Best stories of wrestling fish on a slippery bank

So many of them. The one that comes to mind is about a very prized fish on by friend Dave Reed. We were bankfishing the Kilchis River back in the 70's with Keith Abelson on a misty day in early December. We had steelhead gear, with strategic light line as we had read to do in fishing books. We knew there were a few dark chinooks around still but we were fishing faster water for fresh steelhead. Well Dave hooks into what I recall being his first big chrome bright 'nook. After he sees it near the surface for the first time his eyes get huge and his body moves anxiously! Due to the light line he plays it out for quite a while. We had no net nearby. And the roundish smooth softball sized rocky bank was very sloped - not a good landing situation. I cannot describe in words how badly Dave wanted this fish; but you likely know the feeling. He got it in close a few times as Keith and I tried to grab the tail of the strong fish to no avail. Dave is now acting like he is about to see a family member drown! So I throw my coat and shirt off, then take off my t-shirt to use as a fish scooper. [img]images/icons/rolleyes.gif[/img]

I stand in the water and Dave endures another tugging match to bring in this mint bright 30+ pound hen, full of great eggs. The fish kept trying to pull away from me and my white t-shirt scoop. I said the hook looks like it may come out so get the thing in here. He gives a hard pull and just as the leader snaps I have gotten my shirt under the prize. Keith jumps in and grabs the other side and we toss the fish up on to the slippery sloped bank. As it starts to slide back toward the water and Dave is laying his rod down I dove on top of the fish, sort of on all fours, and the darn things squirts right out between my legs heading for the water. This is where it got funny - not to Dave though. He leaps thru the air and lands on this magnificent fish like a professional wrestler's flop move. Amazingly, the fish still has a lot of fight left. It was some sight watching Dave outright wrestle this fish as he himself kept sliding toward the water, intermittently tossing the fish back up a couple feet and scrambling back on top of it. By this time Keith and I are laughing too much to be of help. Finally Keith gets a hand into the gill plate and with Dave pushing from behind they get the fish up the 12 ft. bank and onto the safe haven of the brush. Quick rock konks and the prize is won. Huge smile on Dave's face at first, then he sternly asks why the heck we watched laughing while he struggled to keep himself and the big 'nook out of the river. Shrugs and smiles prevailed. [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

Any other good bank wrestling stories?

RT

[Grant Scheele]

My most memorable one is the 8 inch stocker I wrestled almost to death after it fell off on the sloping bank trying to get back into Freeway lakes. Very important when you are 7 years old. That must have been a funny sight as I just couldn't get a grip on the sucker.

[happybrew]

I've got one from yesterday. I was fishing on a ledge below a cliff, with about 2 feet of room, in an area that would normally be underwater, but it's a low water year. I hooked a fish, and got it where I could scoop it out of the water, then turned around to pin it against the face of the cliff, so if I lost my grip while unhooking it, it wouldn't go back in. Well, this coho decides he still has some more fight left in him and starts flopping back and forth again. I start to lose my balance because he's got leverage against the face of the cliff, and he's pushing me towards the water. I darn near fell in with my gear and the fish, so I had to take a small step back to avoid losing my balance and going in. So this means he's not pinned against the cliff anymore, and he flops down my legs, and is thrashing around my feet, almost as if he's trying to trip me so I fall in. Needless to say, he got away, and I narrowly avoided a dunking. Moral of the story? Bring a net!!!! Then I could have gotten him off the ledge and onto a more secure bank area.

happybrew

happybrew

[Huntar]

It didn't start on the bank......but ended there
A few years ago a buddy (Jon) and I went over to Forks to fish the big Kings on the Hoh. His dad and brother came over at the same time to fish with a guide we know, so we follow them down in another driftboat. On the second day of fishing as we are launching the boat I ask Jon where the net is at? His brother replies "I put it in the hotel so it wouldn't get stolen" (never mind he left the three brand new Cataract oars in the boat!). Anyway, halfway through the day his brother bails out of the guide's boat to go back to Seattle early, so Jon jumps in with the guide to fish the rest of the day with his dad. Well, I got a bit behind them and as I could see them at the take-out I decide to fish the last hole while they mess with gear etc... As I get to about the halfway point of the hole (steep bank w/ rip-rap) my rod slams down. Being by myself I had to alternate between rowing with the rod between my legs and free-floating while fighting the fish. About the time I see the 25 lb. chrome hen I remember I have no net! And the only place I can pull over to the bank is at the bottom of the hole in the tailout. Nearing the bottom of the tailout I row the boat as far up the rocks as I can, grab the rod with one hand release the anchor with the other and stumble out of the boat. A few minutes later she starts to slide toward the beach, about the time she's in six inches of water the K-16 flies out of her mouth and impales itself in my shoulder. With hipboots folded down, I toss my rod up on the bank and fall on the fish pinning it between my legs in about 8-9 inches of water. With its tail between my ankles, and head behind my now soaked backside, I grabbed its eyes with one hand, and tail-wrist with the other. After gaining control, I unceremoniously throw the fish into the boat, bite the line off the plug in my shoulder, put the rod in the boat, and row the 300 yards down to the take-out. As I get to the take out I'm greeted with "What the heII were you doing up there" since they couldn't see I had a fish, but was obviously soaking wet, and had a plug hanging out of my shoulder. I just reached behind me and held up the fish, muttering something about not having a freakin' net.

[birdhunter]

happybrew,

I'd second bringing a net to Eagle Creek. Lost a fish on Sunday there for the same reasons. Won't make that mistake again. It might get in the way on the hike in, but the bank isn't always conducive to just flopping them on shore. Not worth losing a fish over. Nice catch never the less.

[Evan0505]

my dad and I were fishing the trask in august for cutthroats, armed with our light light trout poles, and very light line. Well, we run into a school of steelhead that we can see in this tailout. We hook a few of em, but they all come off,... Finally my dad hooks one good, fights it for a long time, and gets it near the bank. As he was pulling back one last time to slide the fish onto the back, the rod breaks in half, and the hook comes out at the same time. So now we have my dad with a broken pole, and a bright steelhead laying in 3 inches of water, not yet realizing his new freedom. I throw my pole down and jump on the fish, about the same time as this fish realizes that he is free.. As i am struggling for a grip on this fish, the fish panics, and goes for deep water. Finally i get my hands under the fish and toss him as hard as i can towards the bank. The fish flies through the air and almost hits my dad.. he ducks, the fish lands in the bushes, and i give my dad a big high-5.......
-evan-

[Snagly]

This one was captured on video, and it is still shown (with a straight face) to first-time steelheaders at one particular lodge. (The host says, "Here's a short tape to show you the proper way to catch and release a native Alaska steelhead.")

In the tape I have an eight pound steelhead on the line. No BFD. I'm out of the boat and on the bank, talking to the camera like Curt Gowdy. I'm also bringing this buck in hot because my buddy Slick had taken about 15 minutes over his previous fish and I wanted to make a point.

So I slide the fish onto the bank (hey, I was new then: I don't do that any more with nates), kneel beside it to get the hook out and the dang thing wriggles and slithers back into the water . . . between my legs as it so happens. The rosy buck scoots for deeper water, still pinned, and my rod starts making ugly noises as it drags across the gravel. I grab the rod a foot from the tip (lucky not to break the rod) and then find the handle only to discover that the fish is completely between my legs, behind me!

Imagine someone on camera with their bank to the water, rod jammed between their cheeks (ahem), looking over their shoulder and trying to thumb the reel. That was me. The cameraman is laughing his hind legs off, my buddy Slick is in hysterics, and now it comes time to do the simple thing -- swing my leg over the fishing rod/ line, free the line, turn around and fight the fish. Except that I managed to CATCH the line with my booted foot, and then stand on it. Now the fish is thrashing on top since no more line is playing off the reel. My rod tip is pointed at my boot as I'm standing on the line. I'm turned around but more confused than ever. I start hopping from one foot to the other trying to figure out which one has the line stuck to it . . . the sounds of laughter are drowning out my curses . . . and finally the guide comes over and frees the line off my foot.

The exhausted fish comes in more or less directly, I throw it WAY up on the bank, then get the pliers to it, unhook and carry it back to the river for a gentle release. End of instructional tape.

Needless to say, first time visitors to that part of Alaska look at me with new found respect when they learn that 'the movie star himself is in camp this week'. In fishing, if you're not laughing you're crying, right? [img]images/icons/rolleyes.gif[/img]

That is a great story Snag! ROTFLMAO [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img] [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img] [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img] Can you get copies for us? Funny!

RT

[smilesforu]

Most memorable is from my youth....
I have a summer run steelie about 12 lbs dead tired in a spot that has the ten foot of 1' dead water as a beach. My older brother is positioned to coral the fish onto the shore. Well half way across this 1' flat the hook pops out and the fish is just lying on its side. My brother does this belly flop on the fish and the wrestling begins.... He got the fish for me while getting so head to toe, but I still hear about it ocassionally for the bath he took getting it. This wasn't the first fish he did the plunge for in his younger days.

Next most memorable would be my younger brother trying to beach a fish in a similar shallow beach condition by himself. This time its winter and he has a nice female 8# fish almost played out and needs a beach. Well the beach is 30 ft away across the l' water flats. So he asks me what he should do so I tell him to beach it over there.
He comes the memorable part....he takes off running (sprinting much to my surprise) with the fish behind him (remember 30' of shallow water). Rod is bent to the maximum as he has full pressure on it dragging the fish along. As he approaches the beach at full speed the fish comes unpinned. It rolls upright and is ready to go again, but is now in 6 inches of water. With my brother showing his true cracker colors in hot pursuit sprinting the 30 feet back to the river. He was determined that the fish wasn't getting away, but it swam faster than he could run. Still chuckling and wiping tears as I think of this and the expression on his face.

[FISH4MORE]

Many moons agoe while fishing on the Nestucca
under the old bridge at Hebo for stealhead. While casting out I got snagged on a willow tree. You don't wamt to reel in your line and get it snagged in the tree too. So I reel it in and just let the lure barely touch the water while I climb the tree and try to break off the limb that the line is wrapped around. While up the tree a stealhead grabs the spin and glow and I hurried break off the limb, grab my pole and real in the fish. It was a nice bright 27 inch stealhead.

[Ramstrong]

My first year out of the Navy and back in Oregon (98) I was fishing the salmon with my best friend. We were getting ready to head down to the glass house but I was ready before him so I went down below the bridge to make a couple of casts with a new spinner modification I had made. Well Second cast, fish on. After playing the fish for a while I realised I had no net. Ooops well I decided to go down and tail him. In hind sight I would not recommend this. I slid down the mud bank into the water all the while fighting the fish. The banks pretty steep where I went In and I wound up stopping with about 1 1/2' of wader left to spare. Well I fight the fish and wind up tailing him, but my sudden motion started me sliding down deeper. I have my rod in one hand the fish in the other and I'm not going to let go of either. I stop with about 2" of wader left before i flood them. I Take my rod and bury the butt end in the mud on the bank. I unhook the fish and with my best Iron grip on it use my left hand to gain about 2' of bank. I then Hurl the fish up into the brush. Reclaim my rod and throw it up the bank as well. I then have to scramble back up to the vegetated bank. I was extremely lucky I didn't get into a really bad situation. But it was my first Salmon in 4 years and I wasn't going to lose it.

As a side note those spinners are now a standard chinook fare of mine, I had an early day that day. Here's a pic of the fish, it's the one in my left hand.

[hawgcatcher]

Several years ago, my oldest son and I were fishing on the Wilson River behind what was called the A-Frame hole. We had fished for most of the morning with no luck when my son called out that he had a fish on. He played it and played it. It was a large Chinook. He did a great job with it. He finally got it near the bank and it was ready to be netted. The bank there was gravel that had a steep slope into the water. I leaned down and managed to do myself proud with a great net job (I am not always that adapt). I found myself slidding down into the water. I handed the net to my son and told him to give me a hand. I kept sliding slowly down and I could not get up the bank. I looked around and he and the others that were there were looking at the fish and ignoring me. I was just about to go in and I yelled. Someone turned around and said "Wait a minute" and I repeated the request for help with a few extra words and they finally grabbed each arm and pulled me up the bank.

To make it even better, my son had landed that fish without a hook in it. He had been drifting a corky and eggs. The lead dropper line had been bouncing down the drift and had dropped into a mass of line that the fish had hanging from his mouth. Someone had caught him and lost him and a wad of line. The lead line had dropped in the wad and when he set the hook, the line wrapped itself around the other line. So it was a different catch and an almost lost father.

Hawg', your story reminds me of one when I was only around 4 years old or so. My dad had taken my brother Gary and I up Rock Creek east of Missoula, Montana to fish for trout. At my age I was just allowed to make a few casts and reel in a trout or 2. I was more interested in throwing rocks into the water which got me sent about a football field length away to throw my rocks, so I didn't spook the fish. The same happened to me as you in that I stepped over the edge of a steep loose gravel bank and started a slow slide toward the water. I remember it clearly to this day because I was so scared by it, and they didn't hear me yell out right away. So I was clawing on all fours and getting nowhere until I screamed and they heard me. Dad comes running and grabs my arm just as my feet were at rivers edge; by moving water. That somehow stuck in my mind and hence forth I was always more careful near the edge of dropoffs and slopes; and always watched my kids like a hawk.

[Krome Brite]

Sorry to bring it back to the top, but I haven't been here for a long time and wanted to respond.

While fishing the point on the Wind two years ago, I hooked a springer 2 seconds after I cast. I proceeded to fight the fish, but it was a big one and it decided to head down the Columbia. So I followed him and ended up slipping on a wet part of the rock formations that make up the point. Fell right in the small pond of water on the bank where everybody cleans their fish and soaked myself. Still holding the pole with the fish attached, I tried to get up but slipped and fell again. Finally after 3 attempts, I managed to get up and continue fighting the fish that by this time had taken 3/4 of the line off my reel. I later landed an 18 pounder.

Ya see, RT's not the only one that continually has bad falls.

[Tanner]

I remember many years ago when I first discovered tidewater fishing at Big Creek in October. Me and a buddy hiked into the old mud hole one morning, well, up above the mudhole a ways was a shallow riffle that you had to cross. As I was wading across this riffle, a pod of about 6 tulies decided that this would be a great time to storm the riffle to get to the next piece of holding water upstream. Being new to the finer points of "Creek Wading". and being of the mindset that my brand new Wardell neoprene waders looked pretty sharp with those red Converse Chuck Taylors. Due to the lack of any type of traction producing surface on my "Wading Shoes" and about 6 large salmonids slapping at my ankles, I ended up flat on my posterier in the middle of the creek. Luckily there were only 477 other fisherman there to witness this so I wasn't too embarrased [img]images/icons/rolleyes.gif[/img]

[ 10-29-2001: Message edited by: Tanner ]

[CJunior]

I was fishing with my grandma when I was about 13 y.o. I hooked into a trout and brought it to the bank. We got it on to the bank then it came off the hook and was floppin around. I told my grandma "GET IT GET IT" all of a sudden she grabs a HUGE rock and starts beating the fish to mush. "GRANDMA WHAT THE **** ARE YOU DOING!?!" Her response, "You said, HIT IT HIT IT!" Always brings a smile to my face when I remember my grandma pulverizing the little rainbow trout that day. [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[ 10-29-2001: Message edited by: CJunior ]

[Jennie@ifish]

[img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img] I like that one!
Jen

[rhansme]

My first pratfall fishing occured when I was about 8 years old. My dad always took my brother and I fishing and on one of these trips we were up in NE Washington near the Canadian border on Curlew creek. It flows from Curlew Lake into the Kettle river. I was always catching nice little cuts and brookies out of that little creek, and on one day I hooked into a monster. It must have wieghed 2 pounds...Probably a spawning or just a fish traveling from the lake to the river or visa versa. Anyway I managed to land this thing with closed faced zebco special. I picked this thing up and started running and yelling for my dad to have a look at this HUGE trophy that I managed to catch. I was running like a bat out of **** , and just before I got to our camping spot in full view of my dad and brother my foot caught on a root and I went *** over tea kettle. I did a complete 360 and never lost my grip on that fish or quit running for that matter. hehehe...Oh to be 8 years old again...ehh rt? I have since fallen many times on a muddy bank in my felt soled wading shoes, but nothing like that day when I caught my first trophy!