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View Full Version : I was out fished today by Great Blue Heron!



Mike McKenzie
07-13-2011, 09:39 PM
While fishin’ today I spotted a Great Blue Heron prowlin’ in the Cat-tails and as I only had my little point and shoot with me, I decided to “sneak” up on it and get a picture. Well it’s pretty hard to sneak up on anything when you’re in a float tube! Anyway as I got close enough for a picture, (I thought) I was settin’ up the shot when down went his head lead by the lethal heron bill as I shot the picture.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/stripermike/GBH1.jpg

When he lifted his head it had a largemouth bass impaled on its bill that seemed to me, too big for it to swallow. Given that on average (I think) a heron bill is 10-11” long, I’d guess the bass was 12 or 13” you can look at the picture are guess for yourselves.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/stripermike/GBHBass1.jpg

It was just kinda’ standing there probably wonderin’ what to do next. I wanted to see how or what it was going to do with a fish that big. Evidently it didn’t like an audience as he moved further back into the cat-tails. I got a little closer and I guess it didn’t like me snoopin’ on ‘em as he took off with his prize for the other side of the lake.. Dang! A missed opportunity! To add insult to injury I think it was moonin’ me as it left…Note the unnecessary lift to its tail in the parting shot!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/stripermike/CopyofCopyofIMG_0178AB2.jpg


Other than getting’ skunked by a GBH as far as the bass fishin went( all I caught as a bunch of little guys)..
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/stripermike/IMG_0613A.jpg

The small Crappie were willin’ ...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/stripermike/IMG_0616A.jpg

as well as a bunch of trout! Tryin' for a jump shot..I'm either to fast or to slow....
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/stripermike/IMG_0603A.jpg

Typical fat hatchery fed trout of the day!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/stripermike/IMG_0614A.jpg

I don’t know how one gets good photos of fish from a float tube, too many things going on at once for the number of hands I have..

Mike

OceanSunfish
07-13-2011, 10:09 PM
Great story.

BTW, your "hatchery trout" sure looks like a nice fish..... nice full fins and tail. I wish the "hatchery trout" I catch looked half as nice as that fish you caught.... ;)

Scott V
07-14-2011, 07:23 AM
Trout, bass, and crappie all in the same place, that is awesome. That is the kind of water I like. Are there any smallies in that place as well?

Mike McKenzie
07-14-2011, 08:24 AM
Hey Scott,

I've never seen a smallmouth there nor ever heard of one caught..That's not to say there aren't any though...They would be frosting on the cake.. My all time favorite smallmouth water is Honcut Creek (accessible only through private property unfortunately)...

Mike

OceanSunfish
07-14-2011, 10:28 PM
Hey Scott,

I've never seen a smallmouth there nor ever heard of one caught..That's not to say there aren't any though...They would be frosting on the cake.. My all time favorite smallmouth water is Honcut Creek (accessible only through private property unfortunately)...

Mike

The Feather River WAS a good small mouth fishery..... A well respected local guide showed me not long ago (we weren't fishing at the time) where they USED to be, but no more..... Of course, Honcut is connected to the Feather and I hope the smallies in Honcut weren't affected like those smallies that used to be in the Feather.

I caught small mouth bass in Prosser last year and I was there firsthand to see another caught by someone slow rolling a kastmaster about 3 weeks ago.