Bird Fishing at Willard

[Dr.Flinn]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][blue][size 3]I decided to try the Ski Boat for fishing at Willard last night and asked Old_Coot if he wanted to go, I have a great time going with him he’s a great teacher and… well I won’t talk about the luck right now except to say we got skunked, not even a hit. Maybe the boat scared the fish off. We tried top water mostly, some crank baits, trolling, some other things and nothing. We even hit several boils and not a bite. We came across some other guys in a boat with “Old Timer” on the back of their boat and they had pretty good luck using I think using top water……with the birds !!! Take a look at these pics. [/size][/blue][/font]
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][#0000ff][size 3]These birds were all over our lures.[/size][/#0000ff][/font]
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][#0000ff][size 3]Bird On ![/size][/#0000ff][/font]
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][#0000ff][size 3]They liked there lures too.[/size][/#0000ff][/font]
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][#0000ff][size 3]Maybe too much[/size][/#0000ff][/font]
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][#0000ff][size 3]Dang bird ![/size][/#0000ff][/font]
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][#0000ff][size 3]I bet he's got a sore "lip".[/size][/#0000ff][/font]
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][blue][size 3]They said they were having about the same luck we were, with the fish that is. After the bird we went to some other spots but the skunk was on tight and couldn’t shake him. Anyway it was fun to get out and try the ski boat for trolling and stuff, it worked great except for scaring the fish off and I gota get more organized. I had fun with ya Ralph as always, thanks for going you’re great company. [/size][/blue][/font]
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[liteweight]

Is there a catch and release record for birds?
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[Dr.Flinn]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][#0000ff][size 3]It all depends on how bad the bird beats you up.[/size][/#0000ff][/font]
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[BEARCLAW]

I am rather happy to hear that I'm not the only one catching birds as of late. Caught two bgirds in as many trips. One was while casting into boils, much like what you witness, the second one was actuall caught while trolling. I was trolling a rattle trap 50 feet behind a planer board and the bird circled several times and finally dove for my lure. Both birds were released to be caught another day[sly]. Both of those birds made quite a racket while I was reeeling em in. Kinda felt bad.
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[Flycasting]

LOL. []
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[a-b]

They were attacking my lures at Willard last week also.

I cought a seagull up in Alaska several years ago. I thought it was going to beat me to death before I got it unhooked and untangled

a-b
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[DKStroutfitter]

The only bite that we had last Wed., was a bird. It was also released to be caught another time.
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[Theekillerbee]

Stupid birds! Talk about a pain in the ol rear. Thanks for the report.
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[Old_Coot]

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"Both of those birds made quite a racket while I was reeeling em in. Kinda felt bad." [/reply]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 2][#002850] Makes me wonder how the fish would sound if they could talk while I reel them in!! [/#002850][/font][/size]
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[leaky]

Hey guy, that was a great post. Very well done and very entertaining. That ranks right up there with Tube Dude's posts. Don't want to say better, he "gets even" and I don't want to lose a goooood bud. [] I wish I could do this kind of post and have the humor to make it good, but when fishing from a tube (which the Dude does, by the way), having ruined one digital camera by getting it wet, and not being good with the words ----------------, wel,-----------there you go. Good on ya and thanks.
Leaky

[BEARCLAW]

LOL[]. It's probably better that they don't. You heading back out this weekend at all? Maybe I'll see ya out there.
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[Fishcrazy]

Hooked a bird on a recent trip,they don't fight very well,thank goodness he was a "long line release"
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[bassfinder]

Nice Catch!
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Hey Doc, entertaining post. Birds can be a pain in the bass. I have had more trouble with the grebes (diving birds) than with gulls or terns. However, when the latter are working a boil they are as wacko as the wipers and sometimes hit anything that gets in the way. They are opportunists.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I doubt that anyone who has spent time in Southern California, and who has fished the party boats, has not had some run-ins with seagulls. Seems like you spend a long time finding the perfect anchovy in the bait tank, then you pin it on the hook just right, make a long perfect cast right in front of a breezing yellowtail...and, you guessed it, a gull grabs it just as the yellow boils on it.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]We used to have a little trick to get some relief when the gulls were making it impossible to flyline live bait. If someone brought a hooked gull to the boat, we would tie a partially filled pink balloon to one of its legs and turn it loose. All of the other birds would follow...trying to steal whatever goodies the ballooned bird was flying off with.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]By the way, BFTers should be aware that gulls and other water birds can be dangerous. They can chomp holes in your flesh and if they get close enough they will go for your eyes. Handle with care. I recommend a 12 guage. But that's just me.[/#0000ff]
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[cat_man]

Not to mention the more recently imported threat of West Nile Virus infection from one of them.
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[GEEZER]

I can sure back up what the Dude says about birds going for your eyes. I hooked a cormorant once and am mighty lucky to still have both eyes. I managed to duck (maybe a poor choice of words) just enough to only get a gash in my forehead right in the eyebrow. Cussed thing struck at me just like a rattlesnake.

BE CAREFUL HANDLING ANY HOOKED BIRD.
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]My understanding is that you cannot contract the disease directly from handling the birds. It takes a host (mosquito) to transfer the organism.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]At any rate, the numbers of birds in an area proportionately increases the incidence of the virus and transmitting of the disease.[/#0000ff]
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