Fishing Forum

Scary Fishing Trip From Len:
You want scary? I have got it here in the Black Hills of South Dakota. I do a lot of night fishing to escape the tourists with Fly Rods, Tubers, mothers with kids and their dogs that all pay no attention to where they are as go over your line and wonder how they got hooked.
Ninetynine percent of the time I do not use a flashlite since it spooks the living daylights out of the fish in my favorite stream. I just walk it and fish turning on the light just long enough whenever I catch a fish to get him in and unhooked.
The area where this stream is has a lot wildlife deer, Big Horn Sheep Racoons cayotes etc, so freaquently I walk up on them in the dark and cause them to go crashing of into the night. Or sometimes they walk right by you and never even notice you are there.
Part of this stream has a old mining road that runs along beside it. It crosses the stream in in several place where they left some bridges in after gating and closeing the road.
Well one fine moonless night as I fished the stream I stopped on one these bridges that has a really good deep hole on the down stream side and satdown on the railing letting my line drift with current. while sitting there and give the line a gentle tug every now and then to get it back in the current.
I heard something walk on to the bridge at first I thought it was a deer, but then it dawned as came closer that its foot falls did not have that dull thuding sound that deer make when they cross one of these bridges.
Curiouse to see what it was when it was about even with me I turned on my flashlite just see what it was. Shock suprise and instant fear were my reward less than four feet away was a Mountain Lion!
All I can say is My first instinct was to run, but the my brain knew better and that I would be kitty chew toy if I did. So I sat there really still as the big cat stood there starring at me it seemed like a eternity before he decided to move on as if nothing happen at the same lesierly pace he walked on to the bridge with.
Fishing was over right then and there for me for the night as I reeled in my line and walked briskly with the flashlite on out of there.
Do I still fish up there at night oh ya only I have made on little addition to my tackle that sometimes gets me some really strange looks as I go in there at night or I am coming out in the mornings from other people that use the area in the day, and that would a 45 in a thigh mount holster.
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[center]click to enlarge[/center] [center][url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/photos/showphoto.php/photo/1045/cat/500/ppuser/89"][/url][/center] [center]Did that Scary go BOOOOO![/center] [center] [/center] [left]with out a doubt, when you are sitting there and you get that ice cold fealing running thoug your soal like some one just walked across your grave, then get up and get out of there asap... [/left] [left] [/left] [left]there is a reason why the willies come up on ya, its a warning to get out... never disobay overwhelming sensations to leave.... the next crossing could have been a bear or worse a flock of skunks.....[/left] [left] [/left] [left]nature seems to have a way of knowing and excepting with respect, hopefuly one day our kids will grow up to know what our fathers seemed to have forgotten... If ya cant pack a pea shooter a flare works pretty darn good, wild animals except those what are rabbid wont come close to fire...[/left] [left] [/left] [left]I do know the fealing, while hunting up near Gaylord MI, I fell asleap on a stump on a servey line some 20 years ago a couple miles back in to the woods, I had been sitting there the better part of the day, I had my deer rifle in hand, and to be honest I probably slept more than I watched the line...[/left] [left] [/left] [left]In the afternoon I opened my eyes and 10 yards in front of me staring me over was a cub and a momma... the last thing I wanted to do was shoot a bear, as I sat there wondering what I was going to do they made no effort to come any closer nor did they make any effort to turn around and go back, I remembered I had a snickers bar in my pocked, I reached in and pulled it out opened it, broke it in half, I stood up receiving a grunt for my efforts.[/left] [left] [/left] [left]I sat one peice on the stump where I was setting and droped the other peice on the gound next to the stump and slowly turned and walked down the line, looking back after I got about a good thirty yards down the line to see the bears snooting around the stump looking for more honeylishous snickers...[/left] [left] [/left] [left]Lord only knows how long they were standing there looking at me. I have been told I snore like a bear, makes me wonder if I called them in [angelic][/left] [left] [/left] [left]any way it is a rush comming that close to nature with no chain link fence between yas.. [/left]
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had a couple bear encounters , nothing too scary though .
now I did have a field mouse run up my trousers one time , that was a little too close for comfort !
Screamed like a little girl !
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OK... the field mouse thing made me laugh so hard the dog came out into the living room to see what the fuss was about. [] [] Of course the only reason I laughed so hard was because I've been there myself.

I had one run into the blind and sit right on my boot one time. I didn't scream like a little girl but it definately freaked me out.
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reminded me of a song, cant remember the name of the song, but it was about a squril that went to church....[laugh]
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[blush] , couldn't get the pants past the hunting boots !!!!!!
I musta been a sight to see .would have won one of those americas funniest home video shows for shure !
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