Attacked by fish?

[WyoChris]

Has anyone been attacking by fish before?

Had a wierd experience this past weekend.... we were camping up on a lake by the Canadian border and decided to hop in the lake to rinse off. When my buddy got in the water, a fish attacked his foot. The water was clear and you could see a smallmouth bass that would run up and bite his toes. I put my hand down in the water and the smallmouth actually bit one of my fingers. I tried to noodle it, but it was just too fast and slimy to catch. I'm assuming it was spawning and defending a bed.

Anyone else every had this happen to them? Also, would muskies or northerns ever protect a bed like this? I imagine that would be a bad deal if a big muskie would have been doing this.

[mainbutter]

Yes. Mostly by aquarium fish when I play with them.. Cichlids are pretty funny to get to nibble you, but heck even my guppies do it. I'm not surprised that a bass would either.

I've been bit by pond catfish (I assume stocked channels), they are also regularly fed by people. Even just a 4-5lb cat can put surprising pressure when they get your finger. Like the aquarium fish, I was asking for it wiggling my fingers in their faces.

I've also been chased by rock bass while snorkeling in a Michigan lake once. They didn't ever try to eat me, but I could see a fish in cloudy water with similar responses not realizing I'm as big as I am and giving a nibble.

A friend of mine got attacked by a [PoorWordUsage] triggerfish in Hawaii while snorkeling. It basically swam at him and headbutted him pretty hard.

I've seen one claim on TV of a snot rocket northern pike attack on someone wading and biting his ankles. No fun.

I hope that answers your Q a little.

All of those game fish that we love so much are game fish because they are PREDATORS. Plenty are also opportunistic scavengers. Should there be any surprise that they might be inquisitive about fingers and toes?

[whitebassman]

While fishing in the water up to my waist, i have had minnows bite at my floating leg hairs! Must have looked like yummy worms or larva!

[NCLaker]

Sunfish luv to nip at you when you are sitting in a floaty. One actually drew blood on my wife's leg. friggin' annoying

[Big Buck Buster]

Check this out. About 6 minutes into it they talk about Pine River.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQR6F9eFH...=1&index=21

[deadeye]

I have heard a couple times of northerns, dogfish and muskies grabbing people. I am not really sure if any of the claims I heard about are true but you never know.

Sunnies always seem to be happy to nip at you too. It can be pretty annoying at times. Never want to go without swimwear for sure!

[Big Buck Buster]

Never want to go without swimwear for sure!

Come on now Jon, even the sunfish would have a hard time finding it!

[deadeye]

LOL!

[mrklean]

nothing bigger then 3 inch sunfish nippin at my toes nothing with teeth yet

[mr_jman]

I've had bullheads nip at my toes before as well.

[Eric Wettschreck]

I had a pike take a bite at my calf while wading in reeds casting. One quick bite and he let go.

It hurt, a lot.

[SkunkedAgain]

That little kid got his leg chomped by a big muskie on Calhoun two or three years ago. I remember seeing a picture of the bite radius in the paper. Pretty cool, except for the kid that got bit.

[Ralph Wiggum]

A few years ago I was repairing some muskrat-chewed wires under our pontoon while it was tied to the dock. I nearly had a heart attack when a sunfish actually jumped out of the water to grab my nipple!!!

[Duffman]

Yep, after hearing some guy howl at a swimming beach, I looked over to see him coming out of the water with a bloody nipple.

[stacker12]

I also had a sunny chomp my nipple when I was going up the ladder on the dock. Hard to believe those things can draw blood!

[SkunkedAgain]

Maybe you guys need some nipple moisturizers!

[Acemac]

congrats to fish for finally enacting their revenge!

[Blue Kayak]

My son is in Malaysia. They have fish spas where you place your feet in a tub filled with small fish that nibble the dead skin off your feet. It is supposed to leave your feet very smooth.

Before any of you think of opening up a fish spa, you might want to check with the FDA. My wife thought someone tried it in the USA, but was shut down.

[SpecialK]

I believe there is one here in MN in the cities somewhere.

[herefish101]

i stuck my arm down the ice hole to torn a northen up the hole and whammo, right in the side of the hand. that was the last time i ever did that.

[Hot_tamale]

many many moons ago on the Chippewa Flowage, I was sitting on the dock with my feet dangling in the water next to the swimming area. I got quite a surprise when the big toe on my right foot suddenly had a shooting pain coming from it.

I looked down in the water and saw a 24" musky trying to make a lunch out of my little piggy going to market!!!.

I bled for about 15 minutes. Only beer cured the pain. no i didn't pour it on the wound, i drank while someone was putting a salve/aloe lotion on my toe.

Word spread around the campground so fast that within hours, kids were coming from all over to see the damage a musky can do.

the next day, there was nobody swimming at the beach.

a little overboard to say the least.

so yes, as you can see from all the posts, fish can and do bite!!!

[broken_line]

ive been nipped at by persistant sunfish.. and the usuall hey need the plires? "no i got it" few seconds later choice swear words and bleeding hands while toothy critters grin at my pain.. also my ex girlfriend had a rock bass nipping at the draw strings to her shorts.. i thought that was pretty dang funny! she didnt..

[Matt C]

I remember growing up near Crystal Lake in Burnsville. We'd always go swimming at the beach and get nibbled on by sunnies. Them SOB's can hurt!

[nofish]

2 weeks ago I had a largemouth bass try and bite my toes or boots also, I was adjusting my boat lift. It appears it was protecting its bed. I would move my foot in close to it and it would attack. first time I had this happen.