Gee, that's a funny looking sunfish

[mainbutter]

I don't know where this thread belongs, but since I was out chasing 'gills and crappies at the time, I figured I would put this here.

On Sunday, I had my oddest catch on the fly rod ever.

I was fishing under the brush of a tree that had fallen over the water, bluegills and crappies were stacked in there pretty nicely. I was having a nice relaxing afternoon anchored in my canoe, chowing on some beef jerky, easy fishing with lots of hungry fish. I made another cast into the same school like I'd done about fifty times already, saw something tug on my line, and I set the hook.

"This must be a huge bluegill!" I thought to myself as I saw a quick flash of orange.

Turns out it was a REALLY funny looking bluegill, almost looks kinda like a turtle

I sure thought this was pretty funny, I know that you can pick up turtles sometimes when fishing bait on the bottom, but I've never heard of anyone having a turtle go after a fly.

[goblueM]

i've never heard of that! pretty cool. gorgeous painted turtle, too!

[itchmesir]

never heard of such a thing... bet that was a great fight on the long rod

[crappiegetter]

I have had it happen a few times fly fishing at Ceineko at the Coon Rapids dam.

[snoozebutton]

Did you have any trouble filleting it?

[delmuts]

Thank goodness it wasn't a snapping turtle!

[pinkfloyd4ever]

thats cool right there

[dmichaelm]

Had it happen once to me, and once to my uncle up north. The painted turtles cruise the shallows where we chase the sunnies. Both times on worms and real small feather jigs under floats.

Both times we got the hook back out, thankfully.

[Cyberfish]

That sunfish really needs to come out of its shell!

[gloomiseye]

Haha thats awesome!

[Scott M]

Nice job! My sister caught one when we were little, out bluegill fishing. Once in a blue moon I guess.

[Brad B]

I didn't get a painted turtle but I have caught a soft shell turtle once when I was out fishing catfish on the mississippi river.talk about a fight I thought I had a big cat on but was shocked to see a turtle. it was about 12 inches across. I was using circle hooks so the hook just caught the corner on the mouth so the hook removal was easy. as soon as it was off it jumped from the pier back into the river.

[Scott M]

Yeah, the softshells on cut bait are a little more common. EC30_06 is the turtle king, I've seen him hook a few manhole covers.

[Spike76]

I've caught a turtle before but usually they get off. Once I was casting a yellow beatle spin with a minnow on it and something took it and was fighting pretty good, then came off. A few seconds later a loon came up by it shaking its head. Once in the B.W.'s I had a loon chasing my lure so much I had to quit fishing for awhile and move.

[slipperybob]

caught a snapping turtle off of a topwater turbo jack.