Caught Two Different Seaguls This Morning
 

In the pouring rain that was coming sideways at times caught two different seaguls, one twice. The first one that I caught twice became hooked on its elly as it sat one the pencil. The first time it came off the hook relatively easy. It flew off a short distance to chase after other likely food sources when I noticed it flew right back at the pencil again I was retrieving. This time it got hooked more seriously although I didn't have to unhook it, it did so him/herself by violently shaking itself loose. This time though I fear it injured itself more seriously as it tried to fly after becoming unhooked and didn't seem to manage that well. It floated off towards the east end.

The second one actually took the treble in its mouth becoming hooked under the upper beak. Another hook penetrated the lower beak while I was doing surgery on the underside of the upper beak but that one came right out. I should say that I had no towel to throw over the gul's head, which I have done a ton of times before, so I had to drag in the bird and gently wedge its throat in between to rocks (guess where I was fishing) at which point I grabbed it throat further down and went to work. I took a step to my right and grabbed the pliers. I had to wrok a couple of minutes to get the hook out. What made it more difficul was the gul constantly trying to close its yap while I was doing surgery. So I fell back on my experience doing surgery on myself and just manned up. I grasp onto the the hook closer to the barb to give me more leverage and yanked the hook out of the guls' upper beak.

What a morning. Bigfish and I fished a solid four hours from 4 a.m.
As usual he had fish to show for his hard work and I had two seaguls to my credit.

I will say this, anyone who fished for the love of the sport this morning for four hours is a sportsman.

Fish barbless and those hooks would pop loose easily.

Those birds sure are a pain in the butt though.

the gulls were attacking my plugs all morning too....way more than usual.

I don't remember you having barbless.....you've got competition for the title: the seagull king.:rotf2:

1st time in the salt in the new Yak and I had one get hooked on my Hand-Sanded bone red-fin....reeled him into the side iof the yak and when he got there I was like WTF, Now what.

If I was on shore I could pin him down to the ground w/ the rod or hold him w/ a rag.

I ended up cutting the line and donating it to him....stupid bird

They good eatin' Kev!:drool:

You're right. First trip of the season and I neglected to check my plugs. If I remember correctly, that bird was tangled in the braid. At least I caught something that day... :smash:

Gotta dig up your number and give you a ring.

better to have a draw string sack than a towel....

i caught one in florida Once that almost spooled me before i realized my shrimp got picked off since another gull was trying to rob it out of its mouth and it was making a longer faster flight...wicked fast.

you'll have to give some credit to the plugs looking real enough to fool the gulls

those big seals will actual Kill a gull and eat it if they realize it's injured
we gotta keep them seals fat and healthy for the great whites :grins:

Crushed barbs wont help me land cows in the ditch. I'll just have to improve my surgical skills. I wonder if Harvard Medical issues just certificates in seagul surgery.

First cast this season up in providence netted me a cormorant on a bone redfin. Had to take off my shirt to cover its eyes so the little bastard wouldn't slice me open with its beak. Same deal, one treble tine through the top beak and one through the lower.

Guess it was a good omen though, have had a great year so far...
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I havent hooked on yet but had quite a few dive bomb my pencil. Is it me or have the segals got more plug happy in the last few weeks in the ditch.

I think they are smoking the seaweed all night lately.

Any size to them?