Have you ever…

  • jon_jordan
    St. Paul, Mn
    Posts: 10908
    June 25, 2013 at 12:38 am #1289728

    caught a Loon? And I mean caught not snagged. I’ve had a Seagull dive bomb into a jig/minnow and hooked him up in the beak. Caught a duck on a hook/bobber/worm combo when I was a kid. Never a Loon. Always thought they were smarter???

    Wednesday had one swimming around the boat and had him chasing baits back to the boat. Having prior experience of catching and trying to unhook a pissed off screaming bird, I wanted no part of this. Typically Loons seem to shy away from an obvious fishing lures. I’m about 90% sure all I needed to do there was drop the tip back to get him to strike. Weird!

    -J.

    Mike W
    MN/Anoka/Ham lake
    Posts: 13294
    June 25, 2013 at 12:55 am #1179898

    Have had them chase lures before and swim around under the boat. Never hooked one. We have had this happen a number of times on a little lake just north of mille lacs.

    Tom Sawvell
    Inactive
    Posts: 9559
    June 25, 2013 at 1:05 am #1179900

    I’ve had them chase spinners while casting on Lake Superior. I really don’t need the experience of hooking one up.

    esoxhunter
    Posts: 44
    June 25, 2013 at 1:36 am #1179911

    Never actually caught, but had one hooked for quite some time. Fishing a jig & reaper for muskie, I had just released a 36″ fish on the previous cast. Next cast I felt something “different” and set the hook. Up came a loon hooked in the butt. Chased him around for 20-minutes, trying to get close enough to net him and get the hook out. Every time we got within 20-feet of him he would dive under water. I eventually tired out and gave the rod to a partner who promptly broke him off. Not an experience I ever want to repeat. I have had loons follow in quick strike rigged suckers many times.

    stuart
    Mn.
    Posts: 3682
    June 25, 2013 at 2:12 am #1179919

    Best friends son hooked one out of my boat sucker fishing pike one year.Matt turns to me and asks “What should I do?”
    Told him I didn’t know I never caught one before.One hell of a battle and super happy it came un hooked boat side.
    Last we saw it,it was a black speck heading across the lake with the after burners on.
    We still pick on him whenever we see a Loon!

    fishdale
    Posts: 406
    June 25, 2013 at 2:20 am #1179921

    I have had them chase cranks glad I have never hooked one. I guy I fish with hooked one bobber fishing a leech. Said it was a awful feeling seeing and hearing the loon at the end of the line. If I remember correctly it broke his line after a short time.

    Brad Juaire
    Maple Grove, MN
    Posts: 6101
    June 25, 2013 at 2:28 am #1179925

    This has happened to me a few times… when trolling the open basin a loon will swim and dive in around my planer boards. It will follow it for a quarter to a half mile before tiring and giving up.

    sauger
    Hastings ,MN
    Posts: 2442
    June 25, 2013 at 12:34 pm #1179960

    Yes,when i was a kid. Ate the sunny i had on then proceeded to spool me. I was not happy

    Will Roseberg
    Moderator
    Hanover, MN
    Posts: 2121
    June 25, 2013 at 1:56 pm #1179969

    There’s one up by my wife’s family cabin that hangs out with me every morning I get up and head out fishing before others get up. He comes in and swims around the boat within a few feet of me for a half hour not the least bit skitish of people. The first time I saw him I tossed a few floater crappie minnows to him and he gobbled them up so I’m sure someone on the lake must be feeding him. He’s followed a few crappies as I reel them in and even come right in to take a close look at my surface lures for bass so I’m afraid it’s only a matter of time before someone ends up hooking him.

    fish_any_time
    Champlin, MN
    Posts: 2097
    June 25, 2013 at 4:53 pm #1180015

    I haven’t caught one, but a few weeks ago on Winnie we had one follow us for about a half an hour. It would eat our dead minnows that would fall off when catching fish. He swam around the boat and dove under the boat several times in that half hour. He stayed close to the boat. Close enough that I could touch him with the fishing rod.

    crawdaddy
    St. Paul MN
    Posts: 1604
    June 27, 2013 at 5:04 am #1180441

    Was fishing with a guy and he hooked into one on a jig and plastic. Dude just cut the line right away. Figured the loon probably died but hopefully not. One thing for sure, they have super sharp beaks and I would not want to get close to one.

    gizmoguy
    Crystal,MN
    Posts: 756
    June 27, 2013 at 2:13 pm #1180493

    Yes, it’s happened to me before. They taste alot like eagle.

    big_g
    Isle, MN
    Posts: 22456
    June 27, 2013 at 2:52 pm #1180502

    Try a Blue Heron… Man they get MAD

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