09-25-2003, 03:06 PM
I had quite the interesting night up on Pineview yesterday. I started off fishing with some senkos (first time using them)around 5pm. I was getting alot of bites and landing a few fish. Missing most due to the fish short striking on the end of the senko. Fun learning a new technique. Thanks Hustler!
At 6:30 I heard some rocks rolling and turned to see Bullel standing on the edge of the shore approximatley 70 yards away. What I sight. This is where it gets interesting. Bullel decided to go for a swim. He got about a 3rd of the way accross the narrows and decides to come back to the shore, but he is angleing towards me. He gets back to the shore about 150' to the east of me but the shore is too steep and rocky for him to get out of the water. He could get his front legs on shore, but couldn't finish the chore. He would then swim down the shore(towards me) a few yards and try again. No luck. Finally realizing he would not be able to exit the water he starts swimming directly towards me. Now I am getting a little nervous. Its amazing how fast they can swim. I start banging some rocks with a little yelling to get his attention to let him know I was there. (with a little hiking up the rockslide on my own part) He finally sees me and bolts back out accross the narrows. I am guessing he got within 30' of me. I could see the red inside his nostrals. He swam all the way accross only to realize that shore over there is steeper and just as rocky. So back accross the channel he swam to exit the lake where he entered it.
A few minutes later, a mink swims past me just a few feet from shore. He climbed out of the water scurried over to have a gander at me. He was only a few feet away. What a cute little guy. I kept working down the bank, missing a few fish here and there unable to hook up. I noticed the mink was following me. Since the Senkos were not doing the trick any more, I put on a shad rap. Next cast hooked a 16 in smallie. The fish was big enough that I didn't dare lift it out of the water for fear of breaking my line. I pulled the fish up next to shore and just started to reach for it when the mink grabbed ahold of it and started dragging it back into the crevices. The Tug-o-was on! I didn't dare grab the fish,(we were only 2' from each other) so I pulled on the line. The little bugger had each foot braced on a rock pulling with all his might. The harder I pulled, the harder he pulled with him hissing at me. Finally the line broke and drug the fish with my shad back into the rocks. I could hear him chewing on the fish along with my shad rap boucing on the rocks. I was worth the cost of the lure for the experience. I tied on another shad rap and began fishing again. A few minutes later, my little buddy was right back at my feet waiting for me to catch another fish. The last fish he got away with probably weighed as much as he did. I was amazed at the greed of this little guy. I caught another smallie about 10 inches and was able to hoist it out of the water to my hands. There the mink was standing on his hind legs looking at me, or I should say the fish in my hands. I hurried an unhooked the fish and through it back into the water. He immediatly dove in the water after the bass. The fish made a clean escape. The mink followed me for about 20 more minutes before he ran back off to his first prize.
This will be a day fishing I will never forget. Hustler, if you get down near the cable, you might see my new friend. Careful, he might become your friend too.
At 6:30 I heard some rocks rolling and turned to see Bullel standing on the edge of the shore approximatley 70 yards away. What I sight. This is where it gets interesting. Bullel decided to go for a swim. He got about a 3rd of the way accross the narrows and decides to come back to the shore, but he is angleing towards me. He gets back to the shore about 150' to the east of me but the shore is too steep and rocky for him to get out of the water. He could get his front legs on shore, but couldn't finish the chore. He would then swim down the shore(towards me) a few yards and try again. No luck. Finally realizing he would not be able to exit the water he starts swimming directly towards me. Now I am getting a little nervous. Its amazing how fast they can swim. I start banging some rocks with a little yelling to get his attention to let him know I was there. (with a little hiking up the rockslide on my own part) He finally sees me and bolts back out accross the narrows. I am guessing he got within 30' of me. I could see the red inside his nostrals. He swam all the way accross only to realize that shore over there is steeper and just as rocky. So back accross the channel he swam to exit the lake where he entered it.
A few minutes later, a mink swims past me just a few feet from shore. He climbed out of the water scurried over to have a gander at me. He was only a few feet away. What a cute little guy. I kept working down the bank, missing a few fish here and there unable to hook up. I noticed the mink was following me. Since the Senkos were not doing the trick any more, I put on a shad rap. Next cast hooked a 16 in smallie. The fish was big enough that I didn't dare lift it out of the water for fear of breaking my line. I pulled the fish up next to shore and just started to reach for it when the mink grabbed ahold of it and started dragging it back into the crevices. The Tug-o-was on! I didn't dare grab the fish,(we were only 2' from each other) so I pulled on the line. The little bugger had each foot braced on a rock pulling with all his might. The harder I pulled, the harder he pulled with him hissing at me. Finally the line broke and drug the fish with my shad back into the rocks. I could hear him chewing on the fish along with my shad rap boucing on the rocks. I was worth the cost of the lure for the experience. I tied on another shad rap and began fishing again. A few minutes later, my little buddy was right back at my feet waiting for me to catch another fish. The last fish he got away with probably weighed as much as he did. I was amazed at the greed of this little guy. I caught another smallie about 10 inches and was able to hoist it out of the water to my hands. There the mink was standing on his hind legs looking at me, or I should say the fish in my hands. I hurried an unhooked the fish and through it back into the water. He immediatly dove in the water after the bass. The fish made a clean escape. The mink followed me for about 20 more minutes before he ran back off to his first prize.
This will be a day fishing I will never forget. Hustler, if you get down near the cable, you might see my new friend. Careful, he might become your friend too.