OT - Fishing story...believe it or not

rmercier

A cool fishing story to tell that is kinda unbelievable. So I'm floating down the Shenandoah this weekend, fishing with my dad, and we hit this "rapid" at an odd angle and flip over. 

After chasing our cargo down the river for a bit, we realize our poles are gone. A couple of guys who were with us were helping to look for the poles at the bottom of the river. Mike finds one pole and then the other. When he lifts the second pole out of the water we discovered there was a fish at the end. We have no idea if the fish was on right before, during or after the flip. Of course, as fate would have it, the fish fell off shortly after he pulled the pole out of the water.

Of course, the fish remaining on the hook is inconsequential as you can't eat the fish out of that river due to a Mercury spill some 50 years earlier.

NPHuskerFL

  That's a good story. 

GATraveller

That's awesome.

My last time on the Chattahoochee I paddled up on 3 guys looking in the water midriver and when asked - they were looking for one of their kayaks.  Seems the guy had it anchored to fish this spot.  He must have lost is balance and allowed the boat to fill up then sink.  The anchor line + current were holding the boat underwater and they had lost sight of it.  When I came back down river a couple hours later they were on the bank with the FD river rescue team that had recovered the boat.  When I got to the boat ramp there were 15 firefighters in 5 trucks including the ladder.  His buddies said last time they went out he got a hook lodged so deep in his hand that they had to take him to the hospital.  Bet he won't get invited back on their next fishing trip.   

DaveRichardson

I'll bet that there was a dam discharge that raised the water level as well!