What is the dumbest thing you did with a fish on?

[Bopper]

I had a really strong trout hooked up on Thursday. The old 6 wt was bent in half and my heart was pounding. I had a brain fart and was thinking the drag on my fly reel worked like a spinning reel, haha. I couldn't figure out why the line would not play out while I was holding onto the crank handle. I was fighting him by backing up the handle. For some reason, haha, loosening up the drag did not work. Needless to say, he spit the hook out after a minute or 2, but I got a good look. Think it was a brown over 25". Two days slipping on rocks, busting through brush, risking life and limb for one good hook up, and I blow it. Can't wait to do it again!

 

[Sylvaneous]

took a leak. (not true, but funny if so)

 

[FarmerDave]

Asked Pro4ormance to net it? ;-)

 

[PennypackFlyer]

Sylvaneous It's only funny if you forgot to take your waders off.

 

[WildTigerTrout]

I chased my net down the creek after I realized I had forgot to attach the lanyard to it. I pulled it off the magnets and dropped it in the water so I would be ready to net this nice brown trout I had on when the time came. The time came and I reached around for my net and it was gone. I glanced down the stream and saw it floating away 50 yards downstream. I put some pressure on the fish and guided him downstream, collected my net and then netted him. I wish I could have got that whole incident on film! He was just shy of 20 inches and my best trout for that year. It was funny. At the point I realized my net was missing I could care less about the trout, my $75 trout net was getting away! It all worked out in the end. I let the trout go and kept the net!!

 

[kobalt335]

I didn't do this, but I witnessed it. When fishing with a buddy for salmon, we actually found a secluded spot with fish. He hooks into a good fish that runs downstream and under a fallen tree, so my buddy followed it until he got to the tree. While he stood there, the fish kept going and got into the backing, so without thinking he just drops his rod and lets it drift under the tree, then he jumps over the tree and gathers up the rod. This is one of the reasons we fish for salmon with cheaper outfits.

 

[PennypackFlyer]

Walked across the creek and back only to hear constant repeated "METRO". Should have put my cell phone in higher grounds.

 

[Chaz]

Tried to slow down a bonefish by pinching the fly line, Ouch!!!

 

[salmonoid]

Well, I didn't exactly have the fish on, but I was fishing in the chutes on Walnut Creek, maybe 15 years ago. One time, at the end of a retrieve, the tag end of lost piece of line showed up on shore with me. I thought I'd remove the line from the water, or at least pull on it and snap it to shorten it, so I sort of wrapped the line around my hand and fingers and started pulling the line in. Turns out, there was also a steelhead still attached to the line and the fish wanted nothing of that and took off. Line whipped off my hand around one of my fingers and cut deep into my finger. Didn't cut the finger off but if I hadn't quickly get some slack in the line and finished unwinding it from my finger, I might be a bit of a Frodo today.

 

[hooker-of-men]

On opening day last year, I was quickly checking the time on my phone with line out. Fish took my ant and surprised the crap out of me. Setting the hook, I essentially chucked the phone straight down into the creek. $600 8-inch stocked rainbow.

My wife mostly hates me.

 

[Dave_W]

kobalt335 wrote:
He hooks into a good fish that runs downstream and under a fallen tree, so my buddy followed it until he got to the tree. ... he just drops his rod and lets it drift under the tree, then he jumps over the tree and gathers up the rod.

I did exactly this once on Falling Spring. When I got to the otherside of the tree, I successfully recovered the rod and netted the 20" brown....but then promptly tripped on a submerged branch and pitched headfirst into the water (and the dang fish turned out to be foul hooked anyway).

A group of dairy cows were standing nearby and seemed to find my antics quite interesting as they were watching me intently. Stupid human. :roll:

 

[tztrout]

First float on the Madison many years ago, my guide suggested I slide my new RPL under the oarlocks to keep it out of the way until it was my turn to fish (my 2 brothers were in the boat as well, and I had drawn the short straw) I reluctantly listened to him, after all-he was the guide! Needless to say, when I retrieved the rod to fish, the top section had been crushed. He shipped it back to Sage as soon as we got back to the flyshop and gave me a loaner for the rest of the week, but I was heartbroken at not having my favorite rod on my first trip to Montana.

 

[Jimbot]

Fish ran right at me.....nice size. Lifted my rod right into the tree behind me that i had completely forgot about. The fish made a run in the opposite direction with all my **** tangled up in the branches. I dont wanna talk about the rest. *tear*

 

[melvinthefisherman]

Ill start by saying I am fairly new to fly fishing.

I found this spot where carp feed on bugs under a light at night. They were mainly small like 12-20 inches long. One night a nicer fish maybe 8lbs ate my friends fly. He fought it for a bit and i go in to grab it (i didnt have a net) and the fish takes a run in inches of water and goes in between my legs. My buddy had to fight the carp with line going in between my legs for a lil bit. We ended up landing it and it was 8lbs.

 

[Gone4Day]

A nice one was rising in front of a huge boulder in the middle of the Snake in WY. I waded out the sand bar until almost floating to get in range. Of course I hook it and it yanks me right off my feet. There’s enough air trapped by my wading belt that I’m bobbing down the river, relatively high and dry. I was even able to gain some line back until I realized I wasn’t reeling the fish in so much as it was pulling me out. So I looked back toward my fishing partner and our guide for a little help, maybe get in the boat, but no, they’re rolling on the ground laughing. Ended up easing up on the drag and backstroking to some shallow water. Lost the fish too. Bonus tip: after a spill, roll down chest waders before removing wading belt.

 

[DavidFin]

After some bad stuff happened to me at the end of the summer I floated the Main Stem with a friend. I very rarely float, was dealing with some bad stuff, so I brought some beer. Got pretty loaded.

So now I'm drunk, I'm wearing jeans under my waders that aren't buttoned, and I'm out of the boat with just my rod. Wind up hooking a scorcher of a Bow. I walk with him maybe 40 yards down river with my pants falling off under my waders, and I hooked him on a tandem setup without a net. Needless to say I took one hook in my hand as he thrashed around with the other hook in his mouth. Shame on me for not being barbless that day.

Best part is that I did it again an hour or two later!

 

[Nymph-wristed]

Take picture with the phone, throw the phone back in the net, motion to put the fish back in the wader pocket? I guess it was sort of like putting the coffee mug in the fridge and almost drinking the half and half....

 

[hooker-of-men]

Nymph-wristed wrote:
Take picture with the phone, throw the phone back in the net, motion to put the fish back in the wader pocket? I guess it was sort of like putting the coffee mug in the fridge and almost drinking the half and half....

Non-fishing related, but this reminds me of how, about once a week, I try to open my office door with the key fob to my car at the end of a long workday.

 

[Nymph-wristed]

hooker-of-men wrote:

Nymph-wristed wrote:
Take picture with the phone, throw the phone back in the net, motion to put the fish back in the wader pocket? I guess it was sort of like putting the coffee mug in the fridge and almost drinking the half and half....

Non-fishing related, but this reminds me of how, about once a week, I try to open my office door with the key fob to my car at the end of a long workday.

That would be nice though, point and click and the door opens!

 

[MKern]

Not me, nor while landing a fish but still a good story...

Quite a few years ago, opening day, a first day warrior was out sporting his 5 mm neoprean waders. Oh and it was one of those 75 degree opening days.

He was clearly uncomfortably warm standing across the stream from me and he was growing increasingly frustrated with the lack of fish catching.
In the large pool where he was fishing was a fallen tree. He thought he could get a better shot at the fish if he stood on the tree.
After shimmying along the trunk he went to cast for the first time from his new perch and in he went.
He splashed and carried on as he floated down to the next riffles where he could stand.

At least he could cool off.