Last weekend on Cypress Springs I'm throwing a white Zoom Horny Toad. I turn away to make a comment to my partner, and then turned back, and I see this huge wing span swooping down on my frog and pick it up off of the surface of the water and fly off with it. At first I thought it was an Owl but my parter yelled it's a Hawk. The bird did not drop the bait and then I realized the worst had happened and I had hooked it. When my line pulled tight the bird crashed to the ground. It took off again and crashed again. My parter (a sheriff with SWAT experience) went in to action and told me to get him to the shore, which I did. He jumped off with his jacket in hand and covered the Hawk with his jacked, then yelled at me for something to cut the hook. I gave him my cutters that I keep in the boat for cutting hooks in emergency situations. He cut the hook barb and backed the hook out of the bird's foot and let it go, and off she flew. It all happened and was over in a matter of a minute or two.

I know had I been by myself I wouldn't have thought quickly enough to do that. Certainly cutting the line (braid) would have been bad news for the bird because it would eventually gotten wrapped around something and eventually killed it.

Was really glad that had a good ending for the bird.

Sorry, no pictures! But it's true!

Look, I have a kite!

I knew all that bird rescue training the SWAT teams have gone through would pay off!

I had something similiar happen but with a crane. I was night fishing during the crappie run and you could hear the fish chasing shad up on the shore. With it being night my casts were off a little and i was hitting the shore sometimes. Well a crane didnt see me and I didnt see it, until I hit it with my bait. I didnt even know i hit it until i took off. The line started peeling off my reel. I was by myself and unfortunately there was nothing I could do so I finally managed to cut the line. I felt terrible about it but there wasnt much i could do.

i stuck a crane in midair with a red eye shad...saw it take off right as i was casting and just kept saying no no no no and sure enough it hits my line and i was helpless watching the lipless zip towards it as it flew off...after a helluva fight i got it to the boat but i guess with all the thrashing it weakened the hook and it broke off one of the barbs on the front treble and it flew away...would have liked to get it out of his leg but what can you do at that point? crazy stuff

Just an FYI if you ever hook a duck and pull it to the boat to unhook it make sure he has...well emptied himself, prior to boating him, otherwise it can be a very unpleasant experience, first hand experience on this one

And be very careful if you try to help out any bird with a sharp beak . I think there was a post on here a while back about a guy who got his eye poked out by a crane trying to get a hook off it or some such.

i found a seagull drowning on the vine. it had a dd22 stuck to his bill and both his feet as it tried to push it off its bill. i netted it, wrestled it and finall unhooked both his feet and from his bill. he stood up and walked to the bow of my boat where he unloaded a huge duece and then flew away, not even a squawk...

ROTFLMAO.

Probably not the first time a co-angler has done that to you.

he was a third party member not even invited to the party. heck, he pity patty'd me...

Classic.

WOW good thing you had that particular partner that day! Fast action and good job!

[quote=Mike_Soriano] ...saw it take off right as i was casting and just kept saying no no no no
classic