Fish thief

[gnappi]

I don't mind fishing the day after a full moon only to go home without even a hit, or when little fish grab my too large for their mouth lure, or rain showers, or gartors chasing my lure, but I resent birds following me for hundreds of yards waiting to swoop down on a fish I catch and plan on releasing!

Sunday this very large fellow (A blue Heron) followed me around a lake and was extremely aggressive swooping onto the bank as I was trying to grab the two fish I hooked to remove the hook and release them! On the second fish my GF was telling me to give the bird the fish, and I think that encouraged it to be more assertive in its quest for a free meal

 

[Scott F]

Several years ago, I was fishing on a Northern Minnesota lake with a friend of mine. Fishing had been pretty tough. After dinner I was standing on the dock, overlooking the lake commiserating with another fisherman on our bad luck. While we stood there, a gull landed on the dock and dropped a walleye. He looked at us as if to say, “See guys, this is how it’s done”, then picked up the walleye, swallowed it whole and flew off. This is why I don’t like gulls.

 

[DaleH]

Different sport, but similar thief!

My older brother once had a killer spot for ducks out on a rocky tip off the banks of a tidal estuary. To retrieve his ducks he’d tote along a large spin-fishing outfit equipped with a big surface plug that trailed mega treble hooks on a spreader.

One day an eagle made all of the retrieves for him ... but of course he never got 1 bird back! He said it was quite the sight watching those eagles pick up those 3-1/2-pound or heavier ducks so effortlessly!

 

[handyandy]

Different sport, but similar thief!

My older brother once had a killer spot for ducks out on a rocky tip off the banks of a tidal estuary. To retrieve his ducks he’d tote along a large spin-fishing outfit equipped with a big surface plug that trailed mega treble hooks on a spreader.

One day an eagle made all of the retrieves for him ... but of course he never got 1 bird back! He said it was quite the sight watching those eagles pick up those 3-1/2-pound or heavier ducks so effortlessly!

It's funny you mention a duck thief as I had the same thing happen one time. While hunting a half frozen slough off the Missouri River, in MO while I was in college we had a group of greenheads come right buddy and I dropped 3. Two of which were in wading distance/depth, but the last one shot managed to sail clear across the slough landing on the ice kind of breaking through it. It sat there flapping around trying to get on top the ice, mean while I slog to the boat fire it up to bust across the ice to it. Well as I'm pulling the boat out of the brush we hid it in an eagle swoops down and grabbed our nice greenhead. Was quiet the site, but also very frustrating to say the least. I've always referred to the blue herons as pterodactyls.

 

[bcbouy]

i had a loon steal a 3 pound rainbow i was fighting.it had it halfway down its gullet,tail sticking out its mouth, with me pulling on my flyline like no tomorrow,with my wife laughing her *** off the whole time.i lost the fish,15 feet of leader and fly,but it was worth it.small comfort was knowing that the fly and line had to come out of that bugger one way or another.

 

[LDUBS]

i had a loon steal a 3 pound rainbow i was fighting.it had it halfway down its gullet,tail sticking out its mouth, with me pulling on my flyline like no tomorrow,with my wife laughing her *** off the whole time.i lost the fish,15 feet of leader and fly,but it was worth it.small comfort was knowing that the fly and line had to come out of that bugger one way or another.

I'm still kind of chuckling at the thought of seeing a bird fly by trailing a fly rod. I'm glad it didn't come to that. :lol:

 

[handyandy]

While fishing in florida with my dad once he had a cormorant dive down grab his bait we didn't realize it at first was a bird. He thought he had a fish set he hook then all of sudden this bird pops up starts trying to fly off with his line. We had to reel it in and just cut the line as close to it as we could. Don't know if it made it or not don't care I hate those bastards especially during duck season. Caught a canadian goose once on a popper. Stupid thing swam right across my line, which caused it to get wrapped around its leg. Then took off due to the line surprising it, which then pulled my line till the lure hooked it's leg. After finally reeling it in the lure managed to come off on it's own. Stupid goose put up a fight every time I got close it would land, I would start moving in to try and get my lure back the thing would take off, and peel out a bunch of line.