Dog Takes the Bait

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.