I wonder if any of you other Canal fishermen have seen this...

This has happened 3 times in the last 2 weeks. Fishing in the general vincinity of the herring run right at 1st light. My friend Don and I getting ready to switch to plugs when we noticed a long V-wake coming across the Canal about 60 feet out. All three times it came right at us getting closer and closer until we could make out a long gray figure swimming along below the wake maybe 25-26" long. Waiting for it to veer off back toward the middle of the ditch but it never did. Finally it makes it to shore, climbs out onto a rock and shakes off; before running into the woods. Can you guess what it was? A gray squirrel 3 times in the same general area! Does this squirrel just like to swim when it wakes up or what? Add a few erratic pops to it's swimming motion and you've got huge needle fish. Anyone know the best place to hook a squirrel:p Anyone else seen this???

-DAve

Dave, I think you better stop pulling all nighters. Now you're seeing things. LOL
How ya been???

That is scary. http://instagiber.net/smiliesdotcom/otn/shocked/Wow1.gif

Reminds me of the time during a full moon at beavertail a raccoon came up behind me touching my leg. I thought it was a huge rat. I suddenly jumped onto a rock still not knowing what it was at the time. I was telling my friends that I was fishing with that there is a huge rat around here the size of a small dog. They laughed and did not believe me. I thought that I was also seeing things and went on fishing. Half hour later there is a racoon running off with our bag of goodies (patatoe chips, hostess pies, etc). Since it was a full moon we could see the rascal high upon the cliffs, probably laughing at us.

Never saw a swimming squirrell, but did have a skunk swimming towards me in Chatham one nite.

I had a racoon come out of the rocks at the ditch while retying my leader. He came out of the rocks right near the butt of my rod and pushed the rod out of its way and walked on by............

a swimming squirrel??

Dave............... what kind of meds ya on?:laughs: :laughs:

it might have been this past weekend, i was fishing the west end of the canal, next to mma, and a guy tells me he saw a squirrel jump into the canal, and swim east. it could be nuts in the water, or nuts on shore, but he did say it swam east...

that squirel was lucky that a blue didnt spot him, im sure it woulda lost atleast a tail. now im going to keep an eye out for them in the ditch, thats too funny.

Here's something to think about....
I had read an article a couple of years ago about a fisherman that wanted to ish for a species of salmon that lives in Mongolia.
It seems thse fish can get up to 4 feet long and are notorious for attacking the local equivilent of gophers when they attempt to cross the rivers where these fish reside.
The locals use a lure made from the carcass of squirrels.
With the over abundance of squirrels this year, it would be cool to see a "lemming" like migration across the canal at the high of the fall migration. The feeding frenzy could be awesome.

Canalman I saw the same thing the other night. I stopped there right before sunset, to the left of the parking lot. I saw a bunch of fish crashing bait so I went down to take a look. I made a few casts and my wife yelled what the hell is that. It was a making a large v wake and it was about the same lentgh as you said. She said it came right off of the shore. I thought it was just a large rat. Guess it was just a suicidal squirrel. I can't believe some one else saw that too.

hook em like you would a cat:smash:

We have heard four reports of squirrels on boats in Marblehead harbor, ON THE MOORINGS!!! Scared the squat outta a friend of mine when he got aboard before dawn. He figures it swam out and climbed up the pennant.

I'm glad at least someone has seen this besides me :D. My friend and I were talking about how many kicks that squirrel must have to make to cross the ditch. I know for a fact that I could not - in a million years make that swim, and I even took swimming lessons :P. You never know what you'll see swimming through the canal I guess. :rolleyes:

-Dave

yup witnessed the same thing in the same spot... just east of the herring run.. was down there two week ago fished from thursday night - Sunday .. saw it twice.. couldn't believe that thing swam the canal... wasn't slack either.. current was ripping..

squirrel got nuts:D

I was fishing the tip of a jetty today at sunrise and there was a squirell watching me for about an hour... He was just sitting on a rock way out on the end about 15 feet from where i was standing. It was very surreal like he was an old surfcaster who was re-encarnated as a squirell and just had to watch someone catching bass.. I let him be, and he just watched:D

I dont think he was wearing Korkers:hs:

Originally posted by Eben
I was fishing the tip of a jetty today at sunrise and there was a squirell watching me for about an hour... He was just sitting on a rock way out on the end about 15 feet from where i was standing. It was very surreal like he was an old surfcaster who was re-encarnated as a squirell and just had to watch someone catching bass.. I let him be, and he just watched:D

I dont think he was wearing Korkers:hs:

double wow...dood:laughs:

Secret Squirrel.

I know a few old timers that say they can remmber years ago when they would see Deer swiming across the west end during a slow tide!
I guess we no how Rabies made it to the Cape now!

There are certain types of weasels that have the same shape as squirrels that fish and swim along the shores of the CT River here in Western MA. At first I thought they were fischer cats. But I noticed they were far to clumsy on land to be any kind of cat. This year one popped up right next to me one morning. They have the same shape of a squirrel but are a little darker and larger. They also are mean and have scary nasty teeth. Almost sounds like it could be a Monty Python skit huh? Not to ramble, but I had a dream the other night about somebody using an inflatable rooster about the size of a basketball for bait.

:laughs: Dream and a inflatable Rooster ?? The bed wasn't wet in the morning was it? :laughs:

I got one for ya. Old Gil Guilettone and I are fishing Narrow River about 6 years ago. We are working the beach back toward the Dunes Club when we see a head pop up in the surf. Out walks girl about 20 years old BUCK Naked! Says hi hows the fishin. We said slow and she smiled and walked down the beach. No Lie.

Was fishing off tibury pond last thursday, and watched a skunk jump into the water next to me and attempt a crossing. I don't know whether he made it, but it was pretty amusing.