Ever been bitten off by a fish?

D

DB731

Joined
Feb 10, 2013
Messages
8,955
Please post your story (or stories).

I am especially interested in type of line, type of bait, and (if known) species of fish.

Thanks :D
 
Full on bites-offs don't happen to me that often, but my most memorable near loss was fishing off a cliff, hitting into a school of swallow-tailed Dart. Had a good one on the line, enough that I had to pull with the waves, as he was big enough to have substantial drag on the back-flow. Next thing I knew the rod was really bent and the drag was hauling. As near as I can guess, one of the eagle rays that were also chasing the school hit my fish. I did land it, but there were tooth marks right down the middle. Might have also been a bronze whaler, but I suspect that if it was, it would have cut the fish in half.

I tried fishing with some 4lb flouro as a leader, and got a lot of breaks, but that's more likely to have just been due to it being really light line.
 
Trout start to develop respectable teeth when they get a couple pounds and up especially male browns. I've been cut a few times but I was probably fishing 4# mono. The only fish that cut my line regular are Spanish Mackerel. When I'm jigging in saltwater I usually throw 20# braid with a 40# mono leader. If they hit it right Spanish will cut the leader as if it were thread.
 
I have had many many many Carolina rigs bitten off by northern pike.
 
Lots of times.
It's not the bluefish you have hooked it's his buddies trying to steal his meal.
So tempting to throw into the middle of a school of thrashing, splashing, blitzing blues.
It always ends in sorrow.
In the early 80s I lost 4 diamond jigs on 4 consecutive casts on 4 consecutive hooked blues.
Fortunately and old timer taught me to fish the near edges of school so you have a better chance of getting your fish out of there.

Lost a bunch of TX rigged rubber worms to pickerel. Go for the big hard hook set and there's no resistance. Good way to fall out of the canoe.

The worst is when the blues and pickerel bit the tails off of your swim baits and sassy shads. And then won't hit the remaining lure without the wiggle tail.
 
I've had pike bite off my line hundreds of times. They have bit off 10-14lb mono, 10-20lb fluorocarbon leader, and similar weights of different braids. Im generally targeting walleye, so I don't like to use a steel leader, because walleye spook pretty easily at times. If I'm targeting pike, a 12" braided steel leader keeps bite offs from happening.
 
ac700wildcat said:
I've had pike bite off my line hundreds of times. They have bit off 10-14lb mono, 10-20lb fluorocarbon leader, and similar weights of different braids. Im generally targeting walleye, so I don't like to use a steel leader, because walleye spook pretty easily at times. If I'm targeting pike, a 12" braided steel leader keeps bite offs from happening.
Click to expand...

Would walleyes tolerate thin single-strand wire?
 
DB731 said:
Would walleyes tolerate thin single-strand wire?
Click to expand...
I'll use regular old, over the counter, big box store, steel leaders when walleye fishing if we encounter northerns. Walleye don't seem to mind much. My fishing partner always uses a leader, and seems to catch just as many walleye as I do using 6# mono. May be function of water clarity, as we fish low vis water.
 
DB731 said:
Would walleyes tolerate thin single-strand wire?
Click to expand...

Walleye are weird. Sometimes they don't mind even a braided steel leader. At other times you need the least visible line possible to catch them. Most of my fishing lately has been with a Seaguar fluorocarbon leader material or a leader made from Yo-Zuri Hybrid line. The abrasion resisitance has proven to be pretty darn good, even when catching a pike here and there. I just make sure to keep a really good eye on my line and re-tie when its getting nicks or roughed up pretty good.

dullone said:
I'll use regular old, over the counter, big box store, steel leaders when walleye fishing if we encounter northerns. Walleye don't seem to mind much. My fishing partner always uses a leader, and seems to catch just as many walleye as I do using 6# mono. May be function of water clarity, as we fish low vis water.
Click to expand...

I wish our walleye here weren't as picky as they are at times. Sometimes, even a snap swivel seems to spook them.
 
I been bitten off a lot of times in my fishing career but the one of the most memorable times is off a jetty in Naples Florida... I was fishing for spanish mackerel and had several for dinner when I hooked one more. I had it about half way in when the water around my mackerel exploded... a big hammerhead made short work of both the mackerel and the 50 lb piano wire leader I was using. I wish I would have had a picture of my face when it happened.
 
Lost quite a few toothy critters in my life, but tigerfish were the most memorable.

Tigerfish.jpg
 
Many times by bluefish chunking bunker with a steel braided wire leader. Never freshwater though, which is what I mostly fish.
 
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