The Best Odd/Rare True Fishing Stories

a buddy of mine caught a salmon off point loma in his boat...between 1997 and 2000

We caught a short billed spearfish on my boat in Sept 2013

8 miles SE of the 425, about 30 miles south of Point Loma

we had a triple strike and only one fish stuck

the short bill spearfish is the rarest of all the bill fish

wait wut ? I went fishing ?

 

Lots of people have caught bass that coughed up a mouse or a snake. This is a ringnecked snake, though...have only seen two of them alive....and this one...which wasn't.

 

Nothing odd from me, but my friend did stumble upon a dead body when fishing the LA River. And I grew up a big fan of this book.

 

This may not be mind blowing but it’s probably not a catch I’ll ever duplicate.

I was about 7 years old fishing a pond on Rough and Ready island, an old USN base in Stockton, CA back in the mid 70’s. Using a bobber and minner, I hooked something that wasn’t really fighting all that hard compared to other fish I was catching but it was heavy. My spinning reel was struggling to gain any line, old beat up reel so even when my dad tightened the drag it was a struggle. As the fish came closer to shore I saw not 1 but 2 LMB on one of those old chain stringers with the locking swivel type keepers, probably a couple pounds each. Thinking back, I wonder how long they were on that stringer as they were close to the same size so I imagine they were pulling each other around equally. I need to try and find the photo, it’s somewhere in the archives.

 

fishing in the bay..caught this around noon...damn...21 years ago

 

NavComStaSanFrancisco R & R Island.......Yeah, my dad was stationed there 1967-1970. I never fished on base, but Stockton had levees and canals everywhere. 7 blocks in any direction from my house, there was fishable water.

 

Even though Stockton is now considered the armpit of California by some, I absolutely loved our time there! That’s where I cut my teeth FW fishing. I hear a song from that era and I immediately go back to my childhood summers there! Also have some not so good memories, one of my classmates in 3rd grade was fishing the San Joaquin with his grand dad one night when he fell in and drowned. Very traumatic for a little guy like me back then.

 

Ah, this just reminded me of a time I saw a dead 8+ lb bass (I weighed it) in a small LA city pond. Next to it was a dead floating duck. I wonder if the bass tried to the eat the duck and they both died in their struggle.

 

Fishing San Quintin for YFT easy limits in October of 2011 we also stumbled on some tiny Dodo's that couldn't even pull the drag on our trollers (they would just skip). We were in a Panga and I'm facing forward looking at the Captains "oh Sheet face" I spin around to see a Momma Killer whale running straight up the line trying to grab one of the hooked Dodo's off the trollers while by buddy is whipping it out of the huge open and chomping mouth and grinding as fast as he can. So funny to watch, then the pod peeled off and we could see a baby with a small group of Orcas.

 

Many decades ago in Mission Valley off of Texas Street(before it became Qualcomm way)....the water was very high from some rains. I pulled up and parked( you used to be able to park right on Texas Street before everything got developed) and while I was getting out a rod out of my car I heard some splashing and I could not believe it as a bluegill flopped up
on the road right next to me as I guess a bass must have been chasing it. I had a plastic worm on and although I know it is not legal, but I instantly rigged the worm off and just hooked the bluegill in the mouth(just so it looked like I caught it,.....ha ha) and just tossed it about 6 feet into the water. Within 10 or 15 seconds, my line got tight and started heading west down the river. I set the hook and pulled in a bass around 4lbs with the bluegill still on the hook. It was exciting, especially when everything happened so fast. I guess it was a unusual story as it never happened to me again....and probably never ever will.

 

I caught a wife at San V in 1987.
She was a lake ranger for the City then. Worked with Steve Parker. Still have her.
First time I saw her she was walking down the boat dock on her hands with a little kid and a couple ducks following her. True story.

 

I’ve witnessed that at DVL, saw a Bluegill and a Crappie jumping around in the dirt after being attacked by a Wolfpack of about six bass that were no more than 3lbs each.

 

Fifteen years back...lots of baitfish in Mariner's Basin, and mackerel and such sporting around underneath 'em. Not bait balls...more like bait hotcakes in less than 2 feet of water.
Some chucklehead buzzed out of the basin, making a pretty substantial wake.
Ankle high breakers on the shore...and when one of 'em receded, my fishing partner noticed a small bonito up on the sand, drumming its tail on the hardpack, completely high and dry. I guess it was chasing the little smelt and anchovies.
She had to trot a ways to pick up the fish....and by the time she got there to put it back in the water, it was pretty spent and went belly up.
We revived it and it swam off.

 

I catch one in my yard every once in a while

 

Was her name kelly