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strangest thing you have ever found or had happen while fishing
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Missing Slabs
Out fishin with my buddy Chuckr (mr. gadget) late one night on lake whazzit called. Each of us in our own portables 50 feet apart. A good heavy snow was falling, temp in the 30's with no wind. The crappie bite was on! I was throwing my catch out the side split in the canvas, by the hinge of my vintage fishtrap into the fresh snow. After thinking I was close to my limit, I went outside to count fish. I looked and dug through the snow, not finding one fish. I thought this was a fine joke ol' Chuckr is playin on me. So I go to his shack for the laugh, and he denies everything. Claims he hasn't left his house in over an hour. I plead for my fish, so I can know how many more I can keep. He claims to know nothing of my fish. I leave telling him he'll be stuck with the fish he took, and be over his limit when the warden shows up!! I go back to my shack to find both my rods bent over, (safe in the groove rod holders that snap onto the conduit frame of my fishtrap) and reeled in 2 more slabs. 3/4 +. Well I knew better than to throw them outside again, so I put them on the ice under my feet. It wasn't long and they were piling up again, I'm having fun catching slabs and playing with all the ice fishing toys. I looked down just in time to see a slab go out the slit in the canvas. I didn't think much of it.(how far could it flop in the fresh snow?) A bit later, adding another slab to the pile, I look down and there are only 2 crappies showing!, (counting the one I just added) I look through the slit and under my chair for my fish and there's a large mink underneath me right behind my boot! I nearly jumped through the roof, and mr. mink grabs one of the 2 remaining crappies and runs out the slit. (which I left open cause it was warm with no wind) I went in pursuit, and tracked him to a nice new pemanent house nearby that was up on blocks and wasn't banked with snow yet. The mink got in under the house through the holes, which were not covered. The door was locked, so all I could do was shine the flashlight through the window. There was the mink, and a big mess of fresh slabs that were supposed to be mine!! I called Chuckr out and we watched helplessly for a bit as the mink ripped into his feast with much zeal. Scales, guts and blood were flying all over this poor guys new house. Well there was nothing we could do without breaking in, and the mink had no reason to come out. So we had a good laugh, and I apologized for accusing Chuckr of stealing my catch. (who would have guessed?) I had an excuse to keep fishing with only one slab remaining in my possession. I had no problem that night recatching my limit! It was an excellent evening of fishing, with the weather, the unbelievable crappie bite, and the real close encounter with a very cool, but greedy mink. It snowed well over a foot in the time we were there, big flakes and no wind, and we fished till the wee hours of the morning hoping for slabs over 2 pounds. None that night, but all were over 3/4. We returned the next evening and got to meet the guy with the new permanent. He saw no humor of the mink invation. It had ripped his new carpet through to the wood in many spots, ripping into the fish with his claws, and had scales, and fish carcasses all over. It ate every one of those fish, and then left a few deposits of his own! Peew! The fishing that night was much slower as the skies had turned clear, with a beautiful sunset, and later with northern lights and a few meteors to boot. Plus 20 more slabs with a little work. Borderline livin! It just don't get much better than this!
Originally Posted by bob baldwin
