Fishing Myths & Folklore

CanoeGuru · 07-05-2008, 01:13 PM

I've heard that it was once believed that walleye shed their teeth every year, thus explaining why they were pretty much impossible to catch in the hot summer months. That got me to wondering what other old myths were out there - things people used to be certain were true but have since been disproved by science.

LincolnLunger · 07-05-2008, 01:20 PM

Some guy once told me that there were "monster" flatheads in harlan county that would est kids that were swimming in the water

skeeter85 · 07-05-2008, 01:27 PM

I'm going to start using little kids as bait then...thanks for the tip!

AnglerX · 07-05-2008, 01:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by skeeter85

I'm going to start using little kids as bait then...thanks for the tip!

BWHAHAHAHHAHA!!!!

**LundLover** · 07-05-2008, 01:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LincolnLunger

Some guy once told me that there were "monster" flatheads in harlan county that would est kids that were swimming in the water

I always heard that those monster fish were at the bottom by the spillway and that they were big enough to eat a grown man whole.

You mean that's not true?

scoots60 · 07-05-2008, 01:58 PM

I once went scuba diving at the request of a corp. ranger to see if I could recover his glasses in 45 ft. of water by the dam and all I saw with a 100,000 candle power light was mud. I was hip deep in silt.

Oh, but my uncles were diving by the dam in the early 70's and one of them did get chased off the bottom by a monster crawdad.

Must have been a case of nitrogen narcosis ?

or maybe a case of beer.

skeeter85 · 07-05-2008, 02:18 PM

I saw a mermaid at branched oak and we made love... if i'm lying i'm dying...

...

ok i'm lying...

ok and i'm not dying

Fish Recycler · 07-05-2008, 09:41 PM

Every place in the country has divers who had to go down to do some "work underneath the dam" or "repairs under that big bridge" and found catfish as big as volkswagen beetles, which terrified the divers so bad that they never did get that work finished...

Red · 07-06-2008, 01:08 AM

I wish I could use that excuse on my job....

"But boss, look in the tank, I know it's only 150 gallons, but good lord.. that things huge!"

**Catfishsteve** · 07-06-2008, 01:55 AM

I was also always told as a kid that the slime on a pikes teeth is a poison that paralyzes fish and that why it stings so back when they bite you!

Done · 07-06-2008, 06:26 AM

I always heard that a catfish's wiskers were what stung you.

livnlrn · 07-06-2008, 07:04 AM

I've heard you shouldn't put catfish on a stringer near where you are fishing. Supposedly they emit a chemical or some other kind of warning alerting the other catfish.

**LundLover** · 07-06-2008, 07:09 AM

I've also heard that there are several anglers on this forum who wear a "Banana Hammock" underneath their waders when they fish....

Believe it....Or not!

Dogman · 07-06-2008, 08:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CanoeGuru

I've heard that it was once believed that walleye shed their teeth every year, thus explaining why they were pretty much impossible to catch in the hot summer months. That got me to wondering what other old myths were out there - things people used to be certain were true but have since been disproved by science.

It's true. Try using gummi worm for bait.

skeeter85 · 07-06-2008, 09:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LundLover

I've also heard that there are several anglers on this forum who wear a "Banana Hammock" underneath their waders when they fish....

Believe it....Or not!

I DO!

You can also verify with BoB_25 that I occassionaly use a pink fishing pole...it isn't a myth...

also going back to my mermaid myth...If anyone else has had an "encounter" with the mermaid, it turns out she is a bit promiscuous...it's burned when I pee ever since than and you may want to get yourself checked out.

holdemplyer · 07-06-2008, 09:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dogman

It's true. Try using gummi worm for bait.

I've done it with good sucess! caught a buch of gills and trout!

Greyelk81 · 07-06-2008, 10:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by skeeter85

also going back to my mermaid myth...If anyone else has had an "encounter" with the mermaid, it turns out she is a bit promiscuous...it's burned when I pee ever since than and you may want to get yourself checked out.

Hey, this is starting to sound like all the guys who came back to the dorm my freshman year! Didn't believe it then, don't believe it now.

However the quiet guys with a smile always had me wondering!!!

Jump n Fish · 07-06-2008, 10:23 AM

Just heard this one again the other day, I laugh everytime someone tells me the story, they heard from someone who would never lie. Not really fishing related, but kinda.
Girl was waterskiing and fell down, and screaming because she thought she was caught in barbed wire, when they got to her they realized she fell into a nest of (insert your own poisonous snake here) and it wasn't barbed wire but snake bites. She was died on the scene.

Or another one I just heard again recently about snakes.
Two young boys were fishing and caught a good sized bass, a guy came up and asked what they were using and they said bite worms. The guy found out they found a bunch of baby rattlesnakes and had been bitten many times and didn't make it either.

I have to say my all time favorite is the one is the one with the divers at the dams with the man-eater sized catfish. I can't tell you how many times I hear this one everywhere I see old man rivers sitting up late with a lantern fishing some lake.

MA Machine · 07-08-2008, 01:04 PM

Several that I have heard. Spit chew on you bait it attracts catfish and Spray WD 40 on your lures it attracts all fish. The WD 40 sort of seems to work if you've been drinking.

Another one is a young boy was water skiing in Kansas. He fell and was waiting for the boat to come back and get him. In the mean time he was pulled under by something and totally freaked out when he surfaced again. The people in the boat quickly pulled him in and discovered a rash like ring around one of his legs/ankle. Turns out that a big flathead grabbed his leg, pulled him under and then let him go. I read it in the Lincoln paper a number of years ago. Believe it or not! Seems plausible but it would take a lot of force to pull someone with a life jacket under water.

The scuba diver stories are my favorite. I used to scuba dive and everything looks bigger when it's in your face. Big Flatties look gigantic. I've never met a scuba diver that was afraid to go diving because of a big fresh water fish (well maybe alligator gar). That would suck!

AnglerX · 07-08-2008, 01:18 PM

"Winds from the west, they bite the best. Winds from the east, they bite the least. Winds from the South, puts the bait in their mouth. Winds from the North, the fish don't come forth"

So maybe this ones true??? Never go fishing on a windy day..

07-05-2008, 01:13 PM	#1 (permalink)
CanoeGuru Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Lincoln Posts: 948	Fishing Myths & Folklore I've heard that it was once believed that walleye shed their teeth every year, thus explaining why they were pretty much impossible to catch in the hot summer months. That got me to wondering what other old myths were out there - things people used to be certain were true but have since been disproved by science. __________________ One nice thing about egotists: they don't talk about other people. --- "If you hear a voice within you say 'You cannot paint,' then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced." -Van Gogh

07-05-2008, 01:58 PM	#6 (permalink)
scoots60 Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Alma Posts: 134	I once went scuba diving at the request of a corp. ranger to see if I could recover his glasses in 45 ft. of water by the dam and all I saw with a 100,000 candle power light was mud. I was hip deep in silt. Oh, but my uncles were diving by the dam in the early 70's and one of them did get chased off the bottom by a monster crawdad. Must have been a case of nitrogen narcosis ? or maybe a case of beer. __________________ "Nothing makes a fish bigger than almost being caught."

07-05-2008, 09:41 PM	#8 (permalink)
Fish Recycler 2007 NEFGA Angler Of The Year Finalist Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Council Bluffs, IA Posts: 1,119	Every place in the country has divers who had to go down to do some "work underneath the dam" or "repairs under that big bridge" and found catfish as big as volkswagen beetles, which terrified the divers so bad that they never did get that work finished... __________________ You can be a Fish Recycler too...let 'em swim. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

07-06-2008, 01:08 AM	#9 (permalink)
Red Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Gering NE. Posts: 183	I wish I could use that excuse on my job.... "But boss, look in the tank, I know it's only 150 gallons, but good lord.. that things huge!" __________________ Prop me up inside the goose blind if I die, Fill my boots up with sand, throw my Benelli Nova in my hand, Lord I wanna go to Heaven but I don't wanna go this winter...

07-06-2008, 01:55 AM	#10 (permalink)
Catfishsteve Director Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Plattsmouth, NE Posts: 6,021	I was also always told as a kid that the slime on a pikes teeth is a poison that paralyzes fish and that why it stings so back when they bite you! __________________ Got a trail camera? To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. Why not get in our NEFGA 2008 Buck Bash pre-season trail *To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.* ? Starts Aug 23rd !! 2008 NEFGA Buck Bash sponsored by Cabela's, World's Foremost Outfitter! ******

07-05-2008, 01:20 PM	#2 (permalink)
LincolnLunger Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: on the water 24/7 Posts: 244	Some guy once told me that there were "monster" flatheads in harlan county that would est kids that were swimming in the water

07-05-2008, 01:27 PM	#3 (permalink)
skeeter85 Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Bellevue, NE Posts: 35	I'm going to start using little kids as bait then...thanks for the tip!

07-05-2008, 02:18 PM	#7 (permalink)
skeeter85 Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Bellevue, NE Posts: 35	I saw a mermaid at branched oak and we made love... if i'm lying i'm dying... ... ok i'm lying... ok and i'm not dying

07-06-2008, 06:26 AM	#11 (permalink)
Done Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Fremont, NE Posts: 688	I always heard that a catfish's wiskers were what stung you. __________________ "The charm of fishing is that it is the pursuit of what is elusive but attainable, a perpetual series of occasions for hope." ~John Buchan

07-06-2008, 07:04 AM	#12 (permalink)
livnlrn Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 301	I've heard you shouldn't put catfish on a stringer near where you are fishing. Supposedly they emit a chemical or some other kind of warning alerting the other catfish.

07-06-2008, 07:09 AM	#13 (permalink)
LundLover Moderator Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Lincoln, NE Posts: 3,137	I've also heard that there are several anglers on this forum who wear a "Banana Hammock" underneath their waders when they fish.... Believe it....Or not! __________________ I was so naive as a kid I used to sneak behind the barn and do nothing. - Johnny Carson

07-06-2008, 10:23 AM	#18 (permalink)
Jump n Fish Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Laurel, MS Posts: 314	Just heard this one again the other day, I laugh everytime someone tells me the story, they heard from someone who would never lie. Not really fishing related, but kinda. Girl was waterskiing and fell down, and screaming because she thought she was caught in barbed wire, when they got to her they realized she fell into a nest of (insert your own poisonous snake here) and it wasn't barbed wire but snake bites. She was died on the scene. Or another one I just heard again recently about snakes. Two young boys were fishing and caught a good sized bass, a guy came up and asked what they were using and they said bite worms. The guy found out they found a bunch of baby rattlesnakes and had been bitten many times and didn't make it either. I have to say my all time favorite is the one is the one with the divers at the dams with the man-eater sized catfish. I can't tell you how many times I hear this one everywhere I see old man rivers sitting up late with a lantern fishing some lake. __________________ We accidentally replaced your heart with a baked potato. You have about three seconds to live.

07-08-2008, 01:04 PM	#19 (permalink)
MA Machine 2008 Catch and Continue Finalist Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Lincoln Posts: 120	Several that I have heard. Spit chew on you bait it attracts catfish and Spray WD 40 on your lures it attracts all fish. The WD 40 sort of seems to work if you've been drinking. Another one is a young boy was water skiing in Kansas. He fell and was waiting for the boat to come back and get him. In the mean time he was pulled under by something and totally freaked out when he surfaced again. The people in the boat quickly pulled him in and discovered a rash like ring around one of his legs/ankle. Turns out that a big flathead grabbed his leg, pulled him under and then let him go. I read it in the Lincoln paper a number of years ago. Believe it or not! Seems plausible but it would take a lot of force to pull someone with a life jacket under water. The scuba diver stories are my favorite. I used to scuba dive and everything looks bigger when it's in your face. Big Flatties look gigantic. I've never met a scuba diver that was afraid to go diving because of a big fresh water fish (well maybe alligator gar). That would suck!

07-08-2008, 01:18 PM	#20 (permalink)
AnglerX Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: where the shad are.. Posts: 2,162	"Winds from the west, they bite the best. Winds from the east, they bite the least. Winds from the South, puts the bait in their mouth. Winds from the North, the fish don't come forth" So maybe this ones true??? Never go fishing on a windy day.. __________________ I didn't wade 50 yards offshore at Branched Oak yesterday-you know!

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