it and free it. Was just about to cut the line when it got free on its own. Flew away and landed maybe 40 or 50 yards down the beach. Seemed fine. I threw him a whole squid from the bait box for his trouble.

 

[ROVERT]

I caught a beaver on the Madison and a goose on Elk Creek. Well, I hooked and ldr'd the beaver. The goose was landed. I also caught a sucker on a dry fly on Pine Creek.

 

[724flyfishing]

I caught a 17" walleye in a stocked trout stream in a deep, murky hole. It was probably 5-6 miles upstream from the river it dumped into. I guess sometimes they run up creeks too.

 

[1fish]

Caught a swallow on the East Walker in CA. A lot of birds working over the water during a hatch, most flying 4 to 8 feet above the river. As I was casting, one swallow flew into my leader and got tangled. I had to drag it in across the surface of the river. The bird was soaked, and took quite awhile for it to dry off enough, so it could fly again.

 

[greenghost]

Over the years...

2 bats
1 runaway boogie board on the Yough -- I made a long distance (50 - 60') cast to snag it
1 bikini top (looked very hard to find the owner)

 

[DanL]

Sorry not fly fishing but going back 20 years, I caught a hellbender while bait fishing at the Tionesta Dam outflow.