Wierd Creatures Seen Gigging

[Milkjug]

A few from this last season.

Strange stingray. Some other species than our common southern stingray. I kept on seeing its beds, then I found the fish. He got the gig since we were sharking a lot at the time.



Crappy pic of a bay pipefish. I was dragging the yak through some grass, and saw what looked like a little piece of grass inside. On closer observation, it was a tiny pipefish (hard armor plated fish related to seahorse. The male carries the eggs around in a pouch and "gives birth" to the live young too)



I have also run into pods of sleeping reds that go crazy zipping all over, running into my legs and blasting through the shallows.

I ran into a small seaturtle once at SLP last year (pic posted elsewhere).

Twice in my time here, I have seen small neon-striped squid in my light.

Anyone else see anything cool in your lights during the dead of night?

[Moonpie]

Early one morning several years ago I went out in the yak to a little bayou I like to fish.
With no moon and lots of clouds it was really really dark.
When I got to the area where I was going to fish I couldn't help but notice a bunch of small blinking lights in the water.
All around were these little bitty blinking lights in the water.
They were a very soft lavender/violet color.
They would flash like fire flies.
Cool as he!!.
Put the rod in the yak and went about trying to catch one of the "lights" just so I could see what was making it.
Took me about 30 minutes but I finally caught what was doing it.
Turned out to be a small fish with a spot on top of its head where the light emitted from.
One of those mystical magical things you see out in the salt.
I'd never seen this before and have never seen it since.

[imhammer]

Awesome pics Yan....Very Cool!

[2112]

Early one morning several years ago I went out in the yak to a little bayou I like to fish.
With no moon and lots of clouds it was really really dark.
When I got to the area where I was going to fish I couldn't help but notice a bunch of small blinking lights in the water.
All around were these little bitty blinking lights in the water.
They were a very soft lavender/violet color.
They would flash like fire flies.
Cool as he!!.
Put the rod in the yak and went about trying to catch one of the "lights" just so I could see what was making it.
Took me about 30 minutes but I finally caught what was doing it.
Turned out to be a small fish with a spot on top of its head where the light emitted from.
One of those mystical magical things you see out in the salt.
I'd never seen this before and have never seen it since.

That's amazing.

[2112]

Awesome thread topic.

This summer Bill (TRP150) poked what we thought was a Flounder. I remember standing next to him saying, "Pop 'em-Pop 'em"!!!...It turned out to be the same football shapped ray you have in you're picture. As soon as I saw it was a ray I felt bad and told Bill to scrape it off the side of the boat and into the water. It really looked just like a nice sized Flounder sitting in the water. I've only seen one of these rays before and it was small, about 12 long. They are excedingly rare compared to our Southern Ray's.

[2112]

I've got a few more.
I was on a walking gig hunt one night at the west side of SLP, working the flats far from shore when what I can only discribe as a flock of Cow Nose rays came swimming right at me, it freaked my shiet for sure. I keep my light pointed right in front of me as they split into as they swam past me. For a few seconds I was surrounded by 20 or so venomous barbs. I recall my pucker factor being a strong 10.
I already knew what they were as there was a news report about it on TV. It was a rare
event happening in the bay but the concern was packs of the rays are shadowed by sharks. They where thick in the surf that summer, my lab went after them several times as they glided through knee deep surf.

Do any of you recall this happening about 5 years ago?

[weather or knott]

When I was a Kid waking through west bay:

Pencil fish everywhere
An occasional snake, I was too young to remember what kind. I want to say they were a bright color.
Walking up on sleeping birds in reeds.
More blue claw crabs than you could count.
Few flounder (walking with lanterns)

Now:

A lot of flounder (I’m on a boat now)
Fewer crabs
More bottom grass in the bay than I remember
Less pencil fish
Saw a snake last month, first time in 10+ years. Some sort of water snake.
Sea turtle in west bay
What I thought was a tarpon. Spotted twice in one night.

[WestEndAngler]

Short fin Mako in West Bay @ Greens Cut last year
More sting rays then I care to remember seems like I find the nesting grounds each year!
7' Alligator Gar that swims in Lake Como, it hates Kayakers so watch out lol

[Robalo]

I saw the fugliest, most gruesome sight ever in Sea isle area..........................




JOHN TURNER sober!!!

[RockFish11]

This one was caught by Rodspanker in aug. of 09. We had both never seen one and thought it was pretty odd. Any body know what there called? Since then i have caught about six of these strange rays. All around the pass on finger mullet. One was around 30" wing tip to wing tip.

[2112]

Giggin one night from my old plastic boat in Sweetwater Lake working a cord grass shore line, a large ray had bedded up in the grass. As I came abreast the ray it bolted straight into the side of boat. That startled the crapola outta me.

Also one night heading down the canal that leads to Sweetwater Lake I came across a huge Lighting Welk. The big part of the shell was soft ball sized and its foot was bigger than that. Somebody that didn't know any better would had thought it was a Conch.

[2112]

One night I was working the shoreline in front of the Moody Airport I had my Chocolate Lab with me and the Coyotes went crazy howling and following me a short distance.
I don't know if it was just a coincidence but I think it was because of my dog with me but who knows.
It made me slightly nevous

[FlatoutFishin]

Seen this one night and it scared the chit outta me!

[Moonpie]

YIKES!!!!

If I ever saw THAT out there at night I'd sell all my fishing stuff and never go out there again!

[dbarham]

YIKES!!!!

If I ever saw THAT out there at night I'd sell all my fishing stuff and never go out there again!

you know thats right