Nicest fish you have thrown back dead?

Grant Scheele · 10-16-2001, 06:29 PM

This is embarrassing, but last week I accidentally threw a 26lb chrome Chinook hen into the Siletz tidewater while attempting to throw it onto to the dock.(slippery devils!) They sink faster than they swim. How much is 5 lbs of eggs worth these days not to mention the beautiful red meat? Has anyone else ever done something like this?

[ 10-16-2001: Message edited by: O.Mykiss ]

Johnny Mac · 10-16-2001, 08:33 PM

Ouch. you have thrown away more nook than I have caught all season. [img]images/icons/frown.gif[/img]

Salmonator · 10-16-2001, 09:33 PM

Ummm, lets see. Hmmmm..... NOPE! [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

10-16-2001, 10:02 PM

Me neither Grant. In fact I've never seen or heard of such a thing. I don't think you should have publicly admitted to that? (see Salmonator's signature below his post.) [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img] ,,, jk'ing around with ya. How many dive in attempts did you try before giving up?

[ 10-16-2001: Message edited by: RT ]

sinker · 10-17-2001, 01:59 AM

I'd have been draggin bottom with the biggest hook I could find, maybe even a treble at that point. [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

Grant Scheele · 10-17-2001, 07:20 AM

I wish that I could use Salmonators signature but I had about 15 people watching me including three clients. Can we talk about the 6 other fish we landed that day. [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

FallRiverGuy · 10-17-2001, 07:58 AM

Once may years ago, after ocean fishing for salmon with my brother on a charter, I was carring his fish to the dock and dropped it in the boat. The boat had slots in the side just above the deck to alow water to drain from the deck. That fish, when I dropped it, shot like a greased pig right through that slot and into the water. Of course it was the biggest fish of the day. Needless to say that my brother was somewhat upset with me. [img]images/icons/mad.gif[/img] The captain tied on a big treble and tried to snag it but could never find it. I have learned not to carry someone elses fish, at least not until I am far from the water.

Silent Lucidity · 10-17-2001, 08:45 AM

Last spring my dad boated into a dock to drop off a buddy who had to go to work after a day's fishing. The fish checker wanted to check him right there right now so Dad pulled out the one salmon that they had caught and put it into the fish checker's bag.

Well, the bag had a hole in the bottom just big enough for a nice springer to slide right through. It sank like a silvery rock. Not a pretty situation.

Hookset · 10-17-2001, 09:33 AM

O'My, you publicly admit this?? Guess we can chalk this up as one of your most embrassing moments. Where's the video camera when you need one.

Can't say I've ever done this, knock on wood. I did read a report of someone losing 4 sturgeon tied off the side of a boat with one knot. Not Joe though, he takes them out for water ski lessons. [img]images/icons/shocked.gif[/img] [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

As someone else already mentioned, that's a poor way to practice catch and release. [img]images/icons/rolleyes.gif[/img] As they say, experience is our best teacher..........so what did you learn?

Gregg

[ 10-17-2001: Message edited by: Hookset ]

Phish_on · 10-17-2001, 10:01 AM

I don't wanna talk about it.

Wait, there's another one. In my reckless youth ... a friend and I were on a week-long fishing and drinking tour of Century Drive. Towards the end of the tour (mind you, we only got drunk once! For a week [img]images/icons/rolleyes.gif[/img] ) we were at Crane Prairie, in a borrowed car-top boat. He landed a really nice rainbow, which we killed and put on a stringer with a smaller fish. When I put the stringer over the side ... you can see this coming ... it was not attached to the boat and sunk quite effectively.

"DON'T let JACK drive the boat"

hoochie · 10-17-2001, 10:14 AM

I try to keep my fish fresh in the live-well and keeping water flowing on them until I get to the dock.

Really fresh fish in the cooler as I head for the cleaning station at Olson's! You know what happened next.

Pull the cooler over the bow-rails with 4 still-flopping fish inside.
Cooler hits the dock, lid pops open, 3 12#-plus Coho do the shimmy right back into the water with my wife giving me "the LOOK" and at least 10 others observing.

Haven't heard the end of that story yet, dammit.

AngleThis · 10-17-2001, 10:31 AM

Don't feel too bad. This easter at Bonneville I caught my first chiook...5 of them actually. I had the first two tied off over the side, and took off to reanchor and forgot to pull the fish in....ouch.

DC

Pilar · 10-17-2001, 01:12 PM

1st hunt/dive at Santa Catalina Island in California. We anchored at Bee Cove about 3 miles down the island from Avalon. I baited in a big sheepshead using a technique my Dad told me about. Fill a goodie bag with sea urchins (VERY CAREFULLY, OUCH). Add a rock or two and smash a few of the urchins with your Abalone Iron. Then set the bag on top of a big rock near some kelp. You lurk in the kelp with a pole spear and wait. A few little Sheepshead will appear immediatly. Soon a bigger one will cruise by in the distance. The little one start to feed and the big one gets closer on each orbit until you jab him with your spear.

I did this with great success and got a nice fish about 15 lbs. The fish was still alive and I took him back to the boat. There was a live well on the stern platform and I tossed the fish in and went back down after some green Abalone I spotted at the base of the kelp.

I found a few that were big enough and quit the dive. As I approached the boat a sea lion was hanging around the stern. I surfaced 50 feet away and to my horror the damned sea lion got on the platform and stole my fish out of the live well.

The SOB ate it right next to the boat while Fred Arney reminded me loudly that it was not OK to poke the sea lion with my spear.

He then hung around for over an hour and every time I tried to get out of the water he would rush me and snap at my hands and feet.

I finally got another tank on and went back to the reef for another dive. When I came back the sea lion was gone.

Stz ll · 10-17-2001, 02:36 PM

My worst experience like this was several years ago. I was fishing on the bank in tidewater on the Wilson River. I had caught a chrome bright fish about 30 pounds or so (only one seen that day in the area). After killing it it was carefully laid in the grass up on the bank behind me. After about another hour of fishing I heard this noise in the grass. In my horror I watched as the fish slid down the bank. I tried to grab it as it slipped back into the water. The fish could be seen at first but every attempt to get it back resulted in it further slipping away. Eventually it disapeared altogether. Tried dragging the bottom in an attempt to snag it (I hope this does'nt turn into a snagging post [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img] ) with no success. Try explaining one like that when you get home.

[img]images/icons/mad.gif[/img] [img]images/icons/confused.gif[/img]

Pete

Amerman · 10-17-2001, 05:59 PM

OK Grant, since I have had about ten people say "Did you hear about the guy who threw his fish right off the dock" or "oh don't throw those fish off the deck like that other fool did" or "Man that Grant guy catches so many fish he just throws them back right off the dock," I will tell you mine.

It was one of those fall days you love to be a guide. First off it was raining and blowing and to top that I had the flue. I was just sick as a dog. When we come in to the dock to clean our fish, we have these two chinooks in our catch that are both over 40 pounds. One of the guys wants to get a picture of both the 40+ers together. So I clean the first one up all pretty and throw it on the fish cleaning staition. I am leaning over cleaning the second one up when a crowd starts to form around me on the edge of the dock. Well, about this time, one of my guys yells FISH. At this time I realize that the dock is too heavy on the side with all the people on it, and the dock is leaning badly. The dock is leaning so badly that the cleaning table is no longer flat, and the first 40 pounder is sliding off the table. In one of those slow motion-only-in- the-movies scenes the monster buck slides off the table onto the dock and slides right between my client's feet. He is holding the camera and afraid to drop it into the river. About this time I see that it's sinking, and no one else is moving. So I dive across the dock and grab for the fish, up to my armpit, my face hitting the surface, and come up one inch to short as my fingers glance off its side. Now maybe you won't feel so bad.

SlapStick · 10-17-2001, 06:30 PM

Many years ago, after fishing hard for springers we pulled into the moorage with but one fish....a nice chromer of twenty plus pounds. (Sad to say I didn't catch it) As we were preparing to unload the boat and make our way up the long and steep dock one guy decided to "wash" off the fish. (Not his catch either)
He stuck one finger through the fishes gills and lowered it into the ten foot deep water. The fish promptly slides off his finger and sinks like a rock. We just stood there looking at him. He is beside himself and decides to try to retrieve it. He tied on a ten ounce cannon ball and a big treble hook and began dragging the bottom. We began packing stuff to the cars. After one trip up the dock, we accused him of just not wanting to help unload the boat....and tried to persuade him to help. At this point he yells "hey! I think I feel something" and pulls up a large stick. We all horse laughed at him and told him to quit. Again he yells "hey! I feel something"....yeah right....he begins to reel up the line and low and behold he had that fish hooked right in the lips! It was sooo funny looking....reeling up a fish that was as stiff as a board! We took it to his house and BBQ'd it that night....never had a better tasting salmon.......

CATCH AND EAT · 10-17-2001, 11:24 PM

While fishing out of Ilwaco this summer in July we were on our way back in from big blue. I told pop that we should clean the fish just outside the channel. He agreed so I grabbed my smallest coho and proceeded to clean and do a nice job. After gutting it I reached over the side with the fish in hand. Proceeded to agressive wash the insides when the jaw broke and I watched my fishy sink out of sight. [img]images/icons/shocked.gif[/img] I just looked at pop and said, "Good thing there are more fish in the sea, that one was yours right?". Well, He did not buy that so I came in with two on the tag but one in the boat. Glad the fish checker was not there or Lucy, I'd have some splain'in to do.

boater · 10-17-2001, 11:39 PM

a few years ago at neah bay i was cleaning fish at the table on the dock, i had all the salmon fillet`d and cut up real nice, and like a dumb *** i didnt have a bag to put it in, i walked back to the boat to get a bag and turned around just in time to see all our salmon go flying away, the only word i could think of was, "duh".