Strange, unexpected captures?

[Guest Chris Shaw]

When I was alot younger I was fishing the river Mole just before it enters the Thames.

 

My rod then was a three piece float rod, bottom two sections being cane with a fibre glass tip.

 

I was fishing the river using a quill float a nice shiney gold size 16 hook and being of that age where you had to have a maggot of every colour that you had on the hook, in this case it was a white and a pink.

 

I had reeled in, laid the rod on the ground leaving the float and baited hook just laying right upto the bank. I went to one of my mates for a chat. On my return I picked up the rod, went to lift the float from the water only to find that the hook had snagged on something, lifting the rod it felt like I had caught a plastic bag, then it came into site, a huge pike, well I was young and it did look big, it must have been into double figures from what I recall. The hook was firmly in the top lip, I could see it, it let me lift it right to the surface then all hell broke loose, the reel was spinning, I was shouting, the pike was screaming off down river. I never did find out how much it weighed, it got away.

 

Not strange but certainly unexpected.

 

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Chris Shaw

 

They played on while the reel handles spun in unison.

[Guest Danny H]

I caught a bat last year, while slinging out a buzzbait.

The bats often fly near these while preparing to cast, the wind spins the vane and they must think they have found the Mossie from hell.

 

Reeled in thinking what the hell is on here.

 

Anyway the bat fell off, looked up , and flew off un hurt- ahh thank god for barbless hooks