SFR Cool stuff you see while fishing

Sorta fishing-related
Dave Boyle

Dave Boyle

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On a recent trip I saw a couple of things going on that were really cool. The first is that I thought hummingbirds were strictly vegetarian or at least nectarfarians…one morning my buddies parked raft had a pile of emergers resting on the wind free side but from time to time some blew/flew off. A humming bird was stationed above it and picked them off one by one, very deliberately. Apparently they do eat bugs, especially for their chicks re more protein which makes total sense.

The second was watching a duck work the tules picking off damsels as they crawled up to hatch, it was dialed in and neat to watch, including it reaching far up to grab ones up high. It was cool and the fishing was obviously shite for me to be engrossed by it.

Again in my naivety I thought ducks only looked down re weeds and maybe scuds and bloodworms. But this was totally focused and looking up and was working it hard.

Probably more an insight into my ignorance of birds and critters but I thought others will have seen other “who knew they did that” kinda stuff.

Dave
 
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And then there's cool stuff when you're not fishing. On my way home a couple hours ago I decided to pick up supper so I wouldn't miss any of the softball playoffs. As I turned into a drive-thru lane, I saw a flash of sleek gray raptor coming right at me. A Peregrine! It deftly swooped around my Outback & was gone. There is a tall (for Tri Cities) building nearby; I'll go down early Sunday and glass on the off chance it has nested in the vicinity.
 
NukeLDO said:
There's a very clear fly fishing only lake in north central WA that has nesting loons. Watching them dive to feed while fishing has kept me entertained repeatedly.
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It's a love hate relationship with the loons. It is amazing to see them dive under the boat after the fish. Nothing sets the mood for enjoying nature more than listening to their calls in the mornings and evenings. However, in the lakes they learn to follow the boats they become a major nuisance. I don't mind them getting a small fish or two, but when you have them following you all around the lake there is definitely an impact on the fishing. I can recall them getting an 18" rainbow that I had just released...two loons chased it down, but couldn't get it down their throats. Then an eagle starts dive bombing them and after about 10 passes it finally stole the trout...one of the coolest things I ever saw.IMG_2356.JPG
 
I fishe a small quality fishery lake in NE Wa recently. One other boat on the lake. In it were a young man and his daughter, she about 3 or 4. Sound carrying over the water as it does, me and Dugan were privy to the entire, constant conversation. Youngster with a million questions, parent with infinite patience and love, half a dozen fish for her, more questions. About an hour after we got on the water they took off. I love the silence and such, but I did miss the interaction between them. They are a family. It was completely heartwarming.
 
Cool stuff is one of the reasons I get on the water. I have seen Bald Eagles take fish right in front of me, Great Blue Herons stalk fish right by me, watched a Bull Moose with full antlers wade across a river within 20 yards, saw a Lynx chasing a rabbit into the water, watched a big Brown smash and swallow a baby bird that had fallen into the water, etc.
Cool stuff does not happen every trip, but the surprise makes it especially gratifying when it does
 
Lots of eagles out this time of year... seen over a dozen this morning, and any day now the midshipman spawn will come into play bigly, so then at low tides the birds are pretty cool to watch.
 
"While fishing" cool stuff over a long career includes:
* Young bull moose swimming thru a float tube & pontoon flotilla.
* 3 Otters laying on their backs watching me in my slowly rotating float tube as I changed patterns & wondered where all the fish had gone.
* A Mink "surfing" from under uptream brush overhanging a rushing mountain stream.
* The mama Beaver who finally tired of me fishing near her house. She made angry sounds, swam straight toward me, dove & swam directly between my fins & under my tube. I took the hint.
* The Black Bear in a shady tree that peed on my friend as we rested during a long hike into a mountain lake.
* The mama Fox I encountered as she taught her kits how to hunt mice by jumping on grass clumps. I watched them for a long time.
* Kingfishers, Ospreys, Terns, Mergansers, Loons & Water Ouzels/Dippers "fishing"/feeding.
* Ruffed Grouse drumming; Sage Grouse dancing.
* A Martin in acrobatic pursuit of a Red Squirrel.
* A Wolverine at a high mountain lake. It was totally indifferent to my presence.
* A Badger excavating Ground Squirrels.
* 1 Wolf (long before reintroduction efforts).
 
509 said:
What were you in when you took that pictures??
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14' Hewescraft - That's the second rattlesnake I've seen in this lake (same one your buddy had those two close encounters). I float tube in lots of lakes and rarely think about a reptile swimming up to me thinking I'm an island.

P5130012.JPG


This snake was wind drifting rather than swimming as the water was cold, only a few weeks after ice off. His drift was pretty close to a line on an anchored pontoon* boat.

* Similar to your buddies pontoon........
 
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