Seal Experiences With Hooked Fish

[Tagger]

Originally Posted by Slipknot

One time I was ready for it, Saltiga 6000gt reel, 65 lb test whiplash line, 52 lb leader, on an all star 1266 rod with the drag set at 25 pounds I stopped a seal about 600 pounds atleast and I thought the rod would break, 30 seconds of tug and war and a few headshakes and pop the line broke.

I believe Mac and myself witnessed that .. Looked like you had enough Slip .. I don't go down there any more.. beautiful beaches,, but a waste of gas and time . I believe the seals have been trained by the fishers down there. If they see you with a fishing rod walking the beach they'll follow you, looking for an easy meal . They are much better fishers than us . No Contest ..

[Spinfish]

Originally Posted by Tagger

I believe Mac and myself witnessed that .. Looked like you had enough Slip .. I don't go down there any more.. beautiful beaches,, but a waste of gas and time . I believe the seals have been trained by the fishers down there. If they see you with a fishing rod walking the beach they'll follow you, looking for an easy meal . They are much better fishers than us . No Contest ..

This is the truth, /\ They are smart animals, I've had them follow me for quite a distance on cape beachs.

You may see one while your walking, then next thing you know there's 2 or 3 around when you start to fish, day or night it makes no difference.

R. Point can be so bad it's not worth fishing at times.

I've never even though of trying to fight one, they are HUGE animals, I cut my line and save what I can. After reading this thread I'm going to try waiting one out, let him eat the fish, and see if I can get my plug back.

[bart]

Originally Posted by Tagger

I believe Mac and myself witnessed that .. Looked like you had enough Slip .. I don't go down there any more.. beautiful beaches,, but a waste of gas and time . I believe the seals have been trained by the fishers down there. If they see you with a fishing rod walking the beach they'll follow you, looking for an easy meal . They are much better fishers than us . No Contest ..

i also agree with this statement. when hiking S. Beach or Nauset with a rod looking for fish, i'd always see one seal. then 3 seals. then 10. then 15 seals all following you or setting up on the outside of the bar right in front of you. only thing that seems to discourage them was if you launched a 3oz pencil in their vicinity. the splash would scare them and they'd take off, but only for a moment. friggin' PIA....

[Crafty Angler]

Wow! I never really fully understood it - it's been many moons since I have walked among the Sand People.

I guess I'll have to shut my pie hole about mosquitoes from now on...

[Pete F.]

Originally Posted by bart

only thing that seems to discourage them was if you launched a 3oz pencil in their vicinity. the splash would scare them and they'd take off, but only for a moment. friggin' PIA....

I bet that is a learned reaction, wonder how many times they had a tin dinged off there heads?
Oops, just saw Karl's post

[Diggin Jiggin]

Originally Posted by Karl F

carry a 3 ounce or better hopikins, w/out hooks... for "casting practise" for these occasions... warning:... you will piss them off, if you connect.......

NIB's on the money as far as great point goes. Bass fishing in the rip is close to impossible. You might land a small fish if you can haul it in quick but you won't have time to fight a good fish.

I've had one of the big seals come all the way in, past the rut and right up to the beach after a hooked fish. It had to wait for the next wave to get back in...

I was fishing with my dad and a friend of ours a couple years ago and we were down under the lighthouse chasing albies, and with three of us fishing when one of us hooked up the other 2 reeled in & went on guard duty on either side of the hooked up guy ala Karl' s hopkins method. It kind of works but you can't do it when the 'seal watchers' are anywhere near ya. And last year on the weekends there were more range rover driving seal watchers, than fisherman. I guess you kind of have to expect that with what the islands turned into.

I did have one day last year when the seals just stayed on the beach and let you bring blues by them all afternoon and did not bother them. I was talking with some guys there trying to figure out what was going on, apparently they had taken so many fish that morning that they actually stopped eating.