Thought I'd start up a light-hearted thread to share some experiences of the ones that really ought to have got away, but didn't - I think I really only catch the suicidal fish and don't stand a chance with the wiser ones!

A couple of years ago I was fishing Menteith, on the first drift just outside the boat dock, washing lining a cat booby on the point and an orange blob on the dropper. As I cast out, my running line tied up in a birds nest and properly knotted up, so I started unpicking it instead of retreiving right away. As I teased the knots out a fish rose near where my flies landed, but the line didn't move away or tighten so I carried on with the unpicking. By the time I'd sorted it out we had almost drifted on top of the flies so I retreived the slack line to re-cast. As I started to pull the blob across the top a fish nailed it, and I got him in the net, only to find he had already got the booby down his throat - he was that rising fish. Survival of the fittest and all that....

I bet there a loads of funny fish catching stories out there, so feel free to post them on - easy on the exaggeration though!!!

cheers
Bazzer

My mate took me to his stretch of the Lugg for my introduction to fly fishing.he was teaching me to cast I was manning the coffee flask,observing,I asked him if he would like a cup turned to pour a coffee he lifted to re-cast and next thing you know I have a lil' brownie flappin' about down the back of me shirt

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an interesting mix of apathy and panic

Clive M

I was creeping around after a big brown at Chalk Springs once, and was getting a bit of interest from him, but each time my fly hit the water a smaller (4lb ish) brown would charge from wherever he was straight at the fly. i pulled and pulled to get the fly away from the fish but once he actually came out of the water after it as i pulled it away! I didn't catch either.!

Another big brown at Chalkies was interested in my fly, but wouldnt take it, he'd swim up untill he was mere millimetres away, before turning at the last moment. at last i got it right and he cruised up and sucked the fly in. Excited, i struck and the fly came straight out of his mouth with no pluck or feel of the fish. I had 'sideways' struck because i was under a tree at the time and the fly had shot out and up to the edge. rather than swim off, he chased the fly and took it again, right at my feet. - 14.8lb.

---------- Post added at 01:47 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:45 PM ----------

I was fishing for salmon this year up to my pits in the river when i noticed the line had wrapped around my waders/staff. the fly swung round then hung stationary below me as i picked out the line. WHAM! - A fish took it 'on the dangle' and turned out to be a lovely 14lb salmon.

I was fishing the Welsh Dee last year and had been running a Dry fly down with nothing rising. A Dog walker came past and started to talk to me so id turned around and the fly was Dragging across the river something terrible on a short line suddenly the rod bent round and I managed to land a 5lb Sea Trout that had grabbed it, The presentation was terrible it was one o clock in the afternoon and the sun was blazing down. If I had been fishing correctly worrying about conditions and drag (even micro drag) I would never have caught the Bl**dy thing

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Allan
Only dead fish go with the flow.

Back in the day I used a Hardy Superlite landing net, which of course floated.

Fishing at Langford one time I hooked a nice fish, and when it started to see my side of the argument during the fight I floated the net next to me ready for use.

The fish got close and then jumped, landing slap bang in the middle of the floating net frame, enabling me to do the necessary with no more problems.

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"In wine there is wisdom. In beer there is strength. In water there is bacteria." - German proverb
JH based near Southampton

Motoring upwind on a very blustery day at Rutland a 4lb Brown leapt over the bow and smacked by boat partner on the back of the head. I'm not sure who was the most surprised.
(Obviously, we returned the fish unharmed. )

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[I]"I still don't know why I fish or why other men fish, except that we like it and it makes us think and feel."[/I] Roderick L Haig-Brown

[url]www.wildfly.net[/url]

[url]http://www.gameanglinginstructors.co.uk/[/url]

early on in the season i was fishing the ebbw newzealand style. i fished this spot under a bridge which looked really fishy. the rod i had, had recently been 'repaired' by me as the last section was knackered.

i casted in gently and almost straight away got a bit of drag. as i started to lift out a lovely browny came and nailed it. the dry fly was huge and looked like nothing on earth.

as i've mentioned in countless threads i can't dry fly to save my life and with the broken rod i had no authority to catch that fish at all.

either luck was with me that day or the fish pittyed me

burhan

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I could fish deep into the night
Well past the light
But at the end of the day
It's the end of the day

Burhan

mc_death187@yahoo.com

On Brenig last year, the line slipped out of my hands and collapsed at the back of the boat in a heap. I pulled in a bit of line and flicked the rod forwards again to re cast to find a nice bow of around 2lb had taken one of my flies whilst it was in the collapsed heap.

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If a man speaks in the woods and no woman is there to hear him............is he still wrong????

Never had that luck. All my fish seem to be Taliban fish - need to be hunted down, trapped, air striked, mortared the lot!

I wish suicidal trout.

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[COLOR="Blue"]"A fish seen is a fish nearly caught"[/COLOR]

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Allan
Only dead fish go with the flow.