What is the MOST Awesome Act of Nature Seen in FW

[lunkertaker]

Inspired by Wilson's post w/the shark, here goes

What is your personal best, most awesome act of nature seen on a stream, pond, lake etc. excluding the salt.

MINE: While fishing Farrington lake several years ago, along the lilly pads throwing a super fluke into the pads, I saw a mother duck trailed by several new hatchlings. All of a sudden, there was the most explosive swirl of water and a large pike surfacing nearly out of the water to engulf the small baby bird. The mother and remaining chicks headed to shore and I launched too many casts in that direction in an effort to get a similar strike.:mad: But, seeing this was way too cool.

My second: finding a snake with a bluegill in the mouth at a local pond here in NJ, both nearly expired. Caught them both, released the snakes grip, and both swam away

[crustyangler17]

reeling in a bass last friday a huge snapping turtle followed it almost to my feet, snapped at it, missed and turned away. could let him have it but those things are greedy enough :p

[Polelock]

Flyfishing on American Creek in Alaska...this guy was about 10 yds away...The video tells the story...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VS2_U_Yoq7w&feature=youtube_gdata_player

[Wilson]

I was fishing and camping in the Brooks Reserve in Katmai Alaska.
The Bears there are like the Deer around here. The Federal park Rangers have a full time job
keeping humans away from the Bears so they do not get accustomed being around humans and so they don't look for food from them.
Because of this they are always patrolling the rivers banks with their walkie talkies herding the few fishermen around the bears.
So I'm fishing in the river next to another guy, we are looking at Salmon so thick you could of walked across the river on their backs and not get wet. Unfortunately that does not mean they are easy to catch!
Well the guy next to me finally hooks one and the fight is on. Just then a Ranger comes around the corner and says that there are Bears coming our way and we need to move. The Rangers do this because the Bears know if they see a guy fighting a fish it will soon be lunch time. Well the guy with the fish on doesn't want to move. The Ranger asks him again to break off the fish and move down stream. The guy says I'll have this fish landed in a minute just wait. The Ranger puts one hand on his large nickel plated pistol and with the other pulls out a switchblade and cuts the guys line.
Then he says you just lost that fish...anything else you want to loose?
I was having a hard time believing the fisherman was giving one of these giant of a man Ranger guy a hard time. They all had the personalty of a fire hydrant
and where twice as tough. This reserve is like 200,000 square miles in size. It would be easy to off someone and nobody but the Bears would know:D

Ok I know this is not exactly a nature thing, but I was fishing at the time.

[buzzbaiter]

Hands down the most awesome act of nature I've seen when I was 11 years old and watched a wasp battle a spider. It only lasted a few minutes but it has stuck in memory forever. I LOVE spiders and in the end the wasp won(which they usually do) which pissed me off but the little wolf spider gave it a good fight.

Second would involve a cicada hatch at Merrill Creek a few years back. The 17 yr locusts were everywhere and landing in the water. The bass were just loving it showing no mercy exploding on them nearly every minute. I had my best day ever there just using a small, gray popper. I lost track of the bass i caught but it was easily over 35-40 with many in the 3-5lb range. Next time it comes around, I'm going back there!

[ScowardNJ]

We were kayak fishing in the St. Regis area of the Adirondacks. We were in a connector stream that leads from Rollins Pond to Floodwood Pond. A few of us were checked up on the bank eating lunch and throwing Cheez-its in the water chumming up blue gills. Some of the Cheez-its that got down stream attracted a family of mallards, a mother followed by a bunch of chicks right up to our boats to where we could hand feed them if we wanted to. The water was about 2' deep and you could see clear to the rocky bottom. So we are watching the chicks nibbling up crushed cheez-its and all of a sudden one the rocks at the bottom came alive rising to the surface. This snapping turtles mouth opened up inches from the side of my yak and just barley missed a chick. The chicks took off so fast they were running across the top of the water. That turtle must of been right under us for at least 10 minutes and we never knew it was there until we chummed in the ducks. That thing scares the sh*t out of me....Would of been cool to see a confirmed predatory kill but this time the ducks got away.

[bigfishy]

Late nineties, confluence pool where the big D starts....Was in the beginning
stages of one of the best sulphur hatches and to this date, quantity and quality catches i've evr had on the deleware....I looke behind me in the three foot tall grasses and saw a deer standing in a small opening...Not a huge deal but it was cool cause she was only about 30' behind me, when very naturally a bamby strolls up to mom and starts suckeling...Super cool,will NEVER forget it...

Second was on a small PA creek while fishing a blizzard trico spinner fall...
My fly was caught in the bushes behind me and after retrieving it i look up in the taller trees only about 10' over my head and see the biggest spider i've ever seen in the wild to this very date... its thorax was the diameter of a plum and its legs stretched as wide or wider than my fingers....Holy WOW, gave me some serious heebies:( :(

Third was only about five years ago at a local nj pond ...An average sized snapper(maybe 16" in diameter) engulfed my spinnerbait while on a fast surface burning retrieve close to shore...Doubt that will EVER happen again, at least not to me:D

If i was only an amatuer photographer in my super serious fly fishing days..
I guess the old memory bank will have to do:D

Oh also had an unforgetable trout strike from a boat this spring...Will speak more on that in the future:cool:

[Fishon1982]

I was fishing a Merrill creek this year and saw a osprey come down and grab a fish and in the Coner of my eye I see another bird coming towards the osprey the two birds flared up and the osprey dropped the fish but the other bird was the resident bald eagle that was really cool and so are the rest of the stories you guys are telling

[Eskimo]

I already posted this in another thread, but I'll post it again since it's relevant in this thread, too.

I was fishing on the Delaware River earlier this summer. The beaver population in the Gap is exploding so I didn't think anything of the little furry thing in the water. Eventually, the 'thing' came close enough for me to focus on it. I realized it wasn't a beaver, but a large Black Bear swimming past my kayak!

I pulled up my anchor so fast I almost hit myself in the head with it and put some distance between us. Then I dug out my camera and shot a few pictures. Very cool!

http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn38/Full_Stringer/OfftopicPics/Swimmingbear1.jpg

[Mark B.]

At RVR, hiking in to fish the eastern shore,…………………….a couple of Homo sapiens mating (Female: bent over, skirt hiked up, hands braced against tree. Male: standing,……behind).

Yes,…….A MOST Awesome Act of Nature Seen in (near) FW

[jmurr711]

the spider talk needs to stop as I am terrified of arachnids! for me I had 2 cool run ins with snakes. 1 while in canada a water moccasin got into our shiner holder at the dock needless to say we let him eat and find his own way out. Another time while trouting on the pennypack I was reeling in a rainbow i caught on a spinner and was playing him out on the 2lb test when a philly anaconda grabbed him while hooked! I cut the line and said have fun! also have had alot of cool run ins with ginormo snappers as a kid in the pines.

[Eskimo]

1 while in canada a water moccasin got into our shiner holder at the dock needless to say we let him eat and find his own way out.
There are no water moccasins in Canada. They only live in the southern U.S.. It was probably just a common Water Snake.

Speaking of snakes, this is the only rattlesnake I ever saw in New Jersey. I found him at the Delaware Water Gap by that boat ramp near the ranger station where people check in to use the campsites. This big guy was about 4 feet long.

Rattlesnakes are critically endangered in New Jersey, so seeing one is a rare occurence.


http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn38/Full_Stringer/Rattlesnake1.jpg

[lunkertaker]

Lots of great stories. Have enjoyed reading everyone!

From the bears to the turtles and snakes and SPIDERS:eek: and explosive fish biting like Heck, it is those special moments that we all encounter that can make, or in some cases break, a trip.

My third: Fishing a fly rod @ Farrington again and landing bluegill after bluegill. Heat of the summer and bass had stopped biting what I was throwing and bluegill always bite. Hooked up a samll guy and almost got him to the boat when out of nowhere, BAM, ~ 5 lb LMB inhales the fish. I saw the strike and fish and was stunned. I fought the fish to the boat, landed the Bass and released, unhooked the poor small, and scared bluegill and released him also. The bluegills extended fins lodged in the bass's mouth and saved him. All on a 5wt fly rod!

[NorthJerzyG]

Again, awesome stories!!

My best freshwater was once, fishing a small pond in Boonton, my buddy threw a "spent" live sunny into the woods. Maybe an hour later, and luckily, while we were on the other side of the pond, a pretty big bear comes running out of the woods right where he threw the fish. I was surprised such a small scent could bring such a big bear out of a "residential" area. Funny part was watching the poor oldtimer who was 10ft away run for his life!! I def learned a lesson that day!!

My absolut best, although not fresh, was a whale watching trip I took in Maine in 94. Took a 5 mile or so trip out to see some "tail", when the capt starts getting reports of a pair of adult humpbacks in full breach a "few miles" away. MAN what a site!!! I love watching smallies and whatever else go airborne, but u just can't compare that to full grown humps launching almost out of the water 50ft from the boat! Awesome!!!!!

Wish I had a pole and some bait!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[AndyS]

Can't say I have really seen much other than a huge largemouth chasing a sunfish right onto the bank of a lake. Sunfish was flopping at my feet, big bass just swam off.

Saltwater I've seen plenty of tuna gobbled up by sharks boatside, and stripers zipping through the surf crushing peanut bunker.

[Matt L]

On two separate occasions now I have seen a furry little animal snapped up. I believe both were muskrats

One time on Lake Nockamixon a muskrat was swimming across an area. It was slow so I hit the trolling motor to chase him and get a close look. About 15 feet from him, a greenish/black back arched out of the water and just took him down. Like it was inhaled. There's huge bass in Nockamixon but could have been a muski or even a big catfish.

I sat there for about 5 minutes pondering what I just saw.

Then on the lehigh river saw a muskrat about 15 feet from shore and the water explodes and no more muskrat. Probably a Musky on that one.

There is a guy that has fished the lehigh for big muskies using squirrels, live and dead I think for bait. Literally casting them out and reeling like a lure. recorded 50" muskies that way. If you google you will find him.

When I was a kid I caught a trout and had him on a stringer on the shore. Went back to get him and couldn't find it. When I did it was pulled under the water attached to a snapping turtle

Had a big catfish hit a jitterbug fishing for bass.

Seen deer swimming across a NY reservoir not far from me. They move pretty well in the water.

Seen a few bald eagles when I was in OK. Majestic bird

[Matt L]

couple others

Was in a fishing tube and had a water moccasin I think coming towards me. Could have been a regular nasty water snake. I never kicked those fins so hard in my life. This was in Oklahoma too.

Also had a snake strike at a buddy as he walked past a rock. It missed and he never struck again.


I hate snakes.

Also had a big black one go right between my legs on a path while standing there. again, just stood there pondering what the eff..

You spend enough time in the woods and the water and you will see some stuff.

[basspilot]

I have quite a few stories but when fishing the ramapo one day I had a nice stringer of trout and was getting ready to go and went to grab my stringer...lifted it up...no fish?!?!...I see one of my trout in the water so I went to go grab it thinking maybe tied a poor knot and just as I put my hand in the water the light came through the trees and snapping turtle looked up at me....Never moved my hand that fast out of the water but im sure he had a nice snack haha...

Im sure weve all had this happen atleast once but when wading the passaic this year stepped on a carp and the thing nearly took me off my feet...a huge splash which soaked me and nearly lost some of my gear in the river....

Last one I can think of which to me was probably the coolest of them all I was fishing up in Maine and was reeling in a snot rocket and it was kind of floating on the top of the water in sorts next thing i know i see a gigantic shadow come down and scoop my fish right out of the water....first bald eagle I have ever seen but by far the coolest...

[Mark B.]

In Costa Rica, throwing a Yo Zuri off of a sandbar near the mouth of a freshwater river, I got a couple of hits (the lure had some toothy scars on it), but no hook ups.

A school of about 100, 5” catfish swam lazily back & forth, every 10 minutes.

Then, suddenly, a school of 20 small baitfish, launched clear of the water & lay wriggling @ my feet on the wet sand,……………..5 more seconds, then,…………..KABOOM!!,…….I jumped back,…..a 10 lb. roosterfish is on the sand in 1” of water,……….eyes darting wildly, as it flares it’s impressive dorsal.

Just as quickly, it flicks its tail, & is gone. Powerful.

[jmurr711]

water moccasin water snake watev it was pissed and i wasn't getting near it ahahahahaha. I forgot one of the funniest things I ever saw was a guy get bit in the a$$ by a goose then chased away from the spot as he was running he was screaming he was going to sue the pennypack park!

[acabtp]

two years ago i was ice fishing at splitrock reservoir and there was a pair of bald eagles hanging out. some of the other fishermen were leaving their catch on the ice next to their holes. one of the eagles noticed this and swooped on in to steal a 20" or so pickerel and made off with it. one of the coolest things i've seen, they are awesome birds.
http://www.tombeauchamp.com/misc/IMG_2688.jpg
best picture i got of the eagle

[Michael82929]

same here.. have a bald eagle on lake owassa right now and watching it take fish off the water is a sign to be seen

Such a wing span. Had it perched in a tree on my property

Unbelievable sight..

[AndrewT]

Had a bald eagle pick a fish out of the water about 30 yards from me at the oradell res. crazy how well they've come back

[Thinman]

Pic of a pair of bald eagles at Lake Aeroflex; not much zoom on the phone camera, so this was as close as i could get before they flew away. They're usually there...if you don't see them you'll probably hear them.

Last time there, one flew literally right in front of our bow. Came from behind me and i almost jumped out of the boat! Big sucker!

I've also seen one at Pompton Lake. And somewhere else that I can't remember now. They are definitely doing well in NJ. I heard there are over 100 nesting pairs in the state now.

http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh309/Pavel9000/eagles_zoomedin.jpg

[Ol Pedro]

Watching a Snow Goose Vortex at the Imperial Wildlife managment Area in Imperial Valley . We would camp every weekend of the Waterfowl Season across from the safe field , Hunt , and fish the Canals . We were heading South on 111 by the Ranger Station when we saw a wedge of Snow Geese flying off the Salton Sea . There were only a few Geese down as it was the third week of the Season and no major storms to push them out of the Central Valley . So we stopped on the side of the Highway and watched as they started to circle . As we sat there a pair of Geese started to circle lower and lower over the center of the field . They kept looking back and barking at the other Geese as they corkscrewed in . Wedge after wedge kept coming in from the North . By the time the first group set down there were at least 500 more circling with more on the horizon joining in . It sounded like a thousand pissed off Chihuahua's as the Vortex wound into the field . We watched amazed for 30 minutes as 5000 Snows settled into the safe zone . When we were back in camp they were across the dirt road still in that field. They didn't head out into the reserve intil after dark . We could hear them trading back and forth the rest of the weekend .

[Moz]

The blackbear I saw at Round Valley last year.

Would have been cool just to see one, but I was on the causeway and the bear was on the other side of the swimming lake less than 75 yards from people sitting at the picnic area who were totally oblivious to it.

The hair on my neck stood every time I saw people walking towards the treeline it went into the rest of the time I was out there that day.

[lunkertaker]

Last story

While JUG fishing in GA for catfsih ( channels and mostly Flatheads) with my wife in 1997, we had found all but one jug (jugs were painted orange and easy to see). We had 12 cats up to 15lbs in the cooler and spotted the lost jug about 1/4 mile away in a cove...must have a good one on, Motor up to the scene of the crime and the jug's line is tangled in a blow down tree. Suggest to the wife to grab the line and she nearly is pulled over board with a mean flat head. Gains her composure and battles the fish to the boat, and I lift him over the rail...fighting. Wife thought the battle was over and then started screaming as the fish started thrashing about. Ended up with 20 lb flat head cat and talked the wife into a pic of her holding the fish, which was hard. Took a pic of her and the fish and sent to GA Sportsman magazine. They published it in the magazine. The next month, mailman is coming around and is a fisherman, recognized her in the pic in the mag and congrats her on the catch.

MOST AWESOME ACT of NATURE in FW...getting my wife to go fishing with me with since this event!

[Wilson]

Last story

While JUG fishing in GA for catfsih ( channels and mostly Flatheads) with my wife in 1997, we had found all but one jug (jugs were painted orange and easy to see). We had 12 cats up to 15lbs in the cooler and spotted the lost jug about 1/4 mile away in a cove...must have a good one on, Motor up to the scene of the crime and the jug's line is tangled in a blow down tree. Suggest to the wife to grab the line and she nearly is pulled over board with a mean flat head. Gains her composure and battles the fish to the boat, and I lift him over the rail...fighting. Wife thought the battle was over and then started screaming as the fish started thrashing about. Ended up with 20 lb flat head cat and talked the wife into a pic of her holding the fish, which was hard. Took a pic of her and the fish and sent to GA Sportsman magazine. They published it in the magazine. The next month, mailman is coming around and is a fisherman, recognized her in the pic in the mag and congrats her on the catch.
So where's the picture already????
MOST AWESOME ACT of NATURE in FW...getting my wife to go fishing with me with since this event!


My wife even puts on her own worms. Just don't show her any mice:eek:

[lunkertaker]

I have looked all over for the pic of my wife with the giant flathead.

Must still be buried in an ole photo album I haven't located:mad:

Found one of her peeing in the woods on a camp out and naked in the tent, but can't post these for obvious reasons:rolleyes:


SO...getting SOME at lake shore, in a tent, on a fishing trip, catching fish, may be a true awesome act of nature, not seen, on FW:cool:

[Seamus]

I've seen birds swoop down and grab fish many times but 2 stick out in my head.

1st. Once I spent the day in a steam without a nibble. I was making my last few casts thinking how there were no fish a large bird came down and plucks a trout with ease seemingly just to prove me wrong.

2nd. My dad took me to Dick's landing to do some crabbing. While grabbing the rest of the gear a pelican dropped down into the boat and snatched a couple of bunker that were frozen together. I was amazed at how much he could fit in his mouth.

[Jigsmith]

I have seen eagles snatch trout from Round Valley res before, that was cool. The coolest for me though was one time I took my little 8 foot john boat to the Deleware Water Gap to musky fish. I was casting a Rapala super shad rap and waking it on the surface. I was reeling in watching and waiting for a strike when all of a sudden something in the tree on the shoreline startles me. It's a huge golden eagle swooping down to get my lure. I had to pull hard to get the lure under while simultaneously trying to scare the bird. He almost got my lure, it was pretty insane.

[tycomps]

couple of weeks ago, had some time to kill waiting for a prescription so I was leaning over a bridge with my ultra light playing with sunnies. a great blue heron flew under the bridge from the other side and came out in full flight 4 feet below me. easily had a 6 foot wingspan and scared the s@#t out of me, if I was a mouse I could have hopped on his back and gone for a ride!

back in may I was fishing a small river in the woods when I noticed a bunch of LARGE bubbles coming toward me. I'm thinking to myself, "either that's a scuba diver or my 'creature from the black lagoon' nightmares are coming true! next thing I see is this large mass rising to the surface as I'm backing away from the water. suddenly two 20lb snappers explode from the water and start rolling around on the surface either fu@#ing or fighting! this lasted about five minutes then they parted and went their separate ways (you could see two sets of bubbles heading in opposites directions from the scene of the crime).

8/26/2012- witnessed another turtle brawl this morning, this time caught it on camera.

[lunkertaker]

Perhaps we have all seen a little of natures awesomeness in one way or another on the FW. Lots of great stories posted. I wished i experienced half on them that were posted.

BUGS, SNAKES, BIRDS, FISH, TURTLES, and even Wives...well it is all good and something that we all have seen as a MOST Awesome Act of Nature in FW.