# What the hell was this !!!



## stevecat (May 16, 2007)

Just got in after trolling with my son on our small boat just 1/4 mile off the beach, the lake was calm and we just made our last turn toward home (in front of Sawmill ) 8:30 pm when I saw the pole slowley bending untill it started spitting out drag, Thinking I was hung up I cut the motor and turned back, the boat still drifting with the southern wind I realized that what was on the other end was comming in slowley with each pull and crank, I thought " feels like a wet log" and my son asked "are you snaged" I said "im not sure" ...I kept the tension on the line and felt what felt like two quick head shakes and then the line went limp... I cranked as quick as I could and cought back up with what I now Know is some kind of fish, it ran toward the boat and then went to the bottom and came to a stop,once again I started pulling and cranking until it was just about to the top and then water exploded just feet away from the boat and the drag started to peal out again... and then just came to a stop... again I started pulling and cranking and the only thing my son and I could say is "what the hell is this"
not one walleye all knight and we wind up hooking into the lockness monster,
Ive cought many different kinds of fish from stingray ,shark , cats,walleye largemouth ,carp and plenty of sheephead but never had anything have this much dissregaurd for the angler , once again it made a run right at the boat and got off, from pulling the dead weight I would guess the weight at being between 25 and 35 pounds . 
anyone know what this could have been or had this happen befor?


----------



## MEISTERICS (May 15, 2006)

probably a really big cat. they can fight like that. i really do not think they know they are hooked until they see the boat or are well off the bottom.


----------



## ezbite (May 25, 2006)

lake erie monster


----------



## Captain Kevin (Jun 24, 2006)

Sturgeon maybe?


----------



## true2plue (Jul 12, 2004)

Sounds like a farm animal to me!!


----------



## eyesman_01 (Jan 4, 2007)

A few years ago I had something on out near the turnaround bouy that would not turn, just kept taking line off the reel. I'd finally tightened the drag down so much I snapped the line just before the end of the spool. I never did get a look at what it was. I'd just chalked it up to a sturgeon, but I'll never really know. Kind of an "Erie" feeling, isn't it?


----------



## Agent47 (Jun 27, 2006)

Sasquafish

Theres been stories of this half fish/ half big foot from back in the early 21rst century.


----------



## KaGee (Sep 8, 2006)

Captain Kevin said:


> Sturgeon maybe?


Think the captain certainly suggested a possibility. 
The same thing happened to me some years ago while anchored perch fishing. 
pole bent over and started stripping line. The line snapped. Sure does give you a thrill at the time.


----------



## donkey (Aug 28, 2004)

Typical Fish Story!


----------



## peple of the perch (Sep 13, 2004)

im thinking a sturgon too.


----------



## marshal45 (Mar 8, 2007)

hippopotamus


----------



## ShutUpNFish (Apr 17, 2007)

Might have been a large muskie. The larger ones will stay deep and bull head like a big cat. The multiple runs at the boat indicate to me that it may have been a big muskie. Sucks that you didn't land it to be absolutely sure.


----------



## liquidsoap (Oct 22, 2005)

Cool story..
Why rule out a steelhead???


----------



## Searay (Feb 12, 2007)

Big breasted Mur-maid with a nice tail...LOL 

40lb. cat will battle like that...


----------



## Perch (Apr 5, 2004)

:T :T :T :T 1st post :T :T :T :T


----------



## Hi Tail N (Jul 8, 2007)

I had this happen once while steehead fishing. I thought I had a snag for the first 10 minutes until my snag started moving. It ended up being a 20 + pound carp that came in like a log.

Could have been???


----------



## jigger69 (Jul 9, 2006)

last weekened me and my buddy had our lines broke 4x in the same spot I was using 30lb.braid mine broke 3x,his broke once he had 50lb.braid,the fish never came off the bottom at all but it made me walk around the boat though I hooked into my fish everytime with a roboworm shakeyhead,he was using a tube,I figured if it was a sheephead it atleast would have ran a little and moved fast,I figured a big flathead or a sturgeon


----------



## sevenx (Apr 21, 2005)

Sounds like a sturgeon. I have hooked into two up in Canada. I landed a 45lbs and lost one of enormous perportions. What you described sounds like a good bet. The big one I lost would head for deep water and just sit there and rest. With 10lb test and a number 8 worm hook not much I could do to move him. I fought this fish for 6hrs before he took me over the rocks when we were trying to beach him. He jumped 11 time's and estimated by the guide to be over 100lbs. The 45lb went 59" these fish are tough and they will take you for a ride. We follow both these fish all over the river trying to tire them out. Alot of fun for sure. S


----------



## jonzun (Jun 11, 2004)

Jimmy Hoffa ?


----------



## capt. sparky (Jul 18, 2007)

I agree with the sturgeon theory.A good friend of mine works the fish nets just west of where you are talking about and they have had numerous sturgeon in the nets since last spring the biggest he has mentioned was over four feet.


----------



## Chops (May 16, 2007)

My friend and I were fishing at the Lorain break walls last year when he hooked into something huge,he fought it for about 30 min.Than the hook pulled out I don,t know what he had on but it was huge.I said it was a scuba diver hahaha


----------



## fishnfool (Feb 8, 2007)

IT WAS A SCUBA DIVER!!!!!!!! YOU OWE ME A NEW WET SUIT!!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## Toolman (Jun 8, 2004)

Could be a large Musky, but they typically "hit" harder than the gentle bending of the pole you described. 

Tim


----------



## TMK (Mar 31, 2005)

Did you see any bouys in the area that looked like this one?


----------



## stevecat (May 16, 2007)

Yep, every time I troll past one of those fish marker bouys I tie into a big one,
strange thing is I always find a empty boat anchord next to them, I guess they must of been pulled in.


----------



## peple of the perch (Sep 13, 2004)

when i went deep sea fishing a group of divers pulled up along side us and were all swimming around. a little bit later we were driving away to pull the ancor free. but we also snagged there boat anchore and dragged there boat about a hundred yards.


----------



## creekcrawler (Oct 5, 2004)

Everybody, in your best Three Stooges voice;

"Hey Moe, I thinks it was a sturgeon!"


----------



## true2plue (Jul 12, 2004)

Steve,I guess you should have set your drag a little better!! This Muskie:B was caught Monday night in the same area you fished on Friday night. Might want to think about investing in steel leaders!! Weighed in at 20 lbs. and measured 42.5 inches long.:B


----------



## stevecat (May 16, 2007)

Doesnt look like it was a lake Erie monster or a sasquafish, scuba diver or a hippo that many (MEMBERS) sujested, although I enjoyd all the fun many had with this post and appreciate the REAL input that several gave, after several days of doubting myself and after reading all the creative reply's, a OGF member showed me a picture this morning of a fish that may explain what it was, the fish was cought in the same general area while trolling. HINT( only Two people were right.)


----------



## jshbuckeye (Feb 27, 2005)

Beautiful markings on that fish. Nice job on landing her. In a few years there may be a new sherriff in town and her name will be :B MUSKY:B


----------



## stevecat (May 16, 2007)

THANKS fOR The post Plue.. and a big CONGRATS to Gary,That is a true fish of a liftime on Erie and then some!!


----------



## true2plue (Jul 12, 2004)

stevecat said:


> THANKS fOR The post Plue.. and a big CONGRATS to Gary,That is a true fish of a liftime on Erie and then some!!


All I did was post it! The great photographer was the one and only Krustydawg. Matt got to hold the prehistoric fish with his own hands, and said the scent of a Muskie reminded him of a girl he met in his college days!!


----------



## krustydawg (Apr 26, 2004)

true2plue said:


> All I did was post it! The great photographer was the one and only Krustydawg. Matt got to hold the prehistoric fish with his own hands, and said the scent of a Muskie reminded him of a girl he met in his college days!!


You are a funny guy Tony ! 
That fish probably would have been released but the ripstick was sideways in its throat so there was no way it would have survived. Now it is headed to the taxidermist. This is only the 3rd Musky I have witnessed in 20+ years of fishing the Huron area, what an awesome catch. The scale I had only went to 20 lbs. and it was buried with the fish attached to it. I would say the fish was closer to 25 lbs., the girth was over 23". Maybe some of the musky guys can chime in and give an educated guess on what the approximate weight was. Congrats to Gary on a fish of a lifetime, can't wait to see the mount when it is completed.
I will make a seperate thread on this fish tomorrow, it definitely deserves it.


----------



## Toolman (Jun 8, 2004)

Not sure if I qualify as a "Musky Guy" but I've handled a few. It's hard to guess when you're handling them ar see them in person...even harder from a picture, but my guess is 20-22#. Nice fish.


Tim


----------



## amorican (Oct 18, 2006)

stevecat said:


> Doesnt look like it was a lake Erie monster or a sasquafish, scuba diver or a hippo that many (MEMBERS) sujested, although I enjoyd all the fun many had with this post and appreciate the REAL input that several gave, after several days of doubting myself and after reading all the creative reply's, a OGF member showed me a picture this morning of a fish that may explain what it was, the fish was cought in the same general area while trolling. HINT( only Two people were right.)


a bald eagle?

oopps...wrong thread


----------



## Fishin Musician (Jan 2, 2007)

Caught this fishing for perch abord the Big Canoe, back in '03. It was a fighter and only a baby! ODNR said it was 10 years old.


wow that is big pix!!! sorry guys!


----------



## Toolman (Jun 8, 2004)

How did it taste?


----------



## K gonefishin (May 4, 2004)

Cool Catch though very neat to see the colors of a young one.


----------



## Fishin Musician (Jan 2, 2007)

It was pure muscle! The best way to describe it was like holding a steering wheel of a car, a little give but hard underneath. 

Let it go.....honest!


----------



## wargoth (Sep 11, 2007)

We hooked into something earlier this year much like that. Out off of Perry, thought we snagged bottom till dad said we were in 35 foot of water, and I know our wiggle warts won't go below 25. Anyway, it snapped the rod off about 3 inches in front of the handle, fortunately my buddy had the presence of mind to grab the end, and get it up. We fought it like this, him with the upper end, and I with the handle and reel. We could both feel it head shaking, and both agree that by feel it was at minimum 50 LBS... unfortunately, it threw the hook before we could get it to the boat. Big cat or muskie is what we suspect, though who really knows, could have been a world record shattering walleye.


----------



## preacherman (Dec 26, 2006)

a number of years ago i took someone from out of state out drift fishing for walleye on the lake. he hooked into a huge one and fought it for about 15 or 20 minutes before he could bring it in. it turned out to be a big paving brick with holes in it. the water flowing through the holes made it feel like it was swimming. that was the catch of the day


----------



## stevecat (May 16, 2007)

A brick, a sturgeon a musky and two guys trying to get a fish in on a broken pole ,(THAT WOULD OF BEEN FUN TO WATCH)
all this just goes to show that the one that got away could be anything, And I doubt this lake will ever stop giving us big fish and bigger fishing stories.


----------

