Catching Green Trout - True Story !

[classic242]

I just had to share this with everyone. Many years ago my father worked at the local marina. I stopped by one morning to see him and a guy from out of state pulled up in a brand new Ranger bass boat. Now picture this in your mind, the guy still had plastic covering on the boat seats that had not been removed yet, he had I think it was 8 brand new rods in the boat with no reels on them yet, three Walmart bags, one full of fishing reels, one full of fishing line and one bag full of tackle containting all types of plastic baits, crankbaits, top water lures and spinner baits. Also, he had one of those 64 quart white coolers in the boat that still had the stickers on it as well. The rods still had the clear plastic covering on the butt end of the rods. He looked to be in his mid to late 60's possibly in early retirement. He asked my dad where he could go and catch some trout and my dad told him that we don't have trout here in West Central Al. but we do have spotted and largemouth bass, crappie, bream and catfish. The guy said yes bass you know trout. My dad told him to go up river take a right and then about 1/4 mile on the left pull in to a slough called Daubb Swamp and he should be able to catch some bass on plastic worms or lizzards. The guy said ok and left to launch his boat at the landing. That was about 8:00 am. in the morning. I came back to eat lunch with my dad at the bar and grill next to the fuel dock at the marina at around 12:30 pm. and as we were walking to the bar and grill this same guy came pulling back into the marina blowing his horn at my dad. We looked at each other wondering what was going on. As the guy came to a stop we were walking over to his boat. Now picture this in your mind, when we looked into the boat the first thing we saw was about 2 or 3 broken rods, 2 rods with the line missing off of the reels. There was blood all over the bottom of the new boat with bandage wrappers lying around and the guy had three fingers on one hand with bandages and two fingers on the other hand wrapped in bandages. The guy said man you were right that place was loaded with green trout look in my cooler at all of the green trout that I caught. My dad raised the cooler lid and he and I just looked at each other and tried to keep from laughing in the guys face and my dad just said sir, those are grinnel (bowfin). The guy just looked back at my dad and I and said man those are some fighting sun of guns and he also said man they have got teeth too. There were some grinnel in that cooler that were probably around the 20lb. to 25lb size and the he had that cooler full of them. The guy said that he was going back after he cleaned the blood off of the boat carpet and tended to his fingers. I laugh about this still from time to time but, I guess the guy had some fun none the less.

[coldfront]

chuckle all you want...sounds like he had a GREAT day...

so what if bowfin don't 'count' for the bass guys...or get rated as tablefare?  from all accounts they are savage strikers and determined fighters/athletes.

don't know as I'd put them in a cooler...but a day catching those 'bad dudes' sounds like a lot of fun to me...



I've had opportunities to fish all around this country for all kinds of species...on a similar note, I was talking to some guides up in Wyoming who were helping us float the Platte and fish for big rainbow trout (18-20 inch class fish)...and I asked them how the fishng was in late summer...they said not so good on the trout...but when they didn't have clients, they'd go out and fly fish for carp (dry fly, terrestrials)...and often were targeting 15-20 pound class fish.

Don't care how you look at it...those are some tremendous 'athletes' and a real challenge to have on the end of any line...

Show some love for those 'other species'...they're pretty amazing as well.

[Wildcat26]

World record bowfin if 21 lbs and a few ozs.

I caught a 16 pounder once many years ago(weighted on a spring scale), he broke my line a couple of times on different trips. Knew I messing with a huge fish, thought I might be a bowfin but was not sure until I finally hooked him on 25lb test.

[classic242]

wildcat26, you are correct. I looked it up also. I have caught some in Daubb Swamp up to 27" long and their head is wider than both of your fist put together. I have had 20lb. test mono broken many times in that swamp by bowfin. They are the most fighting and badest freshwater fish that I know of for their size. I had a friend fishing with me in that swamp one spring and I told him not to set his drag too tight because of the bowfin that were in there and he did not listen to me. He had one of those monsters to surface with his worm when he set the hook and it made a power dive and stripped the gears in his Abu Garcia reel and those reels are tough and never I mean never lip one to get a hook out, you will not do it but once I promise. I have seen them hit a crankbait so hard that their teeth will penetrate the body of the crankbait, now that is bad to the bone my friend.