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Posts: 1061
Location: Medford, WI | Had some very interest things happen this weekend fishing, including boating my personal best.
Many of you may not believe the next few sentences, and I'm sure some will say that the same thing has happened to them.....here we go....
Started fishing Saturday night, and my dad says something about a follow, "I swear it was a turtle"....."Ok, dad" I say (thinking he's nuts or had a huge follow)...10 minutes later and what do you know...."Oh my god, you were serious about that turtle were'nt you dad?"....I had the turtle following my bucktail. It seemed like the more/faster I made the blade spin the more aggressive the turtle was. Anyone else ever have this happen? My only guess was that the bucktail was possibly "invading" this turtle's area or something. It was a rather big turtle probably 20" in diameter.
Still Saturday night...there was a loon-looking bird swimming by us throughout the night and the reason I say "loon-looking" is because it was a very light greyish blue color, yet still had the white dots that loons typically have, throuout it's body. My dad has been a taxidermist for 20 years and spends every minute possible in the outdoors, but he could not say that he knew what it was for sure. My best guess was a very light colored loon. Anyone else seen one like this? Anyways that's not even the point of this bird...pretty soon we noticed the bird diving down as soon as our baits would hit the water. After noticing this, we watched it and as soon as we would make our cast, the bird would watch the bait flying from our boat until it hit the water...the instant the bait landed in the water, the bird took off after it. ....Believe it or not.....this thing went after my dad's jackpot (and I mean it took a swipe at it.) Thank god it missed, I can't imagine how that trip would have went catching a loon!!!!
Then I finally boated a 45.5"er and was happier than ever.
Still not done...Sunday, we fished Butternut and I was throwing a Dancin' Raider towards shore and I saw a king-fisher take a look at it (not thinking anything of it, as many smaller birds sometimes notice the commotion, but just fly away). Not this bird, the king-fisher continues to check it out and decided to try and grab the bait!!! It was down right next to the water by the bait for 2 or 3 seconds....meanwhile I was in the bottom of the boat laughing my @#@ off!!! I know weird things are supposed to happen on a full moon, but all of this...come on!!!!!
If anyone has had anything similar to these happen to them, I'd love to hear it. Especially interested to hear if you know what the moon period was...I'm starting to pay more and more attention to that. Let's hear the stories...
-Jake |
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Posts: 256
Location: Janesville | The thing you thought was a lon was a lon it was this years young loon. Yes I have seen loons chase bucktails and small craick baits. The turtle we caught a snapping turtle on a bucktail the person had a backlash and when he started to reel in he said he had one and the turtle was big . Weird thing happen on the full moon Matt |
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| I was noticing Loons on Tomohawke last weekend that were very pale grey-blue. beautiful birds. |
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Posts: 469
Location: Downers Grove, IL | I was fishing bass up in Michigan and I had a similiar situation happen to me. I was casting a small spinnerbait at the weedlines and saw something big behind it. Well as it got closer to the boat I noticed that i was a HUGE FRICKIN snapping turtle that probably weight like 20 pounds. The stupid thing was just snapping like crazy behind my bait and I literally had to pull it outta the water to get it away from it. I cant image hooking and fighting that thing on a little bass rod.
thedude |
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Posts: 1061
Location: Medford, WI | Magnum,
That's the first thing we thought of, that it was a young loon. But it was bigger than the ones that we usually see.
Do they grow to their full adult size within one year??? ...and yes, they sure are pretty looking birds.
Thanks for the replies.....thought maybe the long hours of fishing was really getting to me for a second!!!!!
-Jake |
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Posts: 105
| I’ve heard from a few people that the bird’s plumage changes in the fall from the infamous black and white to a gray or bluish color. I've seen that color phase a few times on mille lacs, these birds are identical looking to a loon, minus the colors that we are all used to. I think that it is just down to adapt to the colder temps. |
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| Mergeanser ...Aka...FISH DUCK? Had one of them follow a buck to the boat |
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| No, my dad said it wasn't a meganser for sure because he knows what they look like. He knew it wasn't that. Interesting that they may change colors later inthe year....maybe i'll check it out tomorow after classes and let everyone know.
-Jake |
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| They definitely lose their summer plumage. By the time they leave the north the males are pale gray. |
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Posts: 1916
Location: Greenfield, WI | I had a loon (or a lon, as some of the other posts called it!?) follow on Saturday. It sure gets your attention.
A few years ago, I did have a "lead" rather than an odd follow. I was throwing a suick in some very clear water. As I was retrieving it I saw a 36"er coming in right in front of the bait with its tail almost touching the bait, for almost 20'.
Ripley's Believe it or not! |
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Posts: 622
Location: Seymour, WI | I also had a light colored loon or merganser making laps around the boat on Sun morning. I was throwing a pacemaker and noticed a nice wake behind the lure, hoping for a strike, it was the bird not a musky.
Grass, |
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Posts: 32958
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | Loons many times, and a turtle that actually ate a slow rolling spinnerbait. It was quite a fight, too. |
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Posts: 20281
Location: oswego, il | The rest of the seagulls really don't like it when you hook on of their own. Try fighting a seasgull to the boat while 500 more are circling. I got this gem this spring on a zam:
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| Had a mink following fast after a jackpot. prolly would've hit it if i didnt speed reel |
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Posts: 2384
Location: On the X that marks the mucky spot | At this last years Frank Schnider Tournament I got a 35"er against a VERY windblown shoreline. About 1/4 of the way to the boat I saw a large dark shape following my muskie! There was a mid 40" muskie following the one I had hooked! It scrammed before getting to the boat, but I thought that was pretty cool.
I wonder what the rules would be on if the muskie hammered the little one and we got both in the net??? |
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Posts: 1335
Location: Chicago, Beverly | Huge Swan on a Pacemaker.. Tried to speed up to get away from the Swan and it speeded up.. Had to give the bait a real hard yank to get it away before the bird got stupid and tried to eat it.. |
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Posts: 3518
Location: north central wisconsin | My buddy was crankin his rylure in last season when he said, I think I got one. No one was watching, but a bald eagle had picked up the lure and flew off with it. Luckily it eventually let go. Lots of loon follows, and a few seagull topwater hits/catches too. Had a golden retreiver keep following my Reef Hawg last year in MN on a great spot. Ticked me off. |
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Posts: 576
Location: nappanee IN | had 5 follows on one cast on barbee chain yesterday, ok they were a family of swans but still follows  you didn't say they had to be FISH did you? later karol |
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Posts: 1061
Location: Medford, WI | Muskietreats, I also had that happen to me 2 years ago on a river. I had one muskie lower 30's on and then I notices another right next to it, imitating the hooked fish's every action. Pretty cool to see, just like yours, the un-hooked one took off when I got the fish about 3 yards from shore.
Interesting to hear all of the "Unusual" follows, it has to make you think that baits really do resemble real "things."
-Jake |
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