The story of my biggest fish I ever caught.

[wisper29]

I was 4 months pg with my daughter and had taken a walk with my best friend down to the river and we ran into another friend of ours and we all went walking out on the fishin' pier and was looking out at the water. When all of a sudden from the corner of my eye I spot something jump out of the water and up onto the pier. I ran and jumped right on it, what was it you ask a Steelhead Trout,lol. To think I had just looked down in that very spot in the water and then walked off. I and one little eboy about 6 maybe held that fish down until it passed away. I was holdin' down the head and he the tail. While we was holding the fish down I looked over to the other side of the pier and noticed something I shall never forget a young whale right there before our very eyes looking right at us. So I figured well I know why that fish jumped out of the water like it did,lol. I would of to if I had to choose bein' eatten by a whale or jumping up out of the water all together,lol. The little boy didn't want the fish as I told him he could have it if he wanted it, but he said I could so I walked home with the fish over my shoulder and my friends still in shock laughing their heads off seeing a PG woman catching a fish with her bare hands and then carrying it home like a trophy,lol. All the kids in the neighborhood had to touch it as they have never seen a real fish before. I had to bring both my friends with my to tell my mom and dad that they watched me with their very own eyes catch this thing with my bare hands. I mean shoot I didn't have any tackle or pole or net with me seeing I hadn't planned on goin' fishin just for a walk was all I had in mind,lol. My dad measured the fish and it was 26" which is the largest fish I ever caught and he told me when he was cleanin' it that it was a female that had just spawned and so was probably why she looked pretty scraped up like she did and that she gave her life to me. I don't eat fish but love to just fish for the fun of it and this was just some fluke that will probably never happen again, but gosh dang it sure makes one heck of a story to be able to tell folks if nothin' else,lol. I always let my folks have my fish when the occasion occurs I actually catch one,lol, seein' I don't eat them and would rather give it to people I know who needs food and likes to eat fish than just throw it away. So I thought I'd share this my funny and rather shocking biggest fish story bet not many of you men ever heard of a PG woman catchin' a fish with her bare hands before have ya.;)

[Timotha7]

That is a great story! Oregon is beautiful country, and steelhead are one of the greatest sports fish there are without question! You are lucky to be that close to river where they run through, must be fairly close to ocean for the whale to come that far up in

Was it humpback?? We used to swim with them winters when I was stationed in Hawaii out on North shore at Sunset

Catching a steelhead like that is really somthing

Thanks for sharing that story
Tim

[wisper29]

The river I got it at was one that runs into the one that is the one that leads out to the ocean. See after I brought that fish home I and my friends went to the police station to tell them about the small whale and didn't want any media and loads of folks trying to scare the poor thing more than it already was. So if you had a map you'll see the river I caught it at was the Willamette River and that runs into the Columbia River that leads to the Ocean. I just know it was a black whale with on big eye that looked right into mine as I was holding that fish down,lol.I know it was my first time I ever saw a whale in person in my entire life and my friends as well we were like wow are you seeing what I'm seeing and it's like yup we were in to much shock with everything that was going on,lol. Yeah, Oregon here has loads of great fishin' spots and many types of fish to catch. My brother and dad, though can tell ya about the best places probably to catch which ever kind of fish your lookin' to catch seeing between the two of them they have probably about half the state covered that they've fished. My dad don't know nothin' about computers though and so I can't be inviting him here, but my brother I might try to talk him into joining so he can tell ya about some of his adventures,lol. All my brother does is work on cars ( he's a certifided mechanic) and fish,lol. Yeah, so I figured I had to tell ya all about my fish story,lol. I wish I had a camera at that time to of gotten my pic with it it.

[Timotha7]

Be great to have your brother on here if he wants to join we would love to have him here talking fishing from the NorthWest part of the country

That was a special experience you had, getting that close to a whale that far up river

When we were in Hawaii, you could go out on your board beyond the
first break an there would be pods of them, the bulls would form a
circle an the cows and calves would work in the middle of it
they were very gentle you could paddle right up to them, and the
babies were the most fun, they would chase each other like they were
kids playing tag and jump clear out of the water, and that is a real
sight because a humpback baby is BIG

[capt.kirk]

OMG,Soupy,We done went an got us another Lyndel,just when you
thought you had the only one:rolleyes: KIRK

[Soupy_1us]

That big whale just ate my little carp story................ :(

[gofish]

whisper29 thats some story you got there.had to been a sight for sure. ya ever get out this way we got carp that jump in the boat,gotta look out for em cause they hurt if they hit ya.(been there,done that) lol

[wisper29]

Gofish sounds like I'd need a baseball bat to wack them carp then, talkin' about gettin some good batting practice I bet,lol. We've got carp out here, my dad's caught plenty but lets them go as he says their to boney for him to eat, but as far as I know are carp don't jump out the water, but man they sure eat good, the ones I've seen some people catch,lol. See we've lived out here in the NW for 20+ years now as we moved from MI to here. I miss the snow back in them parts as well as the lake we lived just a block from that my dad would take me fishin' at, ok granted I'd catch more cattails then fish, but that's even better what I catch anymore which just always seems to be snags and waves, which my brother and dad always laughs at and says I'd probably win a contest if their was one for catching waves,lol. I haven't fished from a boat before only done off the shore or off a pier if I'm lucky to get the chance to go fishin' anyways. I've been wanting to go, but of course my dad and my brother never invite me to go with them and I don't know enough to really go by myself,lol, I can hook my own worm so that's doin' good for me, now to figure a different way to get my fish off the hook rather than hugging them angleing them just right to get them off during my hug to them,lol. My mom she gets tired of waiting for either of them to come and take her fish off so she just wacks it on bunches of rocks until it comes off you outa see her it's the funniest darn thing you'll probably ever see and give ya a good belly laugh,lol.

[Soupy_1us]

Dang it Kirk... This here young 'un has more wind in her than I do.... Tee might start thinkin' about a thread for her....
Like to see her and Lyndel on a boat together..... Now that I would pay to see...:rolleyes:


OMG,Soupy,We done went an got us another Lyndel,just when you
thought you had the only one:rolleyes: KIRK

[Schoe]

Your tale of the whale is really neat as I personally have never seen one. How long would you say it was?

We really apreciate your posts and partisipation to th site, Schoe

[capt.kirk]

Soupy,ifn you can get her to come an fish with ole Lyndal we will
have a video crew on hand,might could win that funny video contest,
an put the cash to the RED CROSS an SALVATION ARMY:D KIRK

[wisper29]

Shoot, I'd say that whale was about as long as a boat, but I'd didn't get the chance to go up and measure him from mouth to tale,lol. If I had done that dang folks really would have to have my head examined then,lol. Now a contest and me fishin' that would be a funny site. I'd probably get more bites from the misquitos than I would any fish,lol. That our I'd fall out the boat every time I'd try to cast seeing I haven't been fishin' on a boat before now that would be funny my dad and my brother would be laughin' so hard they'd fall on their rear ends or bust a gut,lol.

[Soupy_1us]

Shoot Kirk: The way my luck is going ,her and Lyndel would probably out fish me and I'd be the one everybody would be laughin' at..

See.... I ain't told you guys the latest... Ain't got the nerve up yet... But, I will tell you it had sumthin' to do with my boat, a barge and the winch strap on my trailer.....(that water was cold !):rolleyes:


Soupy,ifn you can get her to come an fish with ole Lyndal we will
have a video crew on hand,might could win that funny video contest,
an put the cash to the RED CROSS an SALVATION ARMY:D KIRK

[Stump Bumper]

Can't wait to hear that one Soupy????....Ray

[capt.kirk]

Soupy,when you get it figured out LAY IT ON US,it sound like there
there might be a lesson on what not to do,i bet ole Lyndel was home,
:rolleyes: KIRK

[Soupy_1us]

Well, I reckon I can start this story off by sayin' ....It' was 3:30 that AM (Tues).. I was up and goin' strong but, didn't have any idear what I was going to do... Ole Lyndel said he was gonna sleep in that day and my yard didn't need mowin' yet...
So, as any good fisherman (and me too) would do, I hooked up the old RedNeck Yacht and headed for the Ohio River (1 mile away)...
Beautiful day for what I could see of it that early in the morning, cloudy, wind calm,cool, water was steady or comin' up a little and the bait was runnin...Got me a bucket of 4 to 6 inch shad and headed to my favorite spot.....Dropped anchor in about 30 of water and set my lines out ( all 9 of them, 'cause I got 9 pole holders on my boat.. hate to see an empty pole holder on my boat)..
And SURPRIZE ! gotta a hit right after I got em all set.... A Fiddler !!!!!!!!!! An Lyndel ain't here to see it... It's the first fish I caught by myself in weeks !!!! I almost wet my britches... ( that comes later)...
I set there for about an hour or maybe two... Fish got to bitin' pretty good so I lost track of time, you older guys knows how that is...
Well, after 6 or 7 eatin' size (fiddlers and blues) the weather took for a change, that dang cold front come on thru like a freight train...... Wind got up and it was cool... dead out of the north east.....
I figured it was time to be gittin' back to the ramp so, I crank up everything and headed back.... This is where the fun starts....
I was headed back to the ramp, thinkin' I had a great day and ole Lyndel will just have to hear about it... 'cause he weren't here to see it...Also thinkin' that I notice that there were a strange amount of barges runnin' by me for some reason... Lots of them....This was not normal for this time of day.......Anyhow I zig and zagged thru them barges and made it safely back to the ramp....I run Ole Redneck Yacht to the bank and jumped out (really just stepped out, with my knees, you don't jump out of nuttin')
I tied the boat to a rock and went to get my truck....I got 'er backed down to the water and jumped back into the boat (yeah right).. Anyhow got 'er lined up for the trailer eased her up on there and stepped out of the boat.... I noticed that the boat weren't up far enuff on the trailer so I hooked the ole winch strap on her and cranked for all I had (big boat)...After I moved her about an inch, I decided that that was good enuff so I headed for the truck....
Now you remember the barges and the wind blowin'...this is where they come back into the story.....By the time I got to the truck and barge had come by, now we got three to four foot waves comin' at me and the wind is blowin' I jumped in the truck and was gonna pull 'er up................................................ .Too Late ! the waves hit it and the wind was blowin'''' you guessed it.... I looked back at the boat and she weren't on the trailer just right anymore.... CROSSWAYS...................my truck was pointed up the hill and my boat was pointed up the river.............................and hooked to the trailer........Well, it weren't do 'til I got out to pull that big ole boat back around to get 'er back on the trailer like it was s'pose to be.... pointed up the hill not the river...
Anyhow... as safety minded as I am... I... without thinkin', had hooked the safety chain to the boat from the trailer....... Now, the boat is pointed up the river and the truck was pointed up the hill and the chain was good and tight (the boat not on the trailer at this time and still hooked it).
Now.... this ole boy was startin' to think real hard.... Sumthin' was wrong .....So I 'cided to try and pull the boat back around.... That didn't work......So.... I figured ifin' I back the trailer back down to the water a little more I could get this mess cleaned up....So, in the truck I went... I let 'er roll back about a foot and it worked... The chain got lose.... so I jumped back out there again and grabbed the boat and unhooked that chain that was causin' all my troubles.... I slid the boat back on the trailer.....PHEW ! .. Now you think this was the end of this story....... Nope...... You're wrong.......Now.....This is a big boat for one man to handle..... No safety chain hooked no place......Boat not quit on the trailer just like it s'pose to be and I get in the truck...
'Nother mistake...............I crank that big ole truck up and started to pull that boat up that hill...........RIP ! .....THUMP........................................ ......SPLASH !!!! What the h**l was that racket.............. I looked back at that boat and it didn't seem to be as close to my truck as it use to be.....Yep.........I was right ( for once)... There it goes...............It was going to that FCC Tournament by its self...................No safety chain, no rope tied to it.....just floatin' down the river by its self...........Weren't pretty either........Big waves, lots of wind and the current was going South....Now, I know this water was gonna be COLD ! But, I didn't think it was gonna be THAT DEEP !
Now Ole Soup can swim (about from here to............ there) I ain't gonna tell you all what was said durin' all this 'cause there weren't nobody around to prove it or to use it against me, but , I will promise you guys one thing... I was called every name I could think of and some names that I had to make up...
After doing the dog paddle for about ten minutes I got 'er back to the KY side of the river, tied off good and tight (to my rock) The trailer reset and I waited...........and waited....................for all them damn barges to get by me afore I tried it again....
Now I did learn sumthin this day.....It's not good t go by yourself fishin' and that dang winch strap WON'T HOLD A BIG BOAT BY ITSELF>>>>>>( and the Ohio River is still cold this time of year).
Now I'm gonna replace that strap with a cable and get a longer safety chain to put on that boat....
This is one time I would've even appreciated some help form Ole Capt KIRK .

[Timotha7]

DANG SOUPY!
I am glad you got through that all right
Get that cable there an get ya 2 chains on there to hold that thing
one each side that trailer winch post
Tim

[Rainman4u2]

But at least you remembered to put the plug in the right hole.....:rolleyes:

I got to make a trip to KY again, just to watch you for a day Soupy, sounds like it would be a blast. Maybe we could even tape the first WIF fishing video with you as the star......

Ray

[wisper29]

Dang Soupy, you sound like you have about as much luck as my dad does,lol.

He's got a boat he's been workin' on since he's basicly gotten it, mind ya my mom told him she won't have nothin' to do with it since she thinks its a piece of garbage,lol. Well, about a week or so he figured he had it all fixed and so hooked up the trailor to their little car which can barely hold it. Anyways he goes about 20 or so miles to his favorite boat dock and gets the boat in the water and he trys to start it up and remember he was alone all during this,lol, the boat wouldn't start worth beans and he was stuck out in the water just driftin' there on the river until he flagged down a couple guys in a boat that passed him up and they towed him in. It weren't the first time he's gotten stuck out in the river like that on that boat of his and sometimes he's stuck out there for longer time if no one is around anyways,lol. I figure one of these days it's goin' to be the Coast Guard bringing him in and telling him he needs to put that ol' boat of his to rest,lol, which of course my dad would probably never do even though we've tried to tempt him and tell him maybe he could sell that and his two gutars and amp and get enough to buy him a used Trimuph (sp?) motorcycle like he's been goin' on about for ever and drooling over everytime he sees on on the road. Yet, he's bound and determined to keep that boat and tinkers with it everyday and can get it started up outside the water, but when that thing touches water it acts like it's scared or somethin as it won't start or it stops right smack in the middle of the river,lol. Man I could just picture you and my dad both fightin with your boats by yourselves on the same river now that would be a show all in itself and I'd have to make sure to bring some popcorn, shoot we could sell tickets like hotcakes while we're at it,lol.

[Soupy_1us]

Now that's athought................................Sell tickets!!!
We could probably make a good living with this idea... We could probably fish off the bank and make a good movie....Gotta meet this guy someday...

[Soupy_1us]

Rainman..... Bring TICKETS !


But at least you remembered to put the plug in the right hole.....:rolleyes:

I got to make a trip to KY again, just to watch you for a day Soupy, sounds like it would be a blast. Maybe we could even tape the first WIF fishing video with you as the star......

Ray

[gofish]

soupy despite your swimmin at least your catchin cats. darn gar took over my favorite hole.caught 17 last time out and no cats.might have to start eatin them just to get rid of em lol:rolleyes:

[Timotha7]

Joe,
How big them gar get??
I have seen video of people going after some BIG Gar an it looked like serious
good time if you had right equipment to get hook up on them dinosaurs

armor plated critter 8 foot long has some appeal as sports fish

[gofish]

personally caught them to around 5 ft.never weighed one though.got bit good (almost lost my thumb at the palm to infection from it) runnin lines as a teenager so normally quick release em. recently theyve been from 18 inches to around 4 ft. had a few on i couldnt turn and a few that ran at the boat faster than i could reel lol. lots of fun to catch specially when they jump. been usin a 5/0 circle hook with cutbaitand a 4 inch piece of nylon rope frayed out and tied to the eye of the hook.let em double the rod good fore i pick it up.seen one once over 6 ft

[Timotha7]

I seen pics of them that looked like small frigates with fangs:D

I have a friend over in Europe that is arguably one of the best wels cat guides in world
(if you take into account that his clients have busted world record an caught
bunch of fish over 200lbs in past season an half)

He said there is a real high interest over in Europe for people that would love to come here an fish for them big old Gar an shark as well

Tim

[Pegleg]

Joe and Tim, Ya'll are missin out on some good eatin. Bring home some of those smaller Gar and cook em. Chop the Gar behind the head and take a hookbilled carpet knife and split the hide down the back. Peel the hide back till you can get hold of the meat on each side of the backbone. Peel the meat out just like pullin the backstrap from a deer. Cut the fillets into one inch meddalions in fryem like you would any other fine fish.

[Soupy_1us]

and you can also use them for catfish bait... Rip their bellies open and take out that dark stripe down the middle... Not sure what it is but, them cats love it.

[gofish]

soupy ive ate quite a few of em and they are good eatin.never cleaned em like that though.im just havin fun with em right now,but i had a big cloud over my boat for awhile till i figured out what was goin on.lol only fish ive seen that can double your rod,run drag,and still not be hooked.lol.that little piece of nylon fixed em though timotha7 id love to go there in fish someday.after the kids leave home though.belong to a site over there,kinda interesting.different world fishin there though

[Timotha7]

I had gar cooked in fish balls before an it was outstanding
Have not got them in rivers round here that I have seen anyhow
Sure do remember seeing them when I fished with my grandpa an his friends
down southeastern Iowa, dang things sure were huge

If there is a bunch of them there an you can hook up with them they look like they would be lotta fun on med or med/heavy equipment if you could keep em from busting you line off

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://faculty.evansville.edu/ck6/bstud/hugegar.jpg&imgrefurl=http://faculty.evansville.edu/ck6/bstud/hugegar.html&h=273&w=479&sz=20&hl=en&start=12&tbnid=Sw6O8sTIKwYpMM:&tbnh=74&tbnw=129&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dalligator%2Bgar%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3De n%26lr%3D%26sa%3DG

Check this one out, from 1910
Looks like photo is used on the web site by special permission so I din't post it but that is one BIG fish!
Tim