

Jimmy Hendryx
Yuba City, CA
A couple of friends and I were striper fishing on the Sacramento
River here in Northern California. I had a 20' fish and ski barge so, since
there was plenty of room, we decided to take my yellow lab, Tanner, along.
I had decided to rebait my hook with a big chunk of cut sardine. I cut a big
chunk, put it on the 2/0 mustad hook and laid the leader, hook, and bait on
top of the ice chest while I rummaged around in the boat for something. When
I went to pick up the hook and leader, it was nowhere to be found. I looked
all over for it. It was at that point that I noticed Tanner looking at me with
20-pound test hanging out of her mouth. I thought, "Oh no!" and looked
down her throat, but couldn't see anything. I didn't know what to do, but since
it was late at night, and all the veterinary offices were closed, I just reached
in as far as I could and cut the leader.
The next afternoon I was talking to my wife on the telephone (she was in the
hospital) and told her what had happened. She said that she was going to call
a veterinarian. While I waited for her to call back, I let Tanner out so she
could run around a bit. She went out on the lawn to relieve herself, and suddenly,
there was the hook, just like it went in (without the leader)! When my wife
called back I was ecstatic. I told her that the hook had come out and she asked
me what I had done with it. I jokingly told her that it was in perfect shape
so I just washed it and put it back in my tackle box.
According to the vet that she spoke to, that was one lucky dog.
Dog Takes the Bait