What is it about fishing that has caused humans over the centuries to make up yarns about the experience? From the ancient mariners of days long gone to the angler tall tales of today, fishing stories have been handed down from generation to generation, some incredible and some flat out amazing. And they're not all fibs. From the moment that we set foot on a boat, by the river, or anywhere there were fish to catch, we've had incredible experiences worth remembering. With that in mind, we've unwittingly come across more than a few things that are so unbelievable they're almost too good to be true. We've caught things we weren't supposed to catch, watched other creatures show up to try and steal our catch, and even seen few things that we just can't explain. I can remember vividly fishing in Ontario, Canada when I was a young boy and watching my dad cast an old creek-chub pike minnow when a seagull attacked it and tried to fly away it. After seeing my father perform an emergency lure removal, the bird flew away (after having lost more than a few feathers) and I learned a few new colorful words to add to my vocabulary. I've had ospreys grab spinnerbaits right out of the water, watched a pike attack my bobber, and even once watched my grandfather hook a muskrat. In that vein, here are some more fishing situations that you've got to see. There may not be explanations for some of these great videos, but the fact is that not all fishing trips come without some form of a mystery. Anytime that we drop bait over the side of a boat or out into a river, the puzzle begins again, and that's one of the greatest reasons why we love angling so darn much.
1. Dogs Landing Fish
We've seen them land our fish, catch one in a pond, and grab them right out of the stream, but some canines just seem to have an innate ability to grab a fish with their mouth. No wonder it's a breed that's good as a duck hunting dog! How many of you take your pooch with you on fishing outings? Sometimes it's great to have them along, other times they sort of interfere.
2. Landing a Brown Trout from a 4' by 4' Pothole
Ignoring the lake right next to him, a Norwegian fishermen instead makes a great cast into a small pothole and voila: brown trout for dinner. Who would have thought something so impressive could come from such a small honey hole! How many other fish are down there?! After a certain point, we all come around to the fact that the size of the water body doesn't really matter. It's the quality of the habitat, the availability of food, and the right sort of conditions that help us find where the fish are.
Getting Hardcore Spooled by an Unknown Fish
This fishermen takes a cast with his favorite plug, gets an immediate spool-screaming strike, and then watches all his line disappear off the reel in 40 seconds. Where did it go, and what took it?! There's no easy explanation, and we aren't sure exactly where the angler was fishing. Do you have any guesses? You can barely see the thing cruise by the boat in the beginning of the fight. Can we even call it a fight, though? Probably not.
A Gator Got Your Catch
RHONA WISE/Getty
How many times have you seen an alligator while fishing? It's actually a pretty common occurrence in some parts of the country, specifically Florida. We've shared many video clips showing how often it happens, and sometimes the gator seems to come out ahead. You don't have to be too worried, because they rarely attack unprovoked, but you should brush up on what to do just in case. ANd especially if you're fishing in Florida, keep your head on a swivel!
Anything Caught Ice Fishing That Isn't a Fish
We've seen muskrats, minks, waterfowl, and other odd things come out of the ice over the years and it hasn't stopped being crazy yet. If you're out ice fishing, you know you're after hungry fish. But in reality, there's a lot of wildlife that gets hungry during the cold part of the year. No matter where you're fishing the hard water, you stand a chance of seeing something pretty crazy if you keep your line in the water long enough.
Noodling for Snapping Turtles
Noodling is one of the craziest ways to get a grip on catfish, even whisker lips that are as big as our arms, but this just defies explanation. Snapping turtles have some extremely strong jaws, and they sure do have a knack for attaching themselves to our fishing lures when we least expect it. There are even legends about massive, mind-boggling snappers out there. Whether they're trying to feed or just aggressively fighting off an intruder, we may never really know. But one thing's for sure, you wouldn't find me sticking my arm in a snapper hole!
Shark Release Turns into Grouper Feeding
This particular video has been watched some 68 million times and it never gets old. As these fellows were about to release a small shark, the circling grouper had other plans. Groupers can get big, and we mean really big. Even the strongest folks have a hard time wrestling with these behemoths.
Mystery Creature
Bigfoot, sea serpents, lake monsters, and other cryptids have a way of showing up when we least expect them, especially when we are fishing. What's the explanation? Who knows, but at least the propensity to video record out fishing adventures has grown enough to help try and sort some of this stuff out. Then again, maybe it just makes it even harder to understand when we have such weird footage like this!
Turtle Eating Catfish
Some good folks out on Lake Grapevine, Texas found a catfish with eyes that were bigger than its mouth.... and stomach. There are times when a big meal pays off, and then there are times like this. A catfish of that size should be able to have the run of the place, and engorge itself on food that seems a little too big. But this case just goes to show that they're a feisty species, even though they seem lazy, slow, and unenthusiastic at times.
When Muskellunge Attack
We love to target the fish of 1,000 casts, but sometime they target us. Seriously, we wish this hadn't happened to this kid, but we now know muskies aren't to be trifled with! Since we spend so much time out on or near the water, it's just natural that some crazy things can happen.
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