hey all,
fished lopez from 8-3 on saturday ,for just one bite the fishing was slow ,water temp was 52-54 degrees.I was fishing down a steep bank with my new slammer(its first trip)when out of literally no -where this crane type bird attacks my slammer.I buttoned down on my reel hoping to get my bait back before he ate it, but of course i lost.after 10 minutes or so of battling to get my lure loose he got his beak to somehow cut through my power pro line.my outcome for the day;
Bird 1 Me 0
theres a 20 dollar reward for the return of the slammer..lol,30 if it still has the evil bird attached.
I'll be there tomorow hopefully the water has stabilized for the bass to get stirred up.
brian

Shortly after I started throwing the big wood at night, I was working down a shoreline on a 1st 1/4 moon and saw a nice boulder about 6' off a point. I launched a cast intending to run my lure between the shore and the boulder. As the lure came past the boulder there was a swirl behind it and something happened that made it look like the boulder moved, but that's not possible right? That's what I thought anyways.
I broke out my scent and sat down to apply a fresh coating of scent to the lure. When I finished and had sat long enough that I thought the fish wouldn't remember the previous cast, I launched another one. this one landed on the outside of the boulder and I adjusted the retrieve so it would run into the boulder to try to get a reflexive strike. Well when it came to the boulder all Hell Broke Loose as the "Boulder" turned into a Canadian Goose that was hooked in the leg. During the fight, the goose got hooked in the cheek while semi-airbourne, which caused it to partially drown before I got it in. After I got it in I couldn't get it unhooked without being bitten so I threw my jacket over it and after having been still bitten twice more I just rung it's neck and decided I'd have goose for dinner. I had intended to release it but aftert loosing blood to it 3 times over, I changed my mind. It weighed 17.25#
Tight lines,
Wade

Damn Wade's a savage...:-)

Yeah having birds attack swimbaits near the surface is common... I've had a crane or two follow my huddleston ROF 0... Had an osprey divebomb my castaic... luckly i got it underwater fast enough that it didnt get its talons in teh plastic. My last story involves me not paying attention and having an osprey at the same lake divebomb my Slammer while my head was turned adn I just hear a big splash... when i turned aroundit was trying to take off with it... with a little tugging it let loose.. luckly the hooks didnt get in the Osprey otherwise that bird would have had LOTS of line hanging off that lure.. cuz no way in hell am I getting anywhere near a pissed off osprey... so in short.. yeah the birds like swimbaits too...
Erik P.

Hey Brian, Sounds like Lopez was like Margarita, I was at Margarita all day for na-Da ...As I was taking my kickboat out I watched a guy flippin tight to shore pull a nice 6lber though....I really have to learn flppin better for that lake. The White Oak ramp is open, but the marina ramp is still closed. There was probably a half dozen boats on the water, that will change soon though....Lake looks awsome!

Bryan

Yup! I was fishing Coyote in November-04 throwing a 9inch 4-eyes when out of no where this Blue Heron comes down on my lure, picks it up and starts trying to fly away with it. I just held on and it dropped it, whew, close call, funny thing is it kept following me around the bank eyeballing the lure, dumb bird.

Here's the pics of that 5.7 and an 8 we caught earlier. The fishing should only get better at Margarita......BassMan

http://www.calfishing.com/dc/user_files/3166.jpg


http://www.calfishing.com/dc/user_files/3168.jpg

Hey Bassman,

I was the one in the Kickboat when you guys caught that close to 6lber.....I will have to get back out there before the WonBass Tourney there on the 5th..Cus that spot is going to get hit hard!!

That was a nice 8lb'r too!

Bryan

were those bass from santa marg. this week? I have the feeling i went to the wrong lake.maybe my luck will change this weekend @ lopez again.maybe the bird will bring my lure back on a silver platter too..x(

Brian,

That was this last Monday at Margarita.....If I were you I would be flippin tight to shore..in the weeds!

...Also, I will be out there again Sunday Morning...Saturday going to go surf fishing, Its going off on the perch!

Ok, my wierd experience happened at Irvine Lake about 10 years ago when the TD Baits first came out. I was throwing a TD Pencil Popper and I threw the bait past a point. I turned my head and heard a splash and line started smokin off my chronarch. I was crappin my pants big time. That was until I noticed that my line was lifting up in the air and the familar sound of the terradactyl was echoing off the red clay cliffs. I had myself a keeper blue heron. Needless to say the fight did not last long.

So my other experience was at Tri-city Park in placentia, the DFG truck had just stocked and the trout mongers and cormorants were raping the place. I was throwing a 10 inch Slug-go and after I made my cast there was a huge toilet bowl flush ! It was on ! I was so stoked until my bass flew out of the water and grew wings and a black body and looked like a cormorant ! The darn bird had engulfed the slug-go and I had him hooked good on braided line. So I did what any polite fisherman in their right mind would do. I put the reel in free spool, allowing him to fly in the air. Upon midflight I engaged the reel and put my thumb on the spool and pointed the rod at the cormie. The bird got clotheslined in mid-air and made this god awful gacking noise and hit the water and did not move. I was lucky that my braid broke and made the noise of a 22 ! It freaked everyone out and I quietly left for fear of the bleeding heart liberals that exist in society today.

heres a pic of the battle and if you look close enough you'll see my bait hanging.
http://www.calfishing.com/dc/user_files/3172.jpg


http://www.calfishing.com/dc/user_files/3173.jpg

After reading all of these I'm glad that we don't have 'Gators, Snapping Turtles or Water Moccasins around here.
Tight lines,
Wade

Damn Wade you don't mess around.

I've got one to tell. A couple years ago I was throwing a fluke at some matts after work one afternoon. I had this Tern (baracuda bird) dive bomb my fluke from way up. I seen him coming and jerked away from him. Then the bird got smart and perched it self on an over hanging tree behind me so I couldn't see him. A couple casts later he flies right over my head and falls out of the sky rignt on my fluke. I tried pulling away but it was no use. The bird was scrapping all over the surface when all of sudden the bird takes off. Here's the crazy part my line is still in water the bird is gone but I'm still fighting as my line continues to pull. I couldn't beleive what was happening. I stood there laughing and shaking my head as I released about a 3lb bass. That fish must of seen that bird swooping on it and decided he was taking it for him self. When the surface erupted I thought it was bird kicking around but I guess there was a bass in that mix too. I've actually caught quite a few birds mostly saltwater fishing but there have been a couple ducks and one goose that I've caught. All released to catch another day by the way but that one of the weirdest things I've ever experienced on the water.

JerryG