My first Osprey.. luckily not a keeper !

[rob-kayak]

Lots of grass in the water where I was yesterday.

So I stopped, to make a turn around, I was trolling four lines, so I needed to pull them in for 180 degree turn, less I tangle.

I'm pulling in one line... and another goes super slack, I turn around to look and an Osprey had picked up the 4inch stretch, which had with it tangle of grass.

Luckily the Osprey dropped the lure... that sure would have been a mess if it had gotten hooked.

Certainly a first for me.. haven't heard anybody else here mention such an incident.

Although our resident "Bird Whisperer" may have had an encounter I missed reading in the forums.

I did land three rockfish.. in the low twenties.

[Big Mike]

Interesting, I've never heard of an osprey making a mistake by that. Thank goodness it didn't get hooked, that is one bird I wouldn't want to mess with.

[Mark]

Wow.

It's actually amazing that such incidents don't happen more often given that ospreys are so numerous in our waters and often circling above us.

The grass on your lure must have simulated the profile of fish. You are fortunate you didn't hook the bird. Sharp claws and beak.

Years ago a blue heron swooped down on a rainbow I had hooked in the Patapsco near the swinging bridge. It didn't get the rainbow.

That's the only time a bird and I competed for the same fish.

[dhawk]

Never seen an osprey mistake a lure for a fish. I did have an eagle take a pickeral off my hook at patuxent wildlife refuge. It was awesome to have one swoop down so close, made me jump.

[sb220]

I had an osprey grab a Sammy (walk the dog topwater bait) Bird came down out the corner of my eye and I stopped working it....bird hovers 5 feet above and then picks it up anyways.

I tried to snatch it away, but ended up setting the hook I think. Cause the bird started to freak out and fly up with the bait dangling, so I open the spool and within seconds the bait falls back to the water. It may have actually pulled the hook out with its other claw. I don't know how else to explain it getting loose

[YakCapn]

Not an Osrey or even a bird, but it reminded me of this...
https://youtu.be/sWqg6B-taUg

[rwh]

Last year I had one come down and grab my Skitterwalk. It got hooked. I was freaking out trying to think of what to do. I keep a filet glove in my bag so I was going to reel it in to see if I could set it free. The line snapped and the lure was still stuck in it's foot. I hope that never happens again, but I did have another close call not long after that but was able to jerk the lure before he got it. I stop using top water lures now if ospreys are hunting in the area.

[BarefootPetr]

I've had that happen while carp fishing with doughballs. Seagull picked it off the water. I've also gotten wrapped up with with birds while fly fishing in the middle of a blitz. If that happens wrap it up in a towel (if you have one) to calm it down and avoid the talons

[jet]

a few years ago i was chasing some breaking birds with blues under them. i definitely got my line tangled around a seagulls wing and had to reel him in to untangle