Flash fiction is where you tell a story with as few words as possible. I invite you to tell a flash fish nonfiction story with as few words as possible. Again, gotta be true and tell with concision, fifty words or less:

Musky came unbuttoned at the canoe. As my lure dangled over the water, I saw the musky just below it, ready for Round II. I let the lure drop. Water and fury on a short line, but I landed it!

Ready to land walleye for dinner
Toothy pike ambush
No more dinner

Rod doubles over and reel screams out line. Adrenaline pumps new life into fatigued muscles. Water droplets sparkle in the air as smallmouth explodes through the surface. Lure goes flying. I swear the smallmouth is laughing. Despair ensues as water calms. Drop rod and pick up the paddle and smile.

Friend casts line and bait into water, closes bail on reel, sets rod down on rock for a second to put lid back on bait box. Big Fish takes bait, takes off, fishing rod rockets deep into lake never to be seen again.

Second story:

Dad fishing with young son, (me). Dad catches fish. Son puts his rod down to get net. Seagull dives on floating Jitterbug lure son didn't reel in. Son reels in first bird he ever caught fishing. Dad wrestles seagull for 10 minutes to get treble hooks out of it's arse.

johndku: "Second story:

Dad fishing with young son, (me). Dad catches fish. Son puts his rod down to get net. Seagull dives on floating Jitterbug lure son didn't reel in. Son reels in first bird he ever caught fishing. Dad wrestles seagull for 10 minutes to get treble hooks out of it's arse. "

That second yarn: YIKES!

Selfsuffi: "Rod doubles over and reel screams out line. Adrenaline pumps new life into fatigued muscles. Water droplets sparkle in the air as smallmouth explodes through the surface. Lure goes flying. I swear the smallmouth is laughing. Despair ensues as water calms. Drop rod and pick up the paddle and smile."

"Water droplets sparkle in the air as smallmouth explodes through the surface."

Ain't it cool how our minds can snap a frame?

"Drop rod and pick up the paddle and smile."

That's the spirit!

johndku: "Friend casts line and bait into water, closes bail on reel, sets rod down on rock for a second to put lid back on bait box. Big Fish takes bait, takes off, fishing rod rockets deep into lake never to be seen again.


Second story:


Dad fishing with young son, (me). Dad catches fish. Son puts his rod down to get net. Seagull dives on floating Jitterbug lure son didn't reel in. Son reels in first bird he ever caught fishing. Dad wrestles seagull for 10 minutes to get treble hooks out of it's arse. "

I bet that gull never ate anything that even remotely looked like that jitterbug ever again!

missmolly: "

Selfsuffi: "Rod doubles over and reel screams out line. Adrenaline pumps new life into fatigued muscles. Water droplets sparkle in the air as smallmouth explodes through the surface. Lure goes flying. I swear the smallmouth is laughing. Despair ensues as water calms. Drop rod and pick up the paddle and smile."

"Water droplets sparkle in the air as smallmouth explodes through the surface."


Ain't it cool how our minds can snap a frame?


"Drop rod and pick up the paddle and smile."


That's the spirit!"

The mind is such a powerful thing... :) I swear on my life that when I read a good book I don't recall turning a page or reading a word. It is like watching a movie in my head and my eyes and brain are just the video equipment that makes it possible.

Big fish is on the line, half hour later the big Northern is mine! As he lay in the bottom of the canoe, I rush to get a pic or two. As I turn around to grab my camera, the beast makes one giant flop and he’s gone.

Johnny Woodsman and his teenage son night fishing together in the BWCA. Johnny lands a personal best 38 inch northern at 1 AM. Landing big fish at night in a canoe is a not-so-easy task.

friend finds fish lure on shore, ties it on says "best lure to use because it already caught a fish" , first cast bit off returned to the lake.

Nervously navigating the thrashing teeth and treble hooks alongside the canoe, I lock the heavy handled gripper to monster's jaw. Safe!

A sudden slimy seizure!

Gripper ripped from my hands, the pair now joined. Sinking, slowly. Sickening.

Still hooked, there's hope!

Slowly!...Steady!...Ever so gently to the surface...

Saved!

Fish On! Fish Off...

I was on the wrong side of a large lake trolling a 10-foot diver. Winds kicked up, 2 to 3 foot waves, afraid to stop paddling and bring in the lure. Biggest Laker I ever caught, stayed hooked till I reached my campsite.

schweady: "Fish On! Fish Off...
"

Story of my life!

Chicagored: "I was on the wrong side of a large lake trolling a 10-foot diver. Winds kicked up, 2 to 3 foot waves, afraid to stop paddling and bring in the lure. Biggest Laker I ever caught, stayed hooked till I reached my campsite.


"

Whoa! You win the gold medal with that one.

Kid. Dad. Uncle. Canoe. Mountain Lake.

Kid catches 6-pound laker, biggest fish of his life to that point and biggest on the trip to that point. While Uncle is still taking the hook out, Dad brings in an 8-pounder.

Of course the kid remembers that - 55 years later. :-)

Walleye hole less than 50 yards from camp. Muddy lake floor with emerging weeds. Dropped a fake leech under the canoe, fish on before it reached the floor. Caught 3 more on the next 3 casts. Bow partner didn't even get a cast, too busy stringing up lunch.

Here's some flash fishing fiction, rooted in reality: Went fishing with QueticoMike. Hundreds of fish caught. I caught one. I spent all but three minutes of the fishing time netting and photographing Mike's trophies. Sigh. Still, cool to see!

Northern gets away with lure inherited from grandpa.

Chase it for 20 minutes.

Top and bottom lips are hooked.

Fish can't breathe and we are missing with the paddle.

Whack.

End of story.

Cliff notes version.......
I came, I fished,
I had fish dinner, I leaned back, had a sip of rum and smiled.

Three generations together in the boat, the torch being passed without anyone noticing. Grandma wins the day with a few nice Largemouth Bass, still won't bait her own hooks. Grandpa spinning the same old tales to my son that he spun to me years earlier. Memories revisited. Relationships strengthened. Wishing I would have known it would be the last time.

naturboy12: "Three generations together in the boat, the torch being passed without anyone noticing. Grandma wins the day with a few nice Largemouth Bass, still won't bait her own hooks. Grandpa spinning the same old tales to my son that he spun to me years earlier. Memories revisited. Relationships strengthened. Wishing I would have known it would be the last time. "

That sure made my eyes shine.

I got skunked.

True story.

nofish: "I got skunked.


True story. "

You told it in five words. I'll retell it in one: nofish

8 days around Knife in mid-September. No fish to be found in places fish should have been found. On the day we left Cherry for west Knife, caught the only fish of the trip while trolling a firetiger diver, my first smallmouth ever. Nice one too. Didn't get skunked!

North Quetico lake, getting dark out, last day and last cast of the trip, largest pike of the week 37".

Battling worst northern / lure / net tangle of my life. Buddies forgot their net and are calling for mine.
Buddy: “NET!”
Me: “Can’t. I’ve got a big one.”
Buddy: “NET!”
Me: “Figure it out!”
His canoe partner gills the 42” northern
Me: “Wow. Shoulda asked for a net”

Kaparzo: "Battling worst northern / lure / net tangle of my life. Buddies forgot their net and are calling for mine.
Buddy: “NET!”
Me: “Can’t. I’ve got a big one.”
Buddy: “NET!”
Me: “Figure it out!”
His canoe partner gills the 42” northern
Me: “Wow. Shoulda asked for a net”
"

LOL!! I can picture that....how big was the one in the tangled net?

Low 30’s. He still refuses to portage a net.

Hold my beer, watch this.

It was our first time fishing the Turtle Flambeau Flowage. Stopped in for lunch. Met a man with a beard. He only shaved after catching a 36”+ musky. We had caught several that morning. He fished with us and landed a 52” inches. He bought us a round of drinks.

Fish on line, bow partner not paying attention. Pole goes in drink. He is Upset! Grabs his back-up pole. We catch many more walleyes. Try to catch one more "eater" for dinner. Hooks into a fighter. A smallie with his jig.... and rod and reel. Happy guy! DAMN SMALLIE:)

This video sums up my favorite fishing trip from last June. Best 5 days of smallmouth fishing I've ever experienced.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXrHAdL51kc&t=259s

Months scanning BWCA.com from my NY apartment brought us to a lake, known in small, private circles for big Lakers, days after ice out. My hammered gold spoon is slapped again and again until my brother finally hooks the monster. All that focus and wonder punctuated by the screech of a reel and our frantic excitement left a calm generous feeling when the brown beast escaped to the depths.

Sorry, cheated a bit.

Selfsuffi: "I swear the smallmouth is laughing. "

>

Love that line.

A few words more than 50, but here's my short story:

Lunchtime in Quetico. We have plenty of fish, but my buddy Bryan (the filleting master) jokingly says we need one more walleye. My buddy Jon grabs the closest rod, casts out a jig, immediately sets the hook, swings an eater walleye over to Bryan who fillets it, then hands to me and into the oil it goes. Setting the hook to hot oil - about 60 secs. LOL

I got a fish!
It's a big one!
Crap!

Zwater: "Fish on line, bow partner not paying attention. Pole goes in drink. He is Upset! Grabs his back-up pole. We catch many more walleyes. Try to catch one more "eater" for dinner. Hooks into a fighter. A smallie with his jig.... and rod and reel. Happy guy! DAMN SMALLIE:)"

Wow!!! My favorite

Had a massive tangle in my reel, cut the line and was preparing to re-set the rig. Pulling in the lure by hand, caught a good size smallmouth, had to bring him in by hand!