# Relentless wind, bad people, great fish!



## Dana.Birrell (Apr 23, 2012)

My buddy Andrew and I went out to the Deer Creek spillway this morning around 6:30 AM. The icy cold windchill made for one hell of a morning. First cast with a white blue fox rooster tail, I landed a white bass. Throughout the next hour and a half we landed a few more white bass.

A middle-aged gentleman, probably in his late 40s, arrived at the spillway and decided to fish DIRECTLY above us over the railing towards the front of the spillway. At exactly the same time I launch a rooster tail, he casts his bobber line with minnows on it. Of course, my rooster tail grabs his line. The guy starts swearing at me, being the best boss he can be. As I'm reeling in my rooster to untangle the line, I asked him to elsewhere to fish, perhaps closer to the spillway. The man gets an attitude with me, and forces me to cut his line. No more than five minutes later the same things happens, he casts in the EXACT same spot (apparently ther3 was an enormous fish sitting at the surface which he thought was his destiny to tangle lines with me) and our lines tangle again. Prior to this second cast, I gave him his bobber and hooks back, but told the guy if it happened again, I would be using his hooks and his bobber for my own personal use. I again, reeled his line in, cut them, stripped the line and put his hooks and bobber in my tackle box. At this point, the guy is a little bit mad, started using fun words, and came down to confront me. At which point, he saw a man that weighed twice what he did, and another man that was twice his height. The man realized he had committed murder, and left. 

... This was almost... the highlight of my day.

Not long after, my buddy hooks into something enormous with 6lb test line on a red/green rooster tail. Not only did this thing run, it nearly spooled his reel. After nearly 10 minute of fighting, he lands one of the biggest freshwater fish I've ever seen. This fish is what nightmare are made of when you truly don't want to know the size of the fish underneath that spillway. I'm sure, this is small in comparison.


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## Youngda (Mar 19, 2012)

What a great fish!!! What is it??


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## Dana.Birrell (Apr 23, 2012)

Youngda said:


> What a great fish!!! What is it??


Largemouth Buffalo, woops!


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## SMBHooker (Jan 3, 2008)

I've never seen a freshwater fish that big either!!! 

Wow!  


Sent from . . . off and over there.


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## Dana.Birrell (Apr 23, 2012)

I thought it was a giant catfish, when it broke the surface, all we could see were the tail fins. I've heard of catfish hitting rooster tails, but Buffalo? I'd never even SEEN one of these.


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## Smallmouth Crazy (Apr 4, 2006)

My Son caught some huge carp down there last fall.


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## Forker (May 5, 2011)

Got a kick out of the story. Common sense is scarce.


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## NewbreedFishing (Apr 15, 2004)

nice work landing that beast on 6lb. test and for running the goon off.


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## LilSiman/Medina (Nov 30, 2010)

I don't even know what it is lol. Fishing spillways you always meet new people and sometimes that can be a bad thing!


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## StumpHawg (May 17, 2011)

Thats really pretty normal day at that place when tempt warms up and everybody comes to play!!!! Great story and nice buffalo carp!!!!


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## terryit3 (Jul 15, 2011)

Idiots like you found today are the reason I never go out without my Beretta. There are a lot of crazies out there and you never know when you will run into one.

Anyway, nice fish and glad nothing else happened with the butthole.


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## lacdown (Apr 25, 2007)

it seems like a big jump to me to go from some curse words being tossed around to needing to have a gun on you.


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## terryit3 (Jul 15, 2011)

I see your point, but what would the guy have done of the two larger men weren't around?


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## Banditman (Jan 23, 2012)

Wow. That's impressive. I'm jealous.lol


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## Ville Boy (Jul 31, 2011)

Nice fish. I saw the same type of situation unfold at alum creek last year. A 60 ish year old man being picked on by a punk. Right before my buddy and I got involved the guy pulled a taser out of his tackle box and was ready for a fight. Needless to say he kept his spot.

We still laugh and recreate the argument


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## acklac7 (May 31, 2004)

terryit3 said:


> I see your point, but what would the guy have done of the two larger men weren't around?


Talk smack and then pull out his weapon 

I swear some of you gun guys are going to wind up 6ft under,
You pull out your weapon on me you better be using it.


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## glasseyes (Jan 28, 2012)

It's to bad that you had to deal with that . I have fished that spillway since the dam was built, I can still remember mom taking us kids there . The problem you had with the other fisherman is not uncommon there, it happens all the time. I have seen fights over what you were involved with. The problem is a guy walks up the ramp and fishes right above someone and he thinks just because he is up above that it gives him the right to cast into someone else. On the other hand if he had been there first and someone below just walks up to that corner and starts casting out towards the dam then they would be the one invading space. Most guys just change their casting direction when they cross lines but there are always a few that are not willing to compromise at all, to bad. In this case I have found that the only thing someone remembers ten years from now about a trip like that is the arguement.


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## lacdown (Apr 25, 2007)

I think the original poster and his friend were the two larger men. regardless, i think that trayvon martin incident and so many others like it just show that when someone has a gun to 'protect' themselves it's usually someone else without a gun that gets shot. 




terryit3 said:


> I see your point, but what would the guy have done of the two larger men weren't around?


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## lacdown (Apr 25, 2007)

ps, awesome fish.


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## Dana.Birrell (Apr 23, 2012)

Thanks a lot, lac. I don't carry a gun, one of my old fishing buddies (he moved back to the valley (eastern ohio) had a concealed carry permit. But I've never cared to. I carry other forms of incapacitation. Ones that are a little more inconspicuous, and they never leave concealment until it's too late for the other person.


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## glasseyes (Jan 28, 2012)

lacdown said:


> I think the original poster and his friend were the two larger men. regardless, i think that trayvon martin incident and so many others like it just show that when someone has a gun to 'protect' themselves it's usually someone else without a gun that gets shot.


 I guess what I'm trying to say why let the situation get that far out of hand to start with. Being the larger man to me would have been just to move to a different spot and by that it would be over. Most would say why should I move I was here first, I didn't say it was easy but I would applaud that decision. Like I said I have seen fights break out there for just the same exact situation he was in and I see no one winning when that happens.


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## MassillonBuckeye (May 3, 2010)

Had a guy come stand right next to me at Alum spillway yesterday morning.. Was a bit awkward. Wasn't a very big spot I was at and he took up 50% of the fishable area. I kept fishing for a bit and bailed. Dude wanted it worse than I. lol. Sucks about your situation. Not sure what I would have done honestly. Have never had someone cast Right on top of me.. Multiple times. Ugh. Glad it didn't get ugly.


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