Most unexpected catch

[Ken L]

I've had a three pound chub hooked perfectly in the corner of the mouth on a worm baited number 12 whilst fishing for perch in the side. Nothing unusual you might think but did I mention that it'd been dead for at least a week.

 

I've had a big (40lb+) turtle on a deadbait intended for catfish and a seagull on a livie intended for pike.

 

I've had a 4ln barbel while snatching gudgeon on a pole with a size 22 hook and 1.1lb bottom.

 

I've had a 29lb carp on a Berklet powerbait grub intended for perch or jacks.

 

Oh and I once caught a monster slaphead once, hooked perfectly in the bottom lip. I thought there was going to be a disgorging problem unlti it dawned on me that I was using a barbless hook.

 

Oh and many many close calls with lures and kingfishers, bats, ospreys and sea eagles which have fortunatly failed to result in a hookup.

[Peter M]

i caught a jack pike on lob worms when fishing for perch last winter. i know this is not that uncommon but it was news to me so i started to target the pike with lobs using a wire trace and had a few more jacks.

[chevin]

My very first Great Ouse barbel in November 1963. That one was a surprise and an accident. The subsequent ones were intentional.

[Lucky Goose]

I caught a Ruff years ago on the river, it was the only fish I caught all day.

 

The other unexpected catches have been...

 

1) A fresh water Mussel

2) A Crayfish

3) A 2lb Chub from the Canal last week

4) A 2lb Perch from the canal last week

 

The Chub and Perch were a surprise because I had not fished the canal since the 1970's and all I ever caught then were very small Gudgeon and Roach

[mike1234]

i have caught a perch with no stripes and an almost blue tint to it, and a brown trout in a canal on double maggot, also had a few goldfish and golden orfe

[Dick Dastardly]

I doubt that people will believe me as its quite a strange story with sadly no photo to prove it! but here we go for what its worth-

 

In the 90's I spent a lot of my time abroad fishing for big cats but when back in the UK I spent on average 4 or 5 tides a week fishing for mullet on the River Rother.The stretch I fished the most was just below the lock and barrier that seperated the fresh water from the sea between Iden Lock and Rye..No gradual merging via a brackish estuary like most river but a clear division.At low tide the only water present below the lock is just a small trickle of freshwater comming from above it and at high water over 20' (dependent on height of tide) of true salt water.

 

The mullet often follow the rising tide in as it covers the exposed mud and uncovers the rich food.They also go through the "fish pass" into the freshwater section.Ive caught nearly as many in the freshwater (by mistake) as I have intentionally in the salt! No great shock there though as in days gone past (I believe before the new lock (Star Lock) was built huge shoals of mullet (Thin lipped) were common several miles in land.

 

The majority of the Mullet were Thin lips and anyone who has fished for these will tell you how tricky they can be! far more so than their cousains the Thick Lipped even! Back then my favoured tactic was to trot a bunch of harbour rag worm below an Avon style float.Some days I would catch several but mainly I would blank despite seeing plenty of fish present.Due to this inconsistancy I started to try lots of different aproachs to try and suss it out.

 

One particular day (in July I think) I was fishing a mid morning tide trying out a feeder and ragworm set up.The feeder had a combination of liquidised bread,fish oil and chopped up ragworm.On the hook I had a large "Maddie" (for non sea anglers this is a medium sized ragworm found under rocks).Whilst fishing I was watching several Mullet boil and whelm when I couldnt believe my eyes.....swimming around just subsurface then occaisionally diving was a very large carp! It must have come through the fish pass or been caught in the lock,surely it wouldnt survive long.

 

Imagine my total surprise when a few minutes later my rod bent round and to my amazement I was attached to the carp and not a mullet! After a long fight (a trotting rod,fixed spool and 4lb line)I netted the fish.

 

Its scales had started to open up a bit and it was looking quite red from the salt water but other than that (and the way it had fought) seemed in very good condition.I had no scales or camera with me but having caught many carp guestimated this one at upper 20's possible thirty.Back then a good common by any means but given the bizzare situation I had to record it properly.I left the fish in the landing net (a 24" deep netted "John Wilson" Wanderer) rammed the handle into the bank side and shot down in my car to Rye to ring my mate from a phone box.

 

Now we get to the "dodgy" bit when I returned my landing net was floating in the middle of the river and the carp gone! (yeagh,yeagh I hear you all saying!) It had obviously recovered enough to drag the net out of the bank.My mate Tony arrived with scales,sling and camera a few minutes later to find a pi$$ed off me and no fish!

 

So had the fish got there accidently? or had it intentionally gone through the pass to feed and then planned to return? I dont know but surely if it had been washed through accidently it wouldnt have picked up my bait? If it hadnt got away would I have put it back in the "sea" or above the lock? Dont know and never will I suppose.

Edited June 28, 2009 by BUDGIE

[Worms]

Nice one Budgie!

 

My tale's not that unusual I suppose, given what I now know, but at the tender age of 15 it gave me a bit of a shock.

 

I was fishing the Teme about 3-4 miles upstream of it's confluence with the Severn just south of Worcester, above the weir/salmon steps.

 

As I recall I'd had a few gudgeon and chublets ledgering maggot on the outside of a bend. The rod tip knocked, I struck, I had a fish on. I got it to the net and nearly fell in, a flatfish, in fact a flounder. My first and only in freshwater to date.

 

I have since heard of quite a few captures of flounder in the Severn and the Teme, but all of those on the Teme have been below the weir. Obviously this one was a bit more adventurous than most!

[Vagabond]

, a flatfish, in fact a flounder. My first and only in freshwater to date

 

Lutra and I used to fish a very overgrown Highland spate river for salmon. In flood worm was the only sensible option for salmon and seatrout. Flounders were common enough in the short tidal stretch, but I remember one caught above some fairly extensive rapids that really did surprise me.

 

The words of Dick Walker suddenly had an apposite ring "If ever you fluke something, never let on to the onlookers that you were surprised"

[gozzer]

If any of the flounders had been caught on the R Wharfe in Yorks, I might have an explanation.

 

In my early teens we were fishing below the weir at Tadcaster, (it's tidal up to the weir).

We were catching plenty of flounders, and we we put a few dozen above the weir.

For a long time after we kept hearing of 'unusual' catches of flounders in the Boston Spa reaches of the river, a few miles upstream from Tadcaster.

 

We never let on about our part in this 'unusual' incident.

 

John.

[lutra]

Lutra and I used to fish a very overgrown Highland spate river for salmon. In flood worm was the only sensible option for salmon and seatrout. Flounders were common enough in the short tidal stretch, but I remember one caught above some fairly extensive rapids that really did surprise me.

 

The words of Dick Walker suddenly had an apposite ring "If ever you fluke something, never let on to the onlookers that you were surprised"

A pic of Dave flounder fishing.