# Rarest catches?



## diztortion

Two smallies on one shad rap.. pretty crazy.


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## kzoofisher

28" Northern. Wouldn't have thought twice about it but it was in a conibear set for beaver.


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## mikeznewaygo

probably not too rare, but i got a 42" Northern on Saginaw Bay walleye trolling 2 summers ago

Also had a sturgon on in the Muskegon River right at Croton Dam, Line broke as i was getting it up to me, wasnt huge about 30":yikes:


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## Davey Boy

Muskrat on a brown drake on the AuSable.


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## hommer23

3 Years ago jigging the mouth of the Saginaw river with a #7 Rapala with minnow head I caught a leapord frog through the ice. I was in the shipping chanel and thought I snaged him but nope he was hooked in the mouth. Last spring I was fishing the Tabacco river and stopped to take a break in 3 inches of water, I hit my resease so my crawler was floating down stream about 20 feet. When I realized it I stopped my line and lit a smoke and then started reeling the line in and had a 21 inch brown from 3 to 4 inches of water what a fight on a ultra light rod and reel.


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## M. Tonello

Fun fish fact:
Crystal Lake actually has it's own unique stock of coho salmon. We believe they spend their whole life cycle in the Crystal Lake system and never go to the big lake. They spawn in several of the tribs. The young then smolt out to Crystal Lake and return to those tribs 18 mo later to repeat the cycle.


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## wintrrun

Caught a bikini top on my 3 wt Winston on the Platte 2 summers ago.
There was nothing in it.:banghead3


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## SALMOTRUTTA

M. Tonello said:


> Fun fish fact:
> Crystal Lake actually has it's own unique stock of coho salmon. We believe they spend their whole life cycle in the Crystal Lake system and never go to the big lake. They spawn in several of the tribs. The young then smolt out to Crystal Lake and return to those tribs 18 mo later to repeat the cycle.


Damn!! No way, how did I not know this!?


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## llpof

You didn't ask?


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## rcleofly

A few years ago on trout opener me and a friend set up on the bank of a small trout stream. My buddy caught a snake head that was 14". At first site we were both like ***. We threw it in a cooler full of water and contacted the DNR. When an officer showed he took the fish and assumed it was put in the river very recently by someone who no longer wanted the fish. 

Also I know a spot where you can really hammer on grass pickerel with little streamers. Its a BLAST!

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## wintrrun

SALMOTRUTTA said:


> Damn!! No way, how did I not know this!?
> 
> 
> Posted using Outdoor Hub Campfire


 

I did! I did!


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## llpof

While it would be rare now, back then it wasn't exactly stunning to be fishing browns with either frozen smelt or pearl spoons at Frankfort or Manistee in early April with the fish going from 3-7 pounds and suddenly find yourself connected to mid upper teens king. I miss those days.


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## SALMOTRUTTA

llpof said:


> You didn't ask?


So you mean to tell me, that if I take a trip up to benzie, and cast some spoons or body baits I could have a chance at a semi landlocked coho salmon? What other trout could I catch besides lakers?


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## SALMOTRUTTA

diztortion said:


> Two smallies on one shad rap.. pretty crazy.


The first time I ever went out trolling on torch lake, while using michigan stinger scorpions on riggers had a brown hit the free slider and a laker hit the low spoon. Lost the laker at the boat but the brown stayed buttoned long enough to be the first trout I ever caught on a boat. 


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## troutguy26

wintrrun said:


> Caught a bikini top on my 3 wt Winston on the Platte 2 summers ago.
> There was nothing in it.:banghead3


Lol


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## steelslam

while at a military training in wisc. i could get a few hours away from the fort in the evenings. an not knowing were to go to put a line in the water i hit the first fishy water i found. with a 6 # fly rod i started out with some streamer patterns. after lots of casts an no hits finally i get a hit that about pulls the rod from my hand. well the fight was on an this sure dont feel like a trout, after some time i bring it to the shore as the net sure isnt big enough. its a 48'' musky on a 6lb. tippet.


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## Boardman Brookies

I would not call this rare but I was at the Rifle River Rec area a few year back still fishing late night and hooked into a hog. I though I had a wall hanger 25 inch plus brown on the other end. I worked the fish for over 10 min(4lb test) with many runs up and down river. I got a close look at it in the dark. It was a 8-10 lb carp. Line was cut right after that.


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## Robert Holmes

A 5 lb whitefish while smelt dipping in 2000. While ice fishing in 2006 I drilled 4 holes and got ready to fish and had 3 otters going in and out of my holes. Caught an 11 pound brown trout on the White River on a crawler while steelhead fishing. Caught a 5 1/2 Brook Trout while fishing for skamania. Caught a 3 1/2 pound brook trout while fishing for steelhead on spawn. While ice fishing in 1999 I had a coyote sitting next to me for 40 minutes watching.


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## fishonjr

Had a deer walk up and sniff my tip ups fishing for rainbows, and hooked a bat once casting hexes on the Manistee. Fought pretty good until it broke me. Had the drag too tight.


Sent from my fingertips


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## rcleofly

Boardman Brookies said:


> I would not call this rare but I was at the Rifle River Rec area a few year back still fishing late night and hooked into a hog. I though I had a wall hanger 25 inch plus brown on the other end. I worked the fish for over 10 min(4lb test) with many runs up and down river. I got a close look at it in the dark. It was a 8-10 lb carp. Line was cut right after that.


Not to get off subject but as a fly fisherman in the dead heat of summer when the water levels are to low and warm for trout fishing taking a 5 wt and finding carp in shallow clear water is very exciting. Its something I think all fly fisherman should give a try. 

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## hfitch

jasonmichalski said:


> When I was a kid thats how we.got our bass bait, lol
> 
> posted using Outdoor Hub Campfire


did the exact same thing as a kid on the gravel pit behind our house. The original top water lure!!!

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## Chrome steel

Rarest catch for me was a piranha caught while fishing pan fish at a local municipal lake in Shelby Twp.


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## flytiedan

Night of a hundred eels. Between three of us had lost count somewhere around 55 american eels from my favorite trout stream.. no trout till sun up when we caught a 2 man limit of 14"ers(give r take) within the hour.. 



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## steelton

I seen a guy indy rigging over the weekend on the mo with a chick wearing skin tight leggings and a russian fur hat sitting with her mittens sippin coco in the bottom of the boat. a rare catch indeed she was willing to go fishing and weather be darned she was gonna look hot in that stinkin boat. Probably even did her makeup just in case he caught a fish she'd surely pose like she was on the strip in morocco.


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## G3s

Caught a mallard bobber fishing for blugil, caught a 6# small mouth surf fishing for spring steelhead in frankfort, and managed to land a 22# lake on big glen when fishing for perch with 2# line


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## JimP

Snagged onto and reeled in a sunken radio controlled boat on Belle Isle as a youngster. Also a lot of interesting personal hygiene, articles of clothing and other oddities when fishing the River along the front of the under construction Cobo Hall.


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## jfisher100

Caught a mudpuppy while ice fishing smelt in Higgins Lake. 40 foot of water.


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## jfisher100

Caught dead rotting walleye while drifting for walleye on little bay de noc. Weird to catch that with all water.


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## Chrome steel

I also caught a bird while casting for white bass in Trenton channel. Here is a pick of my nephew as he on hooked it and released it. Kind of bummed me out that he released it before I got a chance to be in the picture, at least let me touch it.


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## stelmon

Dead, fillet sockeye salmon hooked in the mouth out of the Kenai river in Ak

First hook up on the pin while fishing for rivers kings was a mallard duck

Fishing for trout out of Paint I caught a mud puppy

4 whitefish while trolling for Kings


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## SALMOTRUTTA

stelmon said:


> 4 whitefish while trolling for Kings


I've got a few of those too while casting for kings and Steelies. Ninety percent of the time it's like August and south of traverse bay though. Got one on a piece of cocktail shrimp And a wobble glow.


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## mooneye

While hand lining for walleye in the Detriot river. I caught a 7 pound steel-head. He cut my hands all up. Finally, he jumped right in the boat.


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## wartfroggy

I've posted pics of this before, but while casting countdowns at night for walleyes, caught a brown with a dipsey diver ring stuck around it. Looks like it had been there awhile, because it actually grew around the ring like a tree growing around an old rope or chain. The fish had alot of fight, jumped several times, looked very healthy, and when I cleaned it was full of bait and had good looking meat.


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## jasonmichalski

Wow, the ringed Brown is the oddest thing I've heard of.

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## Chrome steel

That is pretty wicked, what are the odds of that happening!


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## smokedfish

these are within the last year. mudpuppy at higgins ice fishing 60 fow. mid feb. the hen salmon full of loose eggs, march 19th, high noon, first cast of the day. cought under the bridge right behing the logs. i have cought alot of crazy things over the years. love michigan fishing.


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## FredBearYooper

Carp caught a a shaky head worm.


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## dhosera

Buddy caught a Tampon jiggin for eyes in the Detroit last spring.....


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## Chrome steel

smokedfish said:


> these are within the last year. mudpuppy at higgins ice fishing 60 fow. mid feb. the hen salmon full of loose eggs, march 19th, high noon, first cast of the day. cought under the bridge right behing the logs. i have cought alot of crazy things over the years. love michigan fishing.


That reminds me of a brown trout I caught in spring on the upper Clinton river that was full of lose eggs. Browns spawn in fall.


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## RJEgolf

I caught a tropical pacu in the rouge river in melvindale fishing for bass it was the size of a dinner plate it really blew my mind I thought it was a piranha lol


_Posted from Michigan-sportsman.com App for Android_


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## ericjames

Last trout season i had a little 6in brookie on my 4wt and it all of a sudden stopped coming in and then took off like a rocket up stream. A buddy and i ran after it fighting it the whole time, finally got next to it and it rolled on its back and looked at me. I remember saying that &%$* otter has my brookie, he just looked at me for a second and then let go of it. Amazing he held on as long as he did. The brookie didnt make er.


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## ericjames

RJEgolf arent those known as the nut cracker fish. It thought i read something online that a man from wisconsin got his testicle bit off froo one while swimming.


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## RJEgolf




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## diztortion

That's pretty sweet. Didja get it mounted?


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## RJEgolf

No l threw it back but I really should have kept it


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## Multispeciestamer

RJEgolf said:


>


Crazy catch a pacu, still only a juvi. not even a year old.


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## RJEgolf

My buddy caught what he said was a piranha a couple years ago in the same spot I caught this fish but I think it was one of these I seen the pic of it and it looks like the one I caught


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## Multispeciestamer

RJEgolf said:


> My buddy caught what he said was a piranha a couple years ago in the same spot I caught this fish but I think it was one of these I seen the pic of it and it looks like the one I caught


Very possible, Both were once readily available in a pet shop. Piranhas are unfortunately much harder to come by these days. Ive kept both Red Belly piranhas (Pygocentrus Nattereri) and Red bellied Pacu (Piaractus brachypomus) which is what you caught. Red bellied Pacus are readily available at most pet stores included chain stores like Petsmart. To the amateur aquarium keeper a pacu will out grow most any sized common fish tank (10-75 gal) in the first year. As an adult they require a tank of 200+ gallons. So they out grow someones tank and they release them to the nearest body of water. I suspect it was a hard fighting battle?

Strangest thing I ever caught was a 17-18 inch smallie out of the small unmentionable behind my house. I have yet to ever see another one in there. The fish was released. I hooked a spring king last spring fishing for smallies on a crankbait, did not land it though.


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## RJEgolf

Yea it fought like a bluegill on steroids lol.there is a warm water discharge in this spot and I was fishing rite in front of it when this pacu ate my night crawler


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## RJEgolf

I've also caught a steelhead,3 walleye,a musky all of these fish are very uncommon oh yea and some monster goldfish over the years I've been fishing there


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## R_T

I've only ever caught one of these...so i guess that would make it rare..lol. Not sure if i've shared this before...20 lb cylinder fish...:lol:


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## Robert Holmes

I was fishing on a river in the UP once and a 19 inch brown trout fell out of the sky and landed next to me. I looked up and an eagle was sitting just over my head on a tree branch. That birds loss turned out to be my gain. I saw a guy at Petoskey running down the river screaming that he had a big one on. I barely got my line in fast enough and got out of his way. It was fighting like a big steelhead or salmon. All of a sudden it came out of the water and took off across a dock and back into the water. It was a commorant


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## Yardman

SALMOTRUTTA said:


> Quote:
> 
> Originally Posted by toto
> 
> While jigging for lake trout on Crystal Lake in the winter, I hooked and landed an 11.55# burbot. Scared the crap out of me when I pulled it through the hole, btw, it was largest burbot that year.
> 
> I had heard of a rare catch on Crystal lake a few years ago when a guy claimed he got a coho through the ice. I saw the fish, but was skeptical of the fact it was a salmon. I still think it was a trout, but it was bright silver, deeply forked tail, black mouth with white gums, about 11lbs or so. Nice fish for sure.
> 
> 
> Posted using Outdoor Hub Campfire





_Posted from Michigan-sportsman.com App for Android_


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## Yardman

SALMOTRUTTA said:


> Quote:
> 
> Originally Posted by toto
> 
> While jigging for lake trout on Crystal Lake in the winter, I hooked and landed an 11.55# burbot. Scared the crap out of me when I pulled it through the hole, btw, it was largest burbot that year.
> 
> I had heard of a rare catch on Crystal lake a few years ago when a guy claimed he got a coho through the ice. I saw the fish, but was skeptical of the fact it was a salmon. I still think it was a trout, but it was bright silver, deeply forked tail, black mouth with white gums, about 11lbs or so. Nice fish for sure.
> 
> 
> Posted using Outdoor Hub Campfire


I have caught numerous coho out of crystal. They get in through the Betsie and into clear creek and over the cougher by railroad pt. Definately cohp in there!


_Posted from Michigan-sportsman.com App for Android_


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## bucksnort73

Fishing behind the grain silos in Carrollton, caught my uncle's ultralight combo I didn't know he lost a few days earlier. On Sage Lake, a dogfish on a spinnerbait fishing for bass. A snapping turtle on a crawler trying for carp behind the old Carrollton animal shelter. He was NOT happy!

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## fishineveryminuteofit

Me-fishing eyes off the bottom of a local lake with jiggin rap when i had a big mark suspended 10' above my bait, i raised up, and enticed a hit immediately. ended up a 30" Northern i woulda never caught without flasher.

Buddy-trout fishing a GR trib with #4 PM's in mid may, when he hooked into a beautiful Steel. took a while to land with the light gear, i netted and handed over his first Steel ever. The pics of this trip are priceless.


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## zydar323

Walleye fishing Lake St Clair, I hooked into a nice 25" walleye (the only one of the day). Only problem was that my hook never touched the fish. someone else had hooked this fish, broke off, and my hook went into the eye of the bottom bouncer that was attached to a crawler harness that was in the walleyes mouth. I got a nice walleye, a new bottom bouncer, and a nice black crawler harness to boot!


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## steelheader2002

54" 33 lbs sturge on 8#line out of the grand sucker fishing








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## Bloodrunner

Caught a 14# Female king Salmon full of eggs in Apr. above the coffer on the South side of Tippy.


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## METTLEFISH

12LB Black Buffalo on a plug in the Joe at the Dairy farm, hooked in the mouth! Softshell Turtle on a crank bait on a fast retrieve hooked in the mouth! (Florida)


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## blacjam1

I got 2....

While fishing for salmon in Washington state, was casting a BuzzBomb from the sand. Mid-cast smacked into a seagull and got it by the wing. Damn thing flopped all the way in and was like hauling in a trash can.

Second one, I was trout fishing at the White River in Meeker Colorado, same thing except with a Canadian Goose. This SOB was smoking my drag while it was flying away. Took it about 5 seconds to spool me! I can tell you that Geese fight way better than Gulls!

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## blacjam1

Almost forgot, one more.....

Salmon fishing in Washington again. Hooked into a pretty nice salmon, all of a sudden it gets a huge surge of energy. Peels out about 50 yards of line and he comes up with sea lion. I think the sea lion got the best of him though, as I reeled in the remains of my mangled salmon......lol.

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## there's a hole in my boot

speaking of geese, i'm no longer allowed to walk my retriever in the local park near the beach... i stopped to let her get a drink in the lake..... heard kids screaming...... hear comes my thick headed dog with a freshly "downed" mallard. said dog now has a much shorter lead lol


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## Quad82

Last summer I cought a 23" pike and a 17" walleye on a single Hot-N-Tot trolling the chanel at Holliway Reservior. While trying to unhook the 2 fish, I managed to hook myself as well! 

I hooked a Seagull at Secord lake while fly-fishing when I was a kid. I have also hooked lots of froggs, turtles and fishing buddies over the years!


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## ifishmich69

Crappie fishing last year my boy sets the hook and thinks he has a giant crappie and it turns out to be about a 6lb dogfish! It was nasty but he was pumped.

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## Swampbuckster

Quad82 said:


> Last summer I cought a 23" pike and a 17" walleye on a single Hot-N-Tot trolling the chanel at Holliway Reservior. While trying to unhook the 2 fish, I managed to hook myself as well!
> 
> I hooked a Seagull at Secord lake while fly-fishing when I was a kid. I have also hooked lots of froggs, turtles and fishing buddies over the years!



WOW!!! The first story is amazing!!!!


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## arrowtip17

a loon ate a large plastic that I was throwing for pike in Canada. After a very good and long fight, caught and released him. Earlier, during steelhead season, my friend went to cast a spawn bag in the manistee river and hooked by brother in law in the cheek. The line broke off on the cast and the bag/hook were dangling from his face the rest of the day. The funny part is that they were arguing just before the cast , and my brother in law accused him of doing it on purpose.


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## dogfish17

I hooked into a giant snaping turtle while bass fishing then the hook popped out and then I caught my right eyeball.

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## Fishslayer5789

dogfish17 said:


> I hooked into a giant snaping turtle while bass fishing then the hook popped out and then I caught my right eyeball.
> 
> posted using Outdoor Hub Campfire


Holy crap. Did it blind you permanantly?:yikes:


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## dogfish17

No, somehow I was able to remove it without it pulling out my cornea and retna. Doctor told me that its one in a million that I am not blind in that eye. Crazy thing about that situation is I was wearing sunglasses.

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## itchn2fish

I used to treat troops that would catch the drip from suckers...........4.8 mills procaine penicillan would usually clear it up....


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## SmokeCity85

BVG said:


> Crayfish trout fishing with a worm.
> 
> Bat casting a 1/16 oz. Mr. Twister at night on a farm pond.
> 
> 6 ft sturgeon walleye fishing on the Detroit River.
> 
> 2 ft square piece of extruded steel plate hand lining on the Detroit River.
> Damn thing would hang motionless in the water and just be dead weight.
> Then it would flutter and fight like a monster fish.
> Then hang...
> I fought that thing for 15 minutes.


I had a very similar fight like your extruded steel plate. Except we were salmon fishing and I was "fighting" a 5lb cannonball...The downrigger cable snapped. I'll never forget that lol


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## twowack

I dont know how rare but a 10 inch brook trout in the paw paw river when I was a young man.


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## gillispiebrandon

I have seen some monster sheephead (freshwater drum) caught on spoons and J-Plugs in really deep water while salmon trolling out of Manistee. Also one time I which bowfishing in my boat alone for some reason (not safe) and with the lights and genny going I was scanning for fish when a 50lb beaver swam out from under the bow of my boat and I screamed like a baby. Glad no one was with me after that. Had to clean my underroos.


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## gillispiebrandon

Similar to previous ones but I was surf fishing out of Manistee in February and we decided to wrap it up. When I was reeling in my last rod with a choker spawn bag on it I felt steady tension. As I reeled I felt head shake and when it came in I had hooked a barrel swivel. Attached to the line was a flasher and then a riverside fly that was inside a 11lb steelhead's mouth. What are the odds?


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## jasonmichalski

gillispiebrandon said:


> I have seen some monster sheephead (freshwater drum) caught on spoons and J-Plugs in really deep water while salmon trolling out of Manistee. Also one time I which bowfishing in my boat alone for some reason (not safe) and with the lights and genny going I was scanning for fish when a 50lb beaver swam out from under the bow of my boat and I screamed like a baby. Glad no one was with me after that. Had to clean my underroos.


 I had a beaver do the same casting for bass in a shallow weedy bay, my response was the same,
I hooked a rock steelhead fishing, and underwear bass fishing.:lol:


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## workingman

About 10 years ago we were fishing Cass Lake in Oakland County for a golden rule catch and release Bass tournament. The guy I was fishing with from our club was slow working a giant suspending jerkbait just off the drop to very deep water and WHAM!!! He put his baitcaster in free spool and just thumbed the spool for about 20 minutes and he finally brought in a beautiful fish that looked like a lake trout. I think is was a hi-bred called a splake. My guess was that it was 16 to 20 pounds. We didn't know what the season was so he let it go - reluctantly.


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## marn1186

This 50" musky I landed this summer was rare.








Enjoy! My only catch to brag about. 


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## TK81

Back in the early 90's, I lived in South Texas. My boss lived an upscale subdivision with a community park. A small creek that was dry half the time had recently flooded, and there was a good sized ditch next to the tennis courts that now was a small pond. A couple of his neighbor kids told me there were some decent catfish in the ditch (which was now landlocked). I went and got one of my rods and a container of livers and cast into the middle of the ditch. My line started tightening up, so I set the hook. The water erupted and about ten minutes later I had a 4 foot alligator gar flopping on the grass. The scary part was that the neighborhood kids were barefoot playing in the water and this ditch might have been 50 feet wide by 100 feet long. Never did get a catfish.


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## Smallmouth Chaser

When I was 12, I was fishing the pier at Ludington and on a back cast I caught a 15 to 17 year old bike rider. He really fought hard, actually kicked my tackle box into Lake Michigan and threatened to beat me up before he pulled the hook out of his eye lid. :help: Lucky for me some adult came to my rescue and dealt with the bloody and very angry kid.

By the way, my tackle box was closed and eventually ended up close enough to shore I could swim out and get it.


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