I got the idea to start a thread about practical jokes played on fishing buddies; and also ideas for ones yet to come. I hope this doesn't open a can of rotting worms, so to speak, and that we keep ideas reasonably benign . .....
I'll start with this one, with the payback: The same KA that loaned me the tip over boat for Trask tidewater and I hit each other pretty good on a number of occassions. Back in our young 20's one day we wound up on the same river having taken different trucks for fall fishing. I used gloves to pick up a rotten salmon carcass (they were very plentiful back then) and put it on his windshield while he was down fishing a ways away. Messy! Well the very next time I took him fishing in my truck the payback was sandshrimp put under my seat when I wasn't looking. They were fresh so it took awhile, but everyday it got stinkier until I finally nosed my way to the source of several rotting sandshrimp under my drivers seat. Good payback, but borderline benign, , hey that was inside my truck . - OK, bring 'em on.

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Benign Jokes or No Jokes . - RT

Here is one that we pulled on my son in Alaska a couple of years ago .A friend of mine and are 2 sons (12yr) were fishing the Kenai for kings with a guide( RW's guide service) Fishing was slow for couple of reasons 1 because of the no bait restrictions and the river was pretty silted up also. Anyway my son and his friend had fallen a sleep in the boat chairs.So the guide said it looks like the buckett trick time .So he reeled in my son's line clipped on a 5 gal. buckett and let out about 60 yards of line and set the drag loose and the clicker on .He then gunned the kicker motor and screamed FISH ON both boy's jumped up looking to see who's rod had the fish on my son grabed his rod with his eye's as big saucers. He was reeling like mad and it was takeing out line we told him it was big one .During this time we got Jake the other boy to scramble for the net. He was aleady to net the fish.After about 10 min. of this he started to gain on the buckett.Jake got the first look at the buckett and said thats not a fish it's a buckett.My son's face just dropped like someone had just shot his dog . The guide said maybe there is a fish in the buckett.My son said their better be.We got all of it on video it is pretty funny and we will be laughing about it for years

[This message has been edited by skydrifter (edited 11-05-2000).]

Years ago, a buddy and I were fishing the kalama for summer-runs. We've known each other since 1st grade and though lifetime friends, we had a competitive streak between us.....you know, 1st fish, biggest fish, most fish etc..

Well, I'd been making him look pretty bad lately. One of my habits is to have my rod pre-rigged, ready to go so I just need to throw a bait on. He knew this all too well and as we pulled up to our favorite hole, I made a beeline to the water.....cast...and watched my entire terminal rig go sailing into the trees. I'm puzzled. Meanwhile, he walks up behind me, casts, hooks a fish and casually says, "would you mind getting out of the way, I have a fish on!" Well, I come to find out he put the slightest nick in my mainline to ensure a satisfactory launch of my gear into the trees. I stewed.

On the way back up I-5,(it's now evening with dark approaching) I fired the fatal shot. He had dosed off so once I knew he was out I made sure there were no cars near me then simultaneously hit the horn, slammed the brakes and yelled "Holy S*&^".

To this day, I've never seen a person jump so bad. Not only did he hit his head on the roof of the truck but he also swallowed his snoose and had a little poo poo in his pants.
I laughed so hard I had to pull over.

Oddly enough, my line hasn't parted since!

During the Sockeye season on Lake WA '96 I took a lot of people out that were friends and family and most of them did not fish very often. One guy was a friend of a friend and was chompin' at the bit to go Sockeye fishing but did not know anybody with a boat to take him. My friend Dave told him about me and said that it was "guaranteed fish" if you go out with Justin on Lake WA. I arranged a trip with Dave and his friend, Damon. Damon had been saltwater salmon fishing a few times before but had no clue about the Lake WA Sockeye fishery.

We got out on the water and set up to fish near the 520 bridge. I asked Dave where he had put the herring. Now we all know that herring is "not" the bait of choice to use for Lake WA Sockeye. Dave and I had it all planned and we started arguing with eachother about who was supposed to bring the herring. "I told you to get two dozen herring yesterday". "Nuh, uh. I told you to pick up herring." By this time we had poor Damon convinced that we had honestly forgot the bait.

I apologized to Damon for forgetting the herring. "Screw it," I said "let's just use bare hooks." "What!? Bare hooks!?" Damon was ready to go postal and even asked me if I had been smokin' something. We proceeded to let the lines down with the dodgers and bare red hooks. Thinking to myself that it would not take long to show Damon that the bare hook was really what we planned to use from the get go.

As luck would have it, or should I say wouldn't have it, we did not touch a fish by 520 bridge between 5:30-8:00am. Damon was steaming the whole time and even asked to go home early and just forget about fishing today or get some herring and come back. I decided that the fish must have moved and we cruised down to the I-90 bridge near Leschi and ran the gear out again. It was not too long before one of the rods popped off and we told Damon to grab it. He looked at us for a minute with that "yeah, sure" kind of look and finally grabbed the rod and soon after we put a fiesty Sockeye in the box.

We all ended up with our limits that day and Damon still thinks to this day that we really forgot the herring and just got lucky on the bare hooks.

Justin
CEO, Sauk River Steelhead Ranch

Can we stoop to CLAM DIGGING? A friend of mine from high school came back into town on-leave from the Air Force. He brought a friend from Oklahoma with him. It was winter, and we decided to go clam digging on a 11:00 pm tide. The new guy was excited to go. That evening, be showed up dressed appropriately, with pack boots on. I said, "Hey, as the new guy, you have to be the "runner". When you dig up a clam, sometimes they scamper across the beach trying to get away, so as the runner, you need tennis shoes to catch them. Those pack boots won't work too well."
So, he changed into his sneakers.
At about midnight, as he stood in soaked tennis shoes, he caught on that there was no such thing as a "runner" or scampering clams. Good thing we were near the house so he didn't freeze too badly.

One slow night sturgeon fishing on the Chehalis, I decided to have some fun. There were four of us fishing. And all but me were sound asleep. It being about 3am. So I took a four ounce weight and tied it on a small piece of dacron with a snap on one end. I took this snap and put it on one friends line that was in. As the weight slid down the line, the rod started to bump like a fish biting. I called to Robert, he jumped up and grabbed his rod. Then set the hook, No fish. He waited and still could feel the bumping, so set it again. He did this like three times before I could not hold in the laughing anymore. He still has yet to get even. I woun't go into my next trick, as he may read it here and then that would spoil the fun.

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Just because I look big, dumb, and ugly, doesn't mean I am. It means I can stomp you for calling me it!

A friend of mine lives on the Texas gulf coast.When he got married,his (buddies?)filled all 4 of his hubcaps with shrimp.Imagine that after A few hot Texas days. Wish I had thought of that.
Dutchman

Hey Seabuy - I nearly peed my pants when I read your scampering clam story. I'll have to use that next time we have inexperienced family or friends out to dig. THANKS!

SKYDRIFTER, I WAS WONDERING DO YOU HAVE ANY EXTRA COPIES OR WILLING TO MAKE A COPY OF YOUR SON AND THE "BUCKET FISH" THAT SOUNDED FUNNY..I WOULD LOVE TO SEE THAT ONE..THANKS **SCHITZO**