Most Memorable Fishing Experience

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Yakmanjr
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Re: Most Memorable Fishing Experience

Post by Yakmanjr »

My most memorable trip would have to be my largest bass. Little backstory, my junior year in high school was all about fishing. My buddy and I found a small private lake with a couple of houses surrounding it. We went door to door begging the homeowners to let us fish in their backyard. One of the owners said it was fine as long as we cleaned up after ourselves. While fishing, the homeowners neighbor was out in his canoe fishing. On his way back in he stopped and chatted with us for a few minutes. We explained to him that we did not live there but that they were letting us fish there. What he did, changed my junior year. He told us we could use his canoe and fish the lake anytime we wanted! Just park in his driveway and jump in the canoe. So that we did, every possible day that we could. This lake was slap full of bass. Most of our trips were under two hours and it was normal for us to catch a few dozen bass.

One Sunday morning before work, (stockboy at a dollar store) I decided to hit the lake. Called my buddy but couldn't drag him outta bed. Your loss! Got to the lake right at sun up. Fished out in the middle of the lake near a drop off using a pumpkinseed lizard texas rigged. Felt a bite and set the hook. The rod didn't budge! I knew it was big but had no idea how big. While fighting this bass, he proceeded to get me hung up in some stumps. I set my rod down to pull up the anchor and decided to clear himself of the stumps. Then this Hawg decided to jump and completely clear the water. This thing was huge! After a few more minutes of fighting, I got him to the canoe. I was so excited and scared to lose him that I tried to quickly "thumb" him into the canoe. Let's just say I had serious "bass thumb" after that. Ripped it to shreds. So, ended up sticking my hand into his mouth. Slung him in the canoe and hightailed it back to shore. Got out my scale..... 13lb 6oz largemouth! I haul butt home to show my mother and brother. They couldn't believe it! I ended up having him mounted and he's still on my wall to this day. Looking back, I should have put him back and had a replica made. I'll post a pic of the Hawg soon.
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Re: Most Memorable Fishing Experience

Post by WannaDoDat »

Mongo wrote:
Mongo ("like candy"? :lol:
:20 Blazing Saddles 1974

Label acquired while playing football in college, trail name when I hiked part of the Appalachian Trail, name just stuck, not sure why but may explain why it takes a kayak almost 16 feet long to keep me afloat. :27
"Mongo like candy"....talk about memorable!! :lol:
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Re: Most Memorable Fishing Experience

Post by Mongo »

My dad was somewhat of a hard ass. He was a construction worker, tough as nails, fought in the South Pacific
Sounds like my Dad, sergeant in the Marines, fought on Okinawa, :x don't think he ever fished but my grandfather was an avid outdoorsman and would always take me in tow when I was around and he went fishing, Flamingo, glades,Okeechobee, off shore, etc.
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Re: Most Memorable Fishing Experience

Post by Mongo »

Wow, nice fish Yakmanjr! great story!
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Re: Most Memorable Fishing Experience

Post by WannaDoDat »

Yakmanjr wrote: I ended up having him mounted and he's still on my wall to this day. Looking back, I should have put him back and had a replica made. I'll post a pic of the Hawg soon.

Righto. In hindsight, a replica would have been nice (for the fish) :P
Congrats on a monster bass. Great story!

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shallowminded.too
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Re: Most Memorable Fishing Experience

Post by shallowminded.too »

this is an interesting thread indeed, way too many memories to put one on top. I saw my buddy fall over the side while climbing down the ladder with a cobe hooked up, he held on to the rod and treaded water till we got turned around to pick him up, we still landed the fish.....I've got tons of the 'one that got away stories', those are for me I guess. The things that are most memorable to me are not the size or quantity but the appreciation for what we have around us, so this one will be my submission
P6030006 (800x600) (640x480) (400x300) (300x225).jpg
that is one of our most avid and successful putting forth great effort to free a pelican from her hook, she is a sportsman and I am very happy to know and fish with people like this, she cares about what we have around us
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Re: Most Memorable Fishing Experience

Post by WannaDoDat »

Thank you for your very kind words, Jody. The feeling is absolutely mutual.

I have very vivid memories of that tarpon trip, my very first!

I became so seasick floating on those rolling waves that I paddled to the shallows to throw the cast net and caught a few finger mullet and pins for bait.

Then I paddled out and tried the waves again after my queasiness ended but was so busy catching bait fish that I didn't hear you hook up with a beast behind me and didn't turn around until after the third leap in the air and the "quick release"! :lol:

That pelican got hooked up and I had to take off my shirt to calm her down for the extraction. Next time I'll wear two shirts! :oops: :lol:

Quite an experience!! Thank you for the memories and congratulations on the tarpon!!

Jean
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Re: Most Memorable Fishing Experience

Post by Yakmanjr »

Here's the Hawg.....

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Re: Most Memorable Fishing Experience

Post by Littoral »

Which one? That's a nice feeling. I'll pick this one, it's easily a top 5.
2010 Spring Break, 10,000 Islands. Neither of us having ever caught a snook Crunch and I made a trip south to the Everglades to get it done. As if not meeting 8th graders at 7:30 every morning wasn’t incentive enough the weather forecast was perfect so we loaded up the Hobie’s (mine fresh from the IFA tourny!) and off we went. For efficiency and location we hired a mothership drop off with Everglades Charters. As we loaded up the skiff I noticed an old beat up hookless Yozuri Mag Darter hanging from a branch like an old warrior past its prime. I thought, “Don’t make them anymore, but I did put new rings and hooks on the only one I have left”.
We arrived at our outer key destination about 4:00 and after we pitched the tent we set off to introduce ourselves to the neighborhood. The thought of pitching topwater in a backwater mangrove cove had been a rolo-dex across my mind for weeks and as seriously temping as that was for some reason I went for the wind wacked gulf side. The reconn of us working different areas may have been in the back of my mind but I remember wondering why I was headed out there. The whole area was beautiful and there wasn’t a person or house in sight. The waves were up as I started throwing a Chug Bug shoreward in the direction of the weather mangled mangrove trunks. I started to wonder and worry about what I would do if I actually hooked something. Getting anything out of the tangle looked hopeless, but it sure looked like fish. I noticed that the bottom under me looked nice with patchy grass and a lot of relief in the first 100 yards out from shore. I decided to fish out rather than in. The tree snarl problem was replaced with trying to figure out what I could throw against the wind.
Box open, hmmm... No. No, well maybe. It does have that shifting weight thing in it that really lets it launch, but it’s my only one. 10,000 Islands. Ok, fine, Mag Darter it is.

Image

30lb flouro, loop knot, launch.
After a few casts the wind and waves were making it difficult to stay in a zone so I anchored and turned sideways to get a better angle for working on top. The Mag Darter is a cross between a spook and a Chug Bug and I have a bad (fun) habit of blasting Chug Bugs.
The second cast covered a lot of territory, Blast, Blast, BOOM.
Big fish leaps and I don’t really believe it is what I really think it is. But it is. The battle was classic. The fish ran/thrashed back and forth for the first 2-3 minutes (felt like 20) before I started gaining some ground. I thought the fish coming in my direction meant I was gaining ground but no, the new plan looked like the mangrove mangle.
Oh no. Move quick. Pull the anchor, not quick enough. Bail and wade. How deep, 3 feet, 4 feet? I Think.. Just Go…
Closer to 5 feet. Good thing I’m 6’4”. I quickly got a better angle on the fish but it was still headed for trees. I added a couple twists to the drag and followed it in, somehow around some stumps and then it headed out again. That was lucky and I was then able to put on enough pressure to land the fish.
I had to have a picture but what was more important was that the fish survived. It was beat so I used fish grips to walk the fish enough (20 minutes) to get it revived before setting up a picture. My camera was in the crook of a tree.

Image

After the pic (selfie?) and the joy of seeing it swim off I couldn’t wait to get back and show Crunch!
Or, maybe I could just wait a little while, and I did 8) . Evil as it was I didn’t say anything when I met Crunch back at camp, through dinner or while we sat around the fire. I waited until he was almost asleep.
"Hey, Mike", and I handed him the camera. He looked and replied, “I f-ing hate you”. I’m pretty sure he meant it too, although I know he was happy for me. Neither of us found another snook on the trip. There were a lot of other nice fish and especially the epic tarpon battle Crunch had on a trout rod. I’d guess 80lbs all the way to yak side and SNAP! Crunch cusses again. Twice in one trip. I’m pretty sure the only time I’ve ever really heard him fuss about anything. :D
What a trip.
Last edited by Littoral on Sat Mar 29, 2014 7:40 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Most Memorable Fishing Experience

Post by cotton »

Not 1 of my most memorable trips has anything to do with what was caught. Rather all of them are memorable because of who they were shared with. I really couldn't begin to rank them. I'm sure I fished with most of these guys a hundred times. Those who are no longer with us, I would give up most anything for 1 more trip.

Grandpa Rushing who drug me down the Chowtahatchee so many times and taught me to scale bream with spoon because I was to little for a knife.

Uncle Johnny, who still to this day will outlast my 20 year old son on grouper trips even though he is pushing 80. I remember a few years back how he chastised me when I said I didn't have time to fish.

My dad, who always found time to say: hurry up and get done so we can go fishing. I still remember the day in college when he and Mom showed up at the dorm with fried fish for a picnic.

Honestly, there are so many great memories with the group above. But what i remember most is how lucky i fealt to just be able to go fishing with them.

Thanks for reminding me how lucky i was!!
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Re: Most Memorable Fishing Experience

Post by Brenda »

My first memorable experience fishing experience was with my father when I was 12 years old. We went deep see fishing out of Mexico Beach with good friends Jim Messer and Don Joiner. We were catching A LOT grouper, red snapper and whatever else was biting. Then suddenly Mr. Messer's line went crazy. We made a circle with our boats and ended up passing the rod and reel from boat to boat for about 2 hours. When finally, as I was holding the rod, the line went slack and up came the BIGGEST sea turtle you have ever seen, it filled the space between the three boats. We had to cut the line. No pictures to prove this since cell phones did not exist way back then, but the memory which its all about, is embedded in my mind. What a day!!!!!

My father has been gone now for 10 years but his love for fishing (and old cars) lives deep in my soul. Wally Bentley (my dad) would love the redfish and trout that Mark and Jeff Suber put me on. Thanks to you all!!!!

So, in my dad's memory I catch every fish I can and thank him, my Dad, for the love of fishing.

For you Daddy, I fish!

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Re: Most Memorable Fishing Experience

Post by BloodyChamp »

O man...just like everybody else, there are so many. Some didn't have as much to do with the actual fishing like others, some had to do with danger, and some had to do with comedy relief like when the owl swooped down and tried to steal the fish I caught...twice!!!!! He HIT ME IN THE HEAD the first time then tried again but totally missed. When he landed in the tree I looked right at him and asked him "what the $!#@ are you doing???" His answer seemed to be "fishing duh." Owls apparently don't mind humans much because that wasn't my first personal experience with 1. I scooted about 300 yards down river and he didn't follow me thankfully. It was the upper St. Marks River btw, and the day was also memorable because earlier while paddling upriver it got a little close and when I looked to the left on the branch right in front of my face there was a moccasin. I jumped but didn't freak out completely, and he didn't move. I mean we looked into each other's eyes 8O I haven't killed and won't kill a snake again...ever. And that's not even all. I also caught a ton of nice Redbreasts, Stumpknockers and Bluebream that day which was special in this case because I hadn't been up the St Marks since I was a boy. I remembered those bream being more finnicky (more like more smart) than the average bream and in any event I was rusty on the St Marks. Hot dang now I want to go fishing up the St Marks.
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Re: Most Memorable Fishing Experience

Post by kikstand454 »

Thanks for reviving this zombie thread! It was great to read these stories again!

Funny stuff.
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Re: Most Memorable Fishing Experience

Post by GoodCall »

Damn, Suber.

Like BK mentioned, a shark nibbling on a stringer and close encounters with powerful dolphins are on the list. I also drifted across a spotted eagle ray in St Joe Bay that was every bit of 12' wide and I had to reel a trout in that was thrashing violently right over the top of him with visions of Steve Irwin flashing in my head.

But anyway, here's quick couple from me:

1) On a winter trip with my dad in his beat up V-Hull Montgomery Ward 1970's special, we headed up into Spring Creek. We stopped at Jerry's on the way down and they recommended a bait that had been hot lately up in the creeks and rivers. Well we got to this little spot, anchored up, and 9 out of every 10 casts was a trout. None were huge (most 14"-18"), but for probably 2 straight hours it was a shock to get the bait back to the boat without a fish attached. All the sudden it was like someone flipped a switch and the same thing happened, only with redfish. So after the book-oodles of trout, the subsequent 2 hours were filled with 15"-22" redfish. We probably boated 250 fish each that day and I've never gotten into a bite that insane before that day or since. Very cool stuff.

2) In one of the FCKA Classic's, probably 2010 or 2011 if I had to guess, the wind was a stiff as it could be. Conditions were so bad that it seemed like most folks we talked to at the weigh-in hadn't even boated a fish that day. Me, cygraphics, and another guy who used to fish formerly known as Millertime were anchored up on a submerged bar at high tide. We couldn't even stay in the yaks it was so rough and windy, we even had to stand on our anchor ropes and double up with anchor ropes and stakeout poles to keep the yaks in once place. We got into a mess of fish that day. We caught probably 50-60 between the 3 of us all standing 10 feet apart. Think we probably had the 4th or 5th best red, the 6th or 7th best red, and York had probably the 4th, 5th, and 6th best flounder, so we didn't make the board. But man, we were doubled and tripled up a few times and that was truly a memorable trip. That's also the trip I learned that my keel had a leak in it and I rolled my yak due to it being full of water and very unstable. Crazy day.

3) My uncle was in town and he and my father had planned a trip to the coast to wet a line. I chose not to go and to be responsible and study for a final I had the upcoming Monday. Well the weather turned pretty rough, way too rough to go to the coast, so they decided to ride down to the bank of a local lake and fish from the bank for a bit. Well I needed a break from studying and they weren't far from me, so I rode by to check on their results. I just happened to have all my rods and reels in my front seat from a saltwater trip I'd been on the previous weekend, but I had no freshwater tackle. Just for s***s and giggles I grabbed a light inshore setup with a trout Skitterwalk on it and walked down. They had been there 4+ hours without even a bite, and within 5 casts I caught an 7 pound bass and an 8 pound bass. Needless to say, they were ticked, lol. My phone started blowing up in between the two fish I caught and it was cygraphics calling me, and I hit ignore. Then after the 2nd big fish, he called again and I answered. Turns out he watched the whole thing from a short distance, as he was with his family at the lake feeding the ducks or something. Funny coincidence!
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Re: Most Memorable Fishing Experience

Post by BloodyChamp »

Me and my old man caught a bucket full of huge bream off the Wacissa River without putting a boat in the water once. Bank fishing on the Wacissa is impossible and people who have fished it their entire lives without ever going home empty handed will tell you with no shame that they've never caught 1 off the bank.

So it was April and everything was flooded...really flooded. Blackfish swimming across main roads flooded. We somehow got to a place called Yaegers Mound without drowning and caught them right there. We bragged about that for a long time and people in town couldn't believe it.
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