Too lazy to locate the fishing thread

[Kat2]

Last night I had 3 pinfish and some pork so I went fishing. I caught a katfish. All alone and barefoot I had to figure out how to shed it. (It managed to somehow shove my last bit of live bait up the line so it was merely hooked which meant I could fish more.) I've heard about the barbs and such with these but haven't clue where they are since the other 3 or 4 I've hooked have been disengaged by someone else.

What to do?

I let it flop on the dock for a few minutes until it seemed tuckered out then I gingerly caught its tail with my right foot; it didn't move. Carefully I reached down for the hook without touching the beast and miraculously the hook came right out.

Kicked it back into the river and fished until I lost my bait.

Today I was in a foul mood...er fishing mood...so I got my cast guy to catch some bait so the 12 year old girl next door and I could fish. Stupid pinfish was all we had but a LOT. Caught nothing not even puffers! Went home to fix dinner. Bait in a bucket only; knew they'd be dead if and when I went back.

Fine. Bait is bait, right?

And katfish will bite on anything it seems so why not have some fun? The little one I caught I didn't have to wrestle off of my hook (it did eat the bait). Wearing sandals (prepared) I stepped bravely on the tail and just kinda shook the hook out.

I like using a bobber and can string one in daylight but it was dark and mine was only half engaged so I took it off. Placed my last pinfish on the hook and figured I'd be walking home very soon. (I'd started with 15 dead ones, tossed 7 in the water (chumming? LOL), lost 6 to nibbles and 1 to the katfish.) This was it.

Just so you know, I can't cast worth a darn; where it lands it or how far it goes is a mystery to me. Sometimes I've pleasantly surprised. I'm really happy when I don't hook someone which is probably why I really like to fish alone.

I put it out there and waited.

Not for long!

Holy cow! My line went left and then right and then out toward the channel singing all the way. Whatever had hold of my line was nutso!

For someone who has never really fished this was quite exciting but also daunting. Had I hooked a manatee? A dolphin? A whale? Would the rod break? It was bent very sharply.

I played it for who knows how long and then it was over.

Well, nearly, I happened to have a flashlight with me so I could see what I'd hooked. It was 16 to 18" long, gray, with a split tail and huge mouth. We spent the next 10 minutes looking at each other. Why? Because I could not manage to land it. (Light rod and tackle.) I had a piece of a 1 x 6 that I tried to use to coax it into a small bucket I had: didn't work. I considered leaving the rod to run back 200' to get help but didn't want to lose equipment. What to do? Finally I tried to pull it in and the line snapped.

Darn, I know you fisherman don't consider that a catch but I do. Landed? Nope. Caught. You bet. That sucker has my hook!

Anyone have a clue what I snagged? It was not an obligatory katfish I know. Unless he'd just shaved...

[merce3]

snook?

red?


hopefully neither, because those are both good eating.

[cincinnana]

Small Cobia perhaps.
Great fish tale ......The one that got away.

[Abnshrek]

Long Lost fish strory thread? lol :^)

[cincinnana]

Dear Penthouse Forum.

You won't believe this but I was out fishing late one night.....

[Kat2]

I looked at the pictures on the regulation page and figure it was a snook, tarpon or cobia; it wasn't legal size so I guess it's okay it got away.

[Abnshrek]

One day I had monster catfish on my small rod.. I almost couldn't reel that sucker in.. Oh yeah that was today.. Lol :v)

[Kat2]

Originally Posted by Abnshrek

One day I had monster catfish on my small rod.. I almost couldn't reel that sucker in.. Oh yeah that was today.. Lol :v)

Was it yummy? Farm raised I've had in the past wasn't bad. And I did reel this thing in--we sat looking at each other eyeball to eyeball for a good 10 minutes. It was pretty much dead weight; if I'd had a net or an accomplice, I could have "docked" it. (I was told by Mr. Cocoa that my line had become compromised when the "whale" brushed it against the barnacle encrusted pilings. To hear him talk, this was maybe a 2 pounder. 16 to 18" is 2 lbs? Yeah, my mother who'd had 7 kids told me I was exaggerating when I said DS kicked like the devil. Fortunately I landed that one so she realized how muscular he was; he turned over 2x in the delivery room.)

[cincinnana]

I see these in the yard sometimes....hard to katch.