Remains of a close call

No I haven’t wrecked another trailer.

Today we were in a bay on Barkley that has an active Osprey nest in it. I’ve always admired Ospreys more than Bald Eagles for their fish catching prowess.

We were pulling cranks down a deep cut bank. Fishing had been slow due to a 10 degree increase in surface temp in a week. I was looking forward ,out of my top. I had the top up to keep the sun off an elderly passenger who is a stroke survivor. All of a sudden one of the clients lets out a yell. When I turned around, I saw an Osprey on the water behind my boat. It picked up to fly just as a client snatched a 11” crappie from its grasp. Seems the crappie hit the crank and was hooked. The Osprey saw the fish on too, behind the boat. It had a good grasp and was trying to take off, crankbait and all. Thankfully it didn’t get hooked.

Here is the rib cage of the crappie after I dressed it. Close call! I’ve mounted an Osprey for the Woodlands Nature Center in LBL so I know close up how impressive their talons are. Attachment 401785


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Great story and not something you see every day!
Bob

They are fished machines

Bet that was awesome to see. I had a bald eagle pull some weeds off a bank I was fishing. Only about 20 feet away. I was enthralled at it's size and strength. He finally yanked the clump of weeds and flew right over me about 10 feet up. Yes, I looked up and got a face full of dirt. This was at Toledo Bend where we have seen eagles and ospreys carrying fish.

Amazing story!

Really neat story, thanks for that.


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That’s awesome. I’ve seen them up close snatch some big fish out of the water.

Really neat story, thanks for that.


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good stuff for sure , competition for a meal can sometimes be pretty intense .
nice read sir
KABOOM went that osprey for sure :highfive

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Originally Posted by "D"

Bet that was awesome to see. I had a bald eagle pull some weeds off a bank I was fishing. Only about 20 feet away. I was enthralled at it's size and strength. He finally yanked the clump of weeds and flew right over me about 10 feet up. Yes, I looked up and got a face full of dirt. This was at Toledo Bend where we have seen eagles and ospreys carrying fish.

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Bald eagle nests are something else. If you get a chance at a safe distance to get a photo the nest looks like it is built out of logs! LOL We have a nest about 5 miles away that has been in use every year for ages. By now it is completely hidden by branches and right on a lake for convenient hunting.
Bob