fishing with the Eagles.

[thudpucker]

This is on the subject of letting the bottom fish go or keep them when fishing in the deep cold waters off Alaska.

I responded with a tale of something else you might do with the bottom fish for some entertainment.

Down in southeast Alaska if the fish was too small to fool with, we'd stand at the back of the boat and wave the fish up n' down at arm's length.

Soon you'd see an Eagle a few hundred feet above you and off to the side.

Then you set a straight course and threw the fish up as high as you could. The Eagle is watching. About the time the fish splashes down, the Eagle is on his way.

Before the bewildered fish can get his bearings and start down, the Eagle is on his final approach and 'SNATCH' up up n' awaaayyyyy! Its a marvelous sight. Sends chills right down your spine and the Hair on your ears stands straight up.

Then the fight between the Eagle who wants to keep that fish, but cannot gain altitude fast enough, and the Gulls who want to knock the fish loose from the Eagle, but have to work in tag teams to get the fish. What a Drama.

The Eagle cannot gain altitude fast enough, and the numerous gulls crash into the Eagle. You can hear the 'thud' as the hit takes place.

The Eagle continues to struggle up wards.

Eventually the Eagle tires. The Gulls are getting to him. If he's going to lose the fish to the Gulls, its at this first level of struggle.

For a brief respite from the Damn Gulls, the Eagle goes into a shallow hi speed dive. The Gulls just cant keep up with the Screaming Eagle in that dive.

The Eagle loses 50' or so and gains a bunch of momentum and at the end of the dive he starts up again, this time he's above the Gulls. You can hear the wind whooshing off those huge wings as they slowly whoosh whoosh whoosh and he gains yardage and altitude with each powerful whoosh.

He gets a couple hundred feet each time he does that shallow dive. Soon the Gulls catch up though and the struggle continues.

That struggle will repeat maybe as much as six times. Finally the Eagle is so far above the scene you cant really tell if he still has the fish.

The Gulls quit and Flap noisily back to the lower altitudes.

The Eagle soars off to deal with his dinner.

Every minute you spend on the water is an entertainment of some sort.

[Trollnheel]

Neat story! Wish there were pictures to follow the text. We used to see that type of action at our local lake all the time

[Mike F]

You should take charters to see that.