Fishing Urban Legends

You all know what an "Urban Legend" is don't you?
It's one of those stories that is a myth but it's been passed around so long it's generally considered to be true.Like "Walt Disney's head is frozen somewhere at Disneyland to be thawed at a later date"

Here are a few fishing "legends" that I know of

Salmon will slap a herring to stun it before it takes it. Charlie White video pretty much debunked this one.

Trout will "selectively" feed only on certain insects. This is giving a trout credit for being alot smarter than he is! I have no explanation for why they feed this way but it's not because they are in the mood for a baetis rather than a chrominade(sp?) Some have said they will be selective because some insects require less effort to get to than others.

This is the biggest one

Cabelas is building a new store in Chehalis or Centralia or Longview and I've seen the sign announcing it!
We can only wish but it's not likely going to happen anytime soon.
**** Note****
Cabelas is opening new stores in Las Vegas, NV and Long Beach, CA ....go figure

[ 01-08-2004, 01:37 AM: Message edited by: Stew ]

[STGRule]

My all time favorite is that all sturgeon morph into females when they reach 6 feet.

[CATCH AND EAT]

Stew, I thought you were an urban legend.

[fishnpray]

::Cough:: Strong Tualatin Steelhead Run ::Cough::

-Salmon in Fanno Creek
-Steelhead in the Tigard High Pool
-Sturgeon in Walling po...oh, wait...
-Lonely day on Three Rivers

[Ragnar]

If you are fishing in a hot tub, nobody will get pregnant.
Uh.... or is it ....? I get so mixed-up sometimes. I can't keep them all straight.
Ragnar

[Mad Mikey]

>>>Salmon will slap a herring to stun it before it takes it. Charlie White video pretty much debunked this one.<<<

That's a great video too, either that one or another they were dunking Hershey chocolate bar wrappers in bilge oil and hooking fish with them.
Then they "tested" single versus treble hooks by taking a salmon head and rigging it up to a spring loaded contraption and "snapping" it down on the hook while yanking the line. Funny and informative stuff from our Labatts' swilling friends in the G.W.N.

Originally posted by CATCH AND EAT:
Stew, I thought you were an urban legend.

<font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helvetica">Nope Bernard just a legend in my own mind :grin:

[First Light Bite]

Ok I'll play....... Here's one.....
Fishing on Ifish [img]graemlins/program.gif[/img] after being iced in for 2 days is as good as fishing the Wilson in January.
NOT!!! [img]graemlins/eek13.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/eek13.gif[/img]

[ 01-07-2004, 03:29 PM: Message edited by: First Light Bite ]

[David Johnson]

How about, " Fish wont cross the bar when the swells are up, the sand gets too sturred up."

I often here this one in the fall when the bite is off.

I'd like to know how all those fish by-pass the bar to get to our rivers when we have a winter storm, the river blows out and then drops back into perfect shape?

I beleive they wont hang out there but they have to come accross it.

Springers :grin:

[Fishfinder1]

Fishnpray, the Tualatin is great this time of year!! Just ask DS rods!!

[Snapset]

My favorite: Steelhead don't eat after they enter freshwater. I've caught some that needed their stomachs pumped.

[Flatfish]

Salmon spawn within 10 feet of where they were born. Dad still says it is gospel.

The dog is a fishing legend...in his own mind.

Mark and the "Hollywood" hound.

[pearl]

How about this one spied in the classified section of the newspaper.

" Divorce forces sale" 23' Aluminum Jet boat $500.00. Call Betty.....

Guy calls and goes to check out the boat. In the barn in the back yard sits a beautifull 23' North River jet boat, 225hp Yamaha, and every option ever available.

Guy asks Betty why she's selling the boat for $500.00?

Her reply goes like this.....MY husband ran off to Pheonix with a 21 year old stripper and finally called to say he wanted to get a divorce. We decided to split everything on a amicable basis and he asked if I would sell his boat for him and mail him the money. She said no problem the check is on the way.

You can insert Corvette in place of boat if you like.

:grin:

[The Greek]

...How about "chinook get leader shy when the river is low and clear". Dave, have you ever heard that one? 50lb. big game, all the time.

[DAB]

Team "we got dyn-o-mite" catch a lot of springers.
DAB

[ 01-07-2004, 08:52 PM: Message edited by: DAB ]

[SalmonJeff]

how about yeah even dave Johnson didn't get anything....... :grin:

[The Overfishin Condition]

Ragnar

[ssteelheadsteve]

The long super snaggy drift above Dodge Park where the power lines cross the Sandy is called the Elvis Ray Hole. In honor of the first person to use purple jello to cure eggs.

[willametteriveroutlaw]

Fall chinook don't bite after 3pm.. Heard that from a couple of locals on the coast this year as they were packing up.

[TonTo]

"Carrot Milk"....????...

The spring chinook bite better under the power lines that run across the Willamette just downstream from St. Johns bridge.

[Rusty]

How about, "Spring Chinook won't get going until the Dogwoods are in bloom"? :whazzup:

If that's true, then I guess the 6 fish I caught in early March were figments of my imagination!!

Rusty

[Jellyhead]

What about the zipperlip striper fishery that supposedly happened in the willamette a few years ago?

Aaron

[Dipnet]

Anyone hear about the keeper sturgeon caught in Hagg Lake???

Dipnet :grin:

[Mojo]

Jellyhead, I think that was a stripper seen fishing the Willamette...

[shalom]

There are times when springers , and other fish do bite better under a power line . How many times have you been under a power line and heard it snapping and crackling ? It has to go someplace. Scotty downrigger has a book out about your boat putting out good or bad electrical impulse ? I know that long line trawers in the salt water send an electrcal charge down there wire lines . It is trickey though to little or to much will drive them away . All boat are affected by this current . It doesn!t matter if your boat is wood glass or metal, I had a sled that would chase fish away . Doin!t get me wrong i would still cath fish but nothing like i had in other boats that i owned . It took a lot of research , trial and error to correct this problem , but it was worth it .

Originally posted by shalom:
There are times when springers , and other fish do bite better under a power line . How many times have you been under a power line and heard it snapping and crackling ? It has to go someplace. Scotty downrigger has a book out about your boat putting out good or bad electrical impulse ? I know that long line trawers in the salt water send an electrcal charge down there wire lines . It is trickey though to little or to much will drive them away . All boat are affected by this current . It doesn!t matter if your boat is wood glass or metal, I had a sled that would chase fish away . Doin!t get me wrong i would still cath fish but nothing like i had in other boats that i owned . It took a lot of research , trial and error to correct this problem , but it was worth it .

<font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helvetica">Sorry still an urban legend as far as these power lines are concerned. It has never been proven that they make any difference.

[Triple Threat]

Drinking a beer at 6:00 am while crossing the bar to prevent getting seasickness. At least that's what I was told.

[shalom]

Stew Have you read the book put out by Scotty downriggers ? you might find it interesting . Next time you are down at the coast take the time to talk to the people that get there pay check from catching fish . A lot of them woin! admitt to how importnt it is . You know how fishermen like to keep secrets ...Fishermans Marine use to carry this book , but i bought mine about ten years ago . Your boat will put out an electrical charge at all times from the batterys in the boat even if you are not useing downriggers .

[Otolith]

Originally posted by STGRule:
My all time favorite is that all sturgeon morph into females when they reach 6 feet.

<font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helvetica">I don't know if this is true for sturgeon, but some species of fish do this (notably, several species of coral reef fish like groupers). It's called sequential hermaphroditism. Usually they become females when they are larger/older and can devote more of their growth to eggs (which are expensive energetically speaking compared to sperm). This would be a protandrous sequential hermaphrodite (male first). The female first variety is called protogynous.

[ 01-08-2004, 04:51 PM: Message edited by: Otolith ]

[FishinTechnician]

The only reason it seems like the powerlines is a hot place to fish is because there are so many boats down there fishing the "powerline pattern". Personally, I like fishing where the river is narrower and there is alot less boat traffic.

[STGRule]

Otolith: You are correct. There are fish species that do change. Sturgeon aren't one of them. They are what they are. Part of the reason people think that is the largest sturgeon generaly are female. Even though there is about a 50/50 split in the sex of oversize, the largest are usually female at least in weight because of egg masses.

[Bendman]

For those of you that have fished for sturgeon below Johe Day dam. Have you ever noticed that when a train or a barge goes by that you always seem to get a bite. Over the years I have convinced myself that this is true. I keep an eye on other boats and it seems to be true for others also

[TonTo]

This spring a 43"sturgeon was caught out of Lake Sacajawea in Longview,true storry,hooked on power bait.And there is a big one in Silver Lake I've seen the pictures.

[fishbait]

I have been told by someone that supposidly was present that there are 6 sturgeon in Hagg Lake. Dont know if I believe it as the source is seldom sober or straight, at least when I knew him, but I would not be suprised as the bass are supposidly an introduced species.

[Dipnet]

Fishbait, must be an aquaintance of the guy that told me about the keeper sturgeon caught in Hagg??

Dipnet :grin:

[ 01-08-2004, 06:46 PM: Message edited by: Dipnet ]

[Mikeymoto]

Ultrabite
MM

[Gone Fishin]

Tillamook Bay Tuna! :grin: