Predator and Prey

All about trout fishing in the great Garden State!
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MickyFinn
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Predator and Prey

Post by MickyFinn » Tue Jan 26, 2021 8:51 am

Caught this fish yesterday on SBR. If you look closely, you'll see some additional talon-scratches, beside the obvious wound--hopefully, healing. Osprey or bald eagle?

Co-incidentally, a couple of months ago, I watched a bald eagle flying low over the SBR before it swooped up to land on a thick branch over the water--with a big trout swinging from one taloned foot. That eagle landed--lost its grip--and the trout plummeted back into the river, sending up a geyser-like splash. The eagle hung out for a while on the branch, looking down, before flying off. We've all known that feelingl, eh?
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Rusty Spinner
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Re: Predator and Prey

Post by Rusty Spinner » Tue Jan 26, 2021 11:20 am

You can't tell which bird of prey caught the trout by talon marks, but is is almost always the osprey who then often loses his or her catch to a bald eagle that follows them, stealing their catches. Ospreys are phenomenal hunters and bald eagles not so much, so the eagles steal instead. It was the reason Ben Franklin called for the wild turkey to be America's bird and not the bald eagle.
"A sinking fly is closer to Hell" - Unknown

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46er
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Re: Predator and Prey

Post by 46er » Tue Jan 26, 2021 8:01 pm

They like Bass as well :mrgreen:

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aka; Ralph
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The irony of the Human condition is that we are so focused on reaching some point in our journey, some happiness, or some goal, that we seem to forget that the journey itself is where life happens.

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BiggerThomas
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Re: Predator and Prey

Post by BiggerThomas » Tue Jan 26, 2021 9:05 pm

Good Lord, that poor thing looks like it got clipped by a propeller.
"Most anglers spend their lives in making rules for trout, and trout spend theirs in breaking them."

-From Letters to Young Fly-Fishers, (1926) Sir George Aston,

Jaybird
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Re: Predator and Prey

Post by Jaybird » Wed Jan 27, 2021 12:53 pm

Saw a bald eagle try to take out a Canadian Goose on the South Branch in Califon once . He didn't succeed that time but I'm sure it had worked for him in the past .

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lightenup
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Re: Predator and Prey

Post by lightenup » Wed Jan 27, 2021 3:05 pm

I had an Osprey take a fish I was casting to in the meathole a few years back. Scared the crap outta me...Apparently it hung out a few days and stole fish off lines.

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46er
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Re: Predator and Prey

Post by 46er » Mon Feb 01, 2021 2:38 pm

aka; Ralph
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The irony of the Human condition is that we are so focused on reaching some point in our journey, some happiness, or some goal, that we seem to forget that the journey itself is where life happens.

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