We've all had those moments - where did that come from? Had one today.
I was prowling around Mud Creek, which empties into the KY river near Richmond, in central Ky. At this time of year, it was more a series of pools rather than a continuous flow. I was after emerald shiners, and got several beautiful ones, but as long as I'm here, let's check out the other pools. Was fast dragging a not so deep pool, 12-14" in depth, with a 14" wide dip net.
Hm, either I got another rock, or something big. Whatever it is, it's filling the net up. Saw a square tail and big scales, oh, it's probably just a large hognose sucker... wait a minute, suckers don't have long flat heads... it was a 16" longnose gar. How the devil did that get in this little pool? And how did I get it with this little net? Didn't have a camera with me, no photo, so this will have to remain a fish story.
Had to turn it back. It probably wouldn't survive in a 75 gal tank, and if it did, my prized collection of darters and shiners would not. Bit of a problem getting it out of the net, it's teeth got hung up in the netting. Spectacular fellow. Where's a 250 gallon tank when you need one?
Anyone else have stories of things brought up in the net that they weren't expecting? I definitely wasn't expecting that.
Things you were not expecting in the dip net
Started by
Guest_JohnO_*
, Nov 16 2008 05:45 PM
58 replies to this topic
#2
Guest_dsmith73_*
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Posted 16 November 2008 - 06:42 PM
I dipnetted a 2 ft or so siren once. Also seined up a few caiman two seines in a row in Costa Rica.
#3
Guest_sandtiger_*
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Posted 16 November 2008 - 08:39 PM
I've dip netted a couple mudpuppies, I wasn't expecting them but I wasn't surprised either. Probably the one that shocked me the most was a couple frogs in early January a couple years back. In college I recall getting muskrats in seins. Got a dead muskrat in a cast net once as well.
Edited by sandtiger, 16 November 2008 - 08:40 PM.
#4
Guest_UncleWillie_*
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Posted 16 November 2008 - 09:04 PM
Well, my surprises were not anything living, but I once pulled up a Rolex (hardly in any condition to save), and a folding knife with a 4 inch blade (which I now carry with me whenever camping). So, pretty exciting I guess (and a lot shinier than a dead muskrat!) 
#5
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Posted 16 November 2008 - 10:17 PM
Well, my surprises were not anything living, but I once pulled up a Rolex (hardly in any condition to save), and a folding knife with a 4 inch blade (which I now carry with me whenever camping). So, pretty exciting I guess (and a lot shinier than a dead muskrat!)
I pulled up a cell phone once...it didn't work.
#6
Guest_Irate Mormon_*
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Posted 16 November 2008 - 11:01 PM
You guys should read The Arabian Nights - all KINDS of stuff turns up in fishermen's nets.
#7
Guest_Sombunya_*
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Posted 17 November 2008 - 12:11 AM
I don't have a chance to dip net too often. I have to settle for what comes into our plant's inlet screens.
I once found a Catfish that was about a foot long. It had been out of the water for a while and wasn't moving. When I got it into a 5 gallon bucket of raw aqueduct water it seemed to come back. I gave it to the folks at the LFS because I didn't have my 100 going yet. They said it didn't make it...
I found a little ghost shrimp once that made it back to my house alive. I put it in the Sculpin tank and it got stuck to the water inlet. A very weak swimmer. I shut off the pump and spent 30 minutes modifying the inlet so it wouldn't catch the little critter again. When I came back to the tank it wasn't alive. Could not figure out what happened.
I try my best to take care of my fish and feel bad when they occasionally croak. However, as the only alternative to me taking them home is for them to be scooped up and tossed in the trash, I guess any effort on my part is better than them getting "scooped".
I once found a Catfish that was about a foot long. It had been out of the water for a while and wasn't moving. When I got it into a 5 gallon bucket of raw aqueduct water it seemed to come back. I gave it to the folks at the LFS because I didn't have my 100 going yet. They said it didn't make it...
I found a little ghost shrimp once that made it back to my house alive. I put it in the Sculpin tank and it got stuck to the water inlet. A very weak swimmer. I shut off the pump and spent 30 minutes modifying the inlet so it wouldn't catch the little critter again. When I came back to the tank it wasn't alive. Could not figure out what happened.
I try my best to take care of my fish and feel bad when they occasionally croak. However, as the only alternative to me taking them home is for them to be scooped up and tossed in the trash, I guess any effort on my part is better than them getting "scooped".
#8
Guest_jblaylock_*
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Posted 17 November 2008 - 08:28 AM
When John pulled up that Gar, I was freakin out. It was actually very mild mannered. It didn't flow alot and we John let it go it just slowly swam off...that was nuts.
#9
Guest_NateTessler13_*
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Posted 17 November 2008 - 09:36 AM
One time I was seining outside a circus in Baraboo, WI, and I pulled up my seine and there was a ten dollar bill in it. True story...no clowning. My response was, "It's about time!"...haha
Edited by NateTessler13, 17 November 2008 - 09:37 AM.
#10
Guest_jblaylock_*
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Posted 17 November 2008 - 10:03 AM
One time I was seining outside a circus in Baraboo, WI, and I pulled up my seine and there was a ten dollar bill in it. True story...no clowning. My response was, "It's about time!"...haha
That's funny...wish that would happen to me.
#11
Guest_Newt_*
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Posted 17 November 2008 - 11:30 AM
I once caught an American Coot in a turtle trap. She was not pleased.
#12
Guest_Kanus_*
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Posted 17 November 2008 - 12:15 PM
When I was a kid living in California I was dipnetting in a small coastal creek and amongst a mass of hair algae I ended up with a probably 12-14 inch Sacramento Sucker (Catostomus occidentalis). I was quite shocked.
Also, while fly fishing in the American river in Sacramento I was trying to "match the hatch" and so was turning over rocks in a riffle to inspect the benthic fauna and lo and behold one of those rocks had a nice 2 1/2 foot sea lamprey stuck to the back of it. Scared the crap out of me and damn near smacked me in the face with its tail. I didn't even know they were there. A few weeks later I went back to go fishing and instead of actually fishing I mostly waded and watched them build their nests. Pretty neat to watch them standing 5 feet away. They are not skittish at all.
Also, while fly fishing in the American river in Sacramento I was trying to "match the hatch" and so was turning over rocks in a riffle to inspect the benthic fauna and lo and behold one of those rocks had a nice 2 1/2 foot sea lamprey stuck to the back of it. Scared the crap out of me and damn near smacked me in the face with its tail. I didn't even know they were there. A few weeks later I went back to go fishing and instead of actually fishing I mostly waded and watched them build their nests. Pretty neat to watch them standing 5 feet away. They are not skittish at all.
#13
Guest_jimv8673_*
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Posted 17 November 2008 - 01:00 PM
That's funny...wish that would happen to me.
Mee too if that bill had a couple more zeros on it, Or the rolex , whether it worked or not
#14
Guest_JohnO_*
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Posted 17 November 2008 - 01:48 PM
You have to see a gar in person to believe it. Weird looking fish, sort of like a carp with a pterodactyl's head. It had some serious teeth, too. I'm glad it wasn't in a bad mood
Well, I know where I turned it loose, so it can't go far, that pool wasn't particularly large, though it was very murky which is why I didn't see the gar before I caught it. If a 250 gal tank turns up on ebay cheap in the next couple of months, I just might go back after it. I've seen some interesting fish before, but that gar was just plain cool.
Well, I know where I turned it loose, so it can't go far, that pool wasn't particularly large, though it was very murky which is why I didn't see the gar before I caught it. If a 250 gal tank turns up on ebay cheap in the next couple of months, I just might go back after it. I've seen some interesting fish before, but that gar was just plain cool.
#15
Guest_Clayton_*
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Posted 17 November 2008 - 02:55 PM
Gar can breath air, so I think they have some limited ability to jump from puddle to puddle. I have to agree they are some cool fish, and all of the ones I've ever caught had relatively mellow attitudes.
It used to scare me to death to swim in the lake near my grand parent's cabin. You'd see the gar resting near the surface and they were enormous. I was pretty convinced they were going to eat me.
My most surprising find wasn't in a dip net, but I was wade fishing in this little creek and I had two enormous snapping turtles surface right next to me. They couldn't have been more than a foot away and they were both monsters. Not sure if I kicked them during mating or what happened, but I've never ran to shore so fast in my life.
It used to scare me to death to swim in the lake near my grand parent's cabin. You'd see the gar resting near the surface and they were enormous. I was pretty convinced they were going to eat me.
My most surprising find wasn't in a dip net, but I was wade fishing in this little creek and I had two enormous snapping turtles surface right next to me. They couldn't have been more than a foot away and they were both monsters. Not sure if I kicked them during mating or what happened, but I've never ran to shore so fast in my life.
Edited by Clayton, 17 November 2008 - 02:57 PM.
#16
Guest_dmarkley_*
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Posted 17 November 2008 - 03:10 PM
I've had the unpleasant experience of a watersnake in the net. This resulted in the obligatory hurling of the net and walking on water to the other side of the stream. A friend once pulled up a net with a bullfrog. Not only was it unexpected, he didn't expect it to jump right at him. I stilll like to remind him of the time he screamed like a girl over a silly little bullfrog.
Dean
Dean
#17
Guest_nativeplanter_*
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Posted 17 November 2008 - 03:18 PM
So....... how does a girl scream, exactly? 
#18
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Posted 17 November 2008 - 03:46 PM
i remember one time we were out in the boat and saw a bottle floating and moving really fast, so were like ok lets see whats on the end of it...
at least and 8 ft gar prob closer to 10 >,< WAS HUGE!!! prob weighed like 300 lbs was incredible
at least and 8 ft gar prob closer to 10 >,< WAS HUGE!!! prob weighed like 300 lbs was incredible
Edited by AnThOnY, 17 November 2008 - 03:47 PM.
#19
Guest_pes142_*
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Posted 17 November 2008 - 05:13 PM
This past summer, i was netting for maybe the second time, and i had no clue what i was doing. I was poking around underneath a stump and i felt something heavy in the net. I figured i had at best maybe a sucker of some kind, but probably a piece of wood. turns out it was a mad alligator snapping turtle, maybe 8 inches long from the front of the shell to the back.
#20
Guest_jimv8673_*
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Posted 17 November 2008 - 05:18 PM
So....... how does a girl scream, exactly?
EEeeEEeeKKKK!!!!!!!!
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