Catch (Accidentally) & Release!

[Photoz]

Well, first time out yesterday for carp this year, and I wasn't disappointed, all went the way it usually goes first time out . . . . SKUNKED!! But a word of caution to ANYBODY fishing where swans congregate! Ducks & geese will make a wide berth around fishing line, swans not only swim right into it, they actually will grab it in their beaks and bite (???) it. I noticed one coming, and there was enough clearance for him to swim under the line, so I didn't move it . . . . . all of a sudden this dopey bird stretches his neck, reaches up and grabs the line, and starts pulling and twisting it!! In the few seconds it took me to grab the rod & lift it, he'd wrapped it around the underside of his beak. Well, he ain't gonna break, or 'chew' 50 pound Power Pro, I can't simply cut my line & leave him attached to 50' of line and a hook and sinker (a sure death sentence) so, I had to drag it over to the boardwalk where another carper dropped my big salmon net over it. We managed to cut the line on both sides of the beak, then get the stuff he'd wrapped around his beak THREE times, off. He looked big enough to keep, but since he wouldn't likely fit in my roast pan, I released him! But . . . . . the moral of this story . . . . be VERY VERY careful where there are swans, I was very lucky to have been able to undo what this one did, but, if it had of been light mono line, and the line broke, I have no idea how this bird could have been rescued!! There are now some areas where these huge beautiful looking birds are so plentiful, they are fast becoming pests just as much as the geese and ducks. They just automatically go to people, because people feed 'em, regardless of the signage . . . . anybody ever seen one of these 'do-gooders' get tagged for feeding the geese, ducks & swans? Anyhooooooooo . . . . again, BE VERY, VERY CAREFUL FISHING NEAR THESE BIRDS, pests or not, they don't deserve to die wrapped in our fishing line!!

[pikehunter]

Thanks for posting the warning Photoz. We do seem to have an overabundance of them in some urban areas. Is it because of people feeding them and they are lingering on, or is the general swan population higher than in the past?

 

If you had run into one of those pesky women who feed them you would have had an even larger battle to fight! She may have smacked you over the head with her cane for hurting her big bird!

 

I wish people would refrain from feeding the ducks, geese and swans. It only keeps them hanging on. I launched at LaSalle Park one day and someone had dumped a whole bag of corn on the dock to feed them. It could have been a very dangerous situation if somebody was to slip on the kernels.

[dsn]

yeah they are becoming a pest. Specially when they see something glowing underwater and when they see people, they associate people to food.

 

Last time I was chumming with corn in just under a foot of water.... when the duck saw the yellow glow of corn they started diving for the corn. And when one starts diving the rest of them starts diving. When I saw that my line was moving I yanked on it. Good thing it got lose. Hate to have them dumb ducks swallow a hook.

 

When they swim by I usually hold my line underwater usually thats works pretty well. They never seem to get caught.

 

I truly believe they are getting over popluated most of the places are full of duck droppings (landmines) disgusting

 

 

dsn

[Cookslav]

LOL...

 

How was the fight?

Did she pull any line?

 

Nice of you to untangle the bird, there are many who would have just cut the line and re-rigged.

Good on you.

[topraider]

Folks, Not all swans are the same - the orange beaked ones (mute swans) are the more common ones, they are not native to Canada, and they harass other ducks and geese. These are the city ones. They are ill tempered.

 

The black beaked ones are different, there was one (trumpeter swan) hanging around Port Hope this winter, these are uncommon, rare in fact, and nearly went extinct in Ontario, thanks to overhunting. There are efforts being made to reestablish them in Ontario. There are also tundra swans around, they are just passin' through.

[Clampet]

It must have taken a heapin' helpin' of courage to do what you did thar Photoz.

Them Swans, are an ill tempered lot.

That would made some video footage fer sure.

Ya did the right thing, most woulda cut the line and looked the other way while they quietly left.

 

[Rizzo]

Never a swan, but plenty of pelicans, the odd seagull, and last summer a loon!

[Stern Rules]

Well I've never hooked a swan but nearly got a Canada goose last year on the Grand. Usually they scoot away when a lure splashes down around them but this time they didn't. I was reeling my crank in (the current was carrying it down toward them) and I could see my line going down and figured it would go under them. Then when it was almost under this group one on the far side started squawking and they all started carrying on and scooting away. Then another one upstream about 30 feet away starting squawking and started heading over to see what was going on. I thought "Oh my God!" What am I gonna do? A new BPS lure. I really don't want to lose it. I kept yanking and it wasn't coming off. I thought for sure I had him hooked. If I reel this bird in and try to get my lure, are they gonna attack me? What do I do? Well then it eventually came off and I just kept reeling it in and got a smallmouth. I had a good laugh about that. Too bad I didn't get it on video. Would have been a contender for Funniest Home Videos or something.

[ch312]

dont worry guys, i try to shoot as many ducks and geese as possible every season

 

i believe the ofah was trying to get a season for mute swans in ontario but i havent heard anything about it in a while. be sure to show your support so hunters can get rid of some of these pests. i wonder what swan tastes like...

[Photoz]

It used to be nice quite a few years ago to have 'wild' Canada geese come right up to you for hand-outs, but in the last 10 years they have been constantly multiplying, and even breathing a word about 'culling' them gets the tree huggers up in arms. Then came the swans . . . . it was also great to have a huge magnificant bird approach you for a handout, but it was quite rare in the 90's to see more than scattered pairs. Now they are becoming just like the geese . . . . I counted 23 of them in one small bay at the mouth of the Credit Saturday!! And if you think geese and ducks leave a helluva mess in our parks, wait till you step in a pile a swan leaves!! As for hunting 'em, I'm not quite ready for that . . . . yet, although there are a quite a few states in the U. S. where they are hunted and eaten. I suppose they would be similar to geese? But . . . . if I thought I was eating goose, I'd likely enjoy it, but tell me it's swan, R R R R R R A L P H!! Hopefully SOME wildlife oriented organization will call attention to these things becoming the pests geese are . . . . and nip it inna bud . . . . the way the swan population is exploding, we'll be REALLY cursing them in the very near future!

[bassjnkie]

Well, first time out yesterday for carp this year, and I wasn't disappointed, all went the way it usually goes first time out . . . . SKUNKED!! But a word of caution to ANYBODY fishing where swans congregate! Ducks & geese will make a wide berth around fishing line, swans not only swim right into it, they actually will grab it in their beaks and bite (???) it. I noticed one coming, and there was enough clearance for him to swim under the line, so I didn't move it . . . . . all of a sudden this dopey bird stretches his neck, reaches up and grabs the line, and starts pulling and twisting it!! In the few seconds it took me to grab the rod & lift it, he'd wrapped it around the underside of his beak. Well, he ain't gonna break, or 'chew' 50 pound Power Pro, I can't simply cut my line & leave him attached to 50' of line and a hook and sinker (a sure death sentence) so, I had to drag it over to the boardwalk where another carper dropped my big salmon net over it. We managed to cut the line on both sides of the beak, then get the stuff he'd wrapped around his beak THREE times, off. He looked big enough to keep, but since he wouldn't likely fit in my roast pan, I released him! But . . . . . the moral of this story . . . . be VERY VERY careful where there are swans, I was very lucky to have been able to undo what this one did, but, if it had of been light mono line, and the line broke, I have no idea how this bird could have been rescued!! There are now some areas where these huge beautiful looking birds are so plentiful, they are fast becoming pests just as much as the geese and ducks. They just automatically go to people, because people feed 'em, regardless of the signage . . . . anybody ever seen one of these 'do-gooders' get tagged for feeding the geese, ducks & swans? Anyhooooooooo . . . . again, BE VERY, VERY CAREFUL FISHING NEAR THESE BIRDS, pests or not, they don't deserve to die wrapped in our fishing line!!

 

I HATE SWANS

 

 

Daniel

OCH

[ch312]

I HATE SWANS

Daniel

OCH

 

photoz, if i recall correctly the ofah was really pushing for a mute swan hunt because there is starting to be too many of them and they out compete other waterfowl for nesting areas. geese limits are already pretty high, but obviously not high enough. i recall reading an article that had a chart that showed the number of waterfowl licenses purchased in ontario and im pretty sure the sales were actually dropping.

 

if they would only let someone cull some of the geese in cities...

[jedimaster]

A couple years ago I was fishing at Valley Inn road in burlingon and a bird got hooked by a fishing line that was caught up on a power line. People were trying all sorts of things to get it down. Eventually a guy that came by had a golf ball retriever and was able to free it up and it flew away. It was stuck for several hours though.