What Other Species Have You Caught by Accident?

[MK49]

I've fished for bass, since 1979. Along the way, I caught some other fish by accident, by using bass lures. I've caught;

- Catfish
- Rainbow Trout
- Cutthroat
- Crappie
- Bluegill
- Tilapia (only in Mexico. One of them was huge, probably about 4lbs. That's pretty big for Tilapia.)
- Carp (the first carp I've ever caught was on topwater. What surprise! I've caught only two carps, though.)

I think that's about it. What other fish have you caught, when you tried to catch bass? I'm just curious. I've fished mostly in California, so we don't have walleye and some other common species in other states. Heck, I've never caught Smallmouth bass.

[Finnz922]

Pike, Musky, Walleye, Yellow Perch, Crappie, Blue Gill, Sunfish, White Bass, Wipers, Channel/Blue/Flathead Catfish, and Drum.

I recently caught a 38" Pike on a Frog skipping docks. A couple of years ago, I caught a 29" 8.5lb walleye on a 5" Yamamoto Saltwater Series Swimbait. On a Brush Hog, I caught a 45" 42lb Flathead Catfish.

Love the surprise, as long as it's not in a tournament. The excitement to deflation is too much .

[MK49]

Love the surprise, as long as it's not in a tournament. The excitement to deflation is too much .

I don't love the surprise, but I have to admit this. I think it was in May in this year, when I set a hook, I knew it was a 7 or 8 pounder. In 10 or 15 seconds, I knew it wasn't bass. I thought it was a catfish, but it was fighting harder. Took a while to land it, and it came through some little sticks. I was using a thinner line, an 8 or a 10lbs, so it was exciting trying to land a bigger fish with thin line. It was my 2nd carp ever, (about 7lbs) and it looked ugly. I didn't want to touch it, so I just used my pliers and unhooked the fish. Then, I kicked it to the water. Sorry carp. But, again, it was very exciting. If I didn't feel my line came through sticks and I was using thicker line, it wouldn't have been as exciting, though. It was actually the biggest fish, that's not bass, I've ever caught.

Oh, I remember another story. I caught a little cutthroat about 12" long one time. I didn't even want to put it in the boat, so I took my pliers and unhooked it outside of the boat. My friend knew I hated to kill bass, so after he saw how I treated the cutthroat, he said "if you do that again, I will kill and eat the next bass you catch." That's when I realized how badly I treated the cutthroat. Sorry fish!

Oh, I remember one more story. I just don't want to kill bass or probably any fish. I used to fish in Mexico. One day, Tony, a head of guides asked me if I could bring back a few 3 ~ 4lbs bass, because some other customers wanted to eat bass. I just told him "sorry, but I don't want to kill bass." My guide who had fished with me many times was there. When we went out for fishing, my guide said he was surprised that I said that to his boss. I told him "yeah, he's your boss, but I'm his customer. You know I don't wanna kill bass." Then, my guide started telling me this. One of his customers asked him to cut the fish, right after he caught it. The customer ate it raw right there without cooking it. My guide even warned him that it might not be good, but the customer didn't care. The customer came back a few more times, and every time, he ate the raw bass at least once a trip. I will never be able to do that.

[Finnz922]

Love the surprise, as long as it's not in a tournament. The excitement to deflation is too much .

I don't love the surprise, but I have to admit this. I think it was in May in this year, when I set a hook, I knew it was a 7 or 8 pounder. In 10 or 15 seconds, I knew it wasn't bass. I thought it was a catfish, but it was fighting harder. Took a while to land it, and it came through some little sticks. I was using a thinner line, an 8 or a 10lbs, so it was exciting trying to land a bigger fish with thin line. It was my 2nd carp ever, (about 7lbs) and it looked ugly. I didn't want to touch it, so I just used my pliers and unhooked the fish. Then, I kicked it to the water. Sorry carp. But, again, it was very exciting. If I didn't feel my line came through sticks and I was using thicker line, it wouldn't have been as exciting, though. It was actually the biggest fish, that's not bass, I've ever caught.

Oh, I remember another story. I caught a little cutthroat about 12" long one time. I didn't even want to put it in the boat, so I took my pliers and unhooked it outside of the boat. My friend knew I hated to kill bass, so after he saw how I treated the cutthroat, he said "if you do that again, I will kill and eat the next bass you catch." That's when I realized how badly I treated the cutthroat. Sorry fish!

Oh, I remember one more story. I just don't want to kill bass or probably any fish. I used to fish in Mexico. One day, Tony, a head of guides asked me if I could bring back a few 3 ~ 4lbs bass, because some other customers wanted to eat bass. I just told him "sorry, but I don't want to kill bass." My guide who had fished with me many times was there. When we went out for fishing, my guide said he was surprised that I said that to his boss. I told him "yeah, he's your boss, but I'm his customer. You know I don't wanna kill bass." Then, my guide started telling me this. One of his customers asked him to cut the fish, right after he caught it. The customer ate it raw right there without cooking it. My guide even warned him that it might not be good, but the customer didn't care. The customer came back a few more times, and every time, he ate the raw bass at least once a trip. I will never be able to do that.

I hear ya on not killing bass or eating them. Nebraska has a 21" minimum length so unless some keeps them illegally (which I'm sure happens), they rarely get kept around here.

[MeatHead]

I fish inshore far more than bass fish, but have caught a share of bycatch when going after bass.
Bream of multiple types (mostly bluegill, warmouth and green sunfish)
Crappie
Bullhead catfish
Channel catfish
Spotted gar
Gaspergou

[toddmc]

Freshwater:
Bluegill
Redear
Green Sunfish
Warmouth
Sacramento Perch
Black Crappie
White Crappie
Flathead Catfish
Bullhead Catfish
Blue Catfish
Channel Catfish
Pike
Tilapia
Rainbow Trout
Brown Trout
Brook Trout
Cutthroat Trout
Lightning Trout
Steelhead
Squawfish
Goldfish (over three pounds version of the kind that come in bowls)
Sculpin
Gizzard Shad
Threadfin Shad
White Bass
Hybrid Bas
Striper
Drum
(I'm sure that I'm missing a few)
I forgot carp. Maybe it was on purpose

Saltwater:
Too many to list while saltwater spotted bay bass fishing

[Bronzeye]

What I ever-so-briefly thought to be a state-record smallmouth as I saw its broad white underside begin to emerge on an uncharacteristic full jump was instead a 6 lb. channel catfish. I have also caught a 20 lb. carp that took a crappie jig fished on 4 lb. test mono, three bowfins, a snakehead, and two most unwelcome snapping turtles.

[Nektarios]

Huge snapping turtle once that was quickly released

[mark poulson]

Water snake, carp, catfish.
Both the carp and catfish, both over 20lbs, ruined the aluminum gears in two baitcasters!

[Bronzeye]

...
Both the carp and catfish, both over 20lbs, ruined the aluminum gears in two baitcasters!

Bummer! Shimanos (Micro Module?) Daiwas, or....?

[hoohoorjoo]

Sauger, walleye, saugeye, yellow perch, wiper, striper, white bass, sand(yellow) bass, catfish, jack(pickerel), trout, pike, BIG bluegill, shallcracker, BIG crappie, snapping turtle, various snakes, blue heron, osprey, etc, etc, etc.

[Bronzeye]

Sorry about those big birds, hoohoorjoo! I once had a great blue heron fly low over me from behind to try to grab my walking topwater. I can't imagine trying to unhook a big heron or an osprey!

[hoohoorjoo]

Sorry about those big birds, hoohoorjoo! I once had a great blue heron fly low over me from behind to try to grab my walking topwater. I can't imagine trying to unhook a big heron or an osprey!

My dad and I got the heron loose, but we had to cover the osprey with a big towel and take it to a fish and game biologist. He swooped down and grabbed a S-Waver 168 while I wasn't paying close attention. Hooks were in both talons, and we might have been able to get them out, but I wasn't about to take a chance with that razor sharp beak. Luckily, he wasnt seriously injured and they released him right afterwards. It was quite the memorable experience!

[Bronzeye]

Well done!

[John2204]

I caught a10lb drum on a jig during a club tournament, thought I had a monster bass for a little while...