Otter in the lake...

"rw" wrote in message
k.net...
Padishar Creel wrote:

------------
If my memory serves me, isn't Florida one of those areas of the world
where
the bass grow particularly large and perhaps the otters may need to be
fearful of the bass? G Up here in the Pacific NW, I have seen a
quite a
few otters over the years, and I have yet to see one with a fish in
his/her
(Politically Correct) mouth bigger than a six or so inches. I imagine a
google search will provide you with the data you seek.

They commonly kill and eat spawning steelhead and salmon around here.
------------
I really didn't know that! Until just know, I always thought of them as
cute little critters. Now were did I put my otter gun?

Chris

Padishar Creel wrote:
"rw" wrote in message
k.net...


They commonly kill and eat spawning steelhead and salmon around here.

------------
I really didn't know that! Until just know, I always thought of them as
cute little critters. Now were did I put my otter gun?

A full grown river otter is about four feet long. Regardless of what
Cyli says, they mainly eat fish.

--
Cut "to the chase" for my email address.

"rw" wrote in message
k.net...
Padishar Creel wrote:
"rw" wrote in message
k.net...


They commonly kill and eat spawning steelhead and salmon around here.

------------
I really didn't know that! Until just know, I always thought of them as
cute little critters. Now were did I put my otter gun?

A full grown river otter is about four feet long. Regardless of what
Cyli says, they mainly eat fish.


And smell of fishy ****. And they love to use their **** as a lubricant on
their slides. Around here (Island in Puget Sound) tales of Otters under a
house are like a curse, and are replete with fantastically disgusting
descriptions of the smell.

Dave

David Snedeker wrote:
"rw" wrote in message
k.net...

Padishar Creel wrote:

"rw" wrote in message
link.net...


They commonly kill and eat spawning steelhead and salmon around here.

------------
I really didn't know that! Until just know, I always thought of them as
cute little critters. Now were did I put my otter gun?

A full grown river otter is about four feet long. Regardless of what
Cyli says, they mainly eat fish.



And smell of fishy ****. And they love to use their **** as a lubricant on
their slides. Around here (Island in Puget Sound) tales of Otters under a
house are like a curse, and are replete with fantastically disgusting
descriptions of the smell.

Last year I was fishing a hole on the Salmon River when I heard a
"tweet, tweet" sound I'd never heard before. I looked around for the
bird, but it turned out to be an otter. He was warning his buddies of my
presence. There were three of them. I stopped fishing, because there
wasn't any point in continuing. They decided I wasn't a threat and
resumed their playing, chasing each other around the pool and sliding
over rocks for maybe 15 minutes. It was extremely cool.

One time on the Middle Fork I was changing flies, standing behind a
rock, when an otter surfaced right at my feet. The surprised look on his
face was priceless before he shot off like a torpedo.

I recall seeing a family of otters at Henry's Fork, pigging out on small
fish at the outlet of a small lake. I think I was with Willi and Bruiser
and Warren.

I've seen them several other times, but those are the memories that
stand out. They may smell bad, Dave, but they're damn cute.

--
Cut "to the chase" for my email address.

On 2/16/05 1:40 AM, in article
t, "rw"
wrote:


I've seen them several other times, but those are the memories that
stand out. They may smell bad, Dave, but they're damn cute.

They are indeed, fuzzy mammals that they are. There are a pair of rehab
otters at the Museum of Natural History here and the kids and I can spend a
good chunk of time just watching the two of them swim and play. The otter
they've had the longest, Lucy, was alone for a while until they brought in
Randy. Randy doesn't like Lucy at all- yet- and screams a funny scream any
time she gets anywhere near him. Pretty humorous to watch.

Couldn't help but think, as I read your post RW, that otters also put the
fish down in a big way. So if it is all about the fishing for you, why
would you hang around and watch the otters? The romance of watching otters
on a trout river seems to me (in RW think) would be akin to the romance of
fishing cane, no?

Just half yanking your chain,
Bill

William Claspy wrote:

Couldn't help but think, as I read your post RW, that otters also put the
fish down in a big way. So if it is all about the fishing for you, why
would you hang around and watch the otters? The romance of watching otters
on a trout river seems to me (in RW think) would be akin to the romance of
fishing cane, no?

No, unless perhaps you're watching them through WWI-era binoculars.

--
Cut "to the chase" for my email address.

William Claspy wrote:

Couldn't help but think, as I read your post RW, that otters also put the
fish down in a big way. So if it is all about the fishing for you, why
would you hang around and watch the otters? The romance of watching otters
on a trout river seems to me (in RW think) would be akin to the romance of
fishing cane, no?

No, unless perhaps you're watching them through WWI-era binoculars.

--
Cut "to the chase" for my email address.

On Wed, 16 Feb 2005 00:10:28 GMT, rw
wrote:

Padishar Creel wrote:
"rw" wrote in message
k.net...


They commonly kill and eat spawning steelhead and salmon around here.

------------
I really didn't know that! Until just know, I always thought of them as
cute little critters. Now were did I put my otter gun?

A full grown river otter is about four feet long. Regardless of what
Cyli says, they mainly eat fish.


I suppose it depends on what's most available in the way of flesh to
eat. While the places I see them have plenty of fish, they've got
more of bivalves.

They are cute little critters. Trade on it, too. I once had one come
up to me being all Disney and then seemed to try to get in my kayak.
I said a firm no, dropped my paddle in front of him and then, with
some guilt, left him a small Frito snack stack on the river bank. I
didn't see him go for the snack, but he did follow me downstream for
at least a mile, though at a wary distance, which suited me fine.

Cyli
r.bc: vixen. Minnow goddess. Speaker to squirrels.
Often taunted by trout. Almost entirely harmless.

http://www.visi.com/~cyli
email: lid (strip the .invalid to email)

Getting off topic, I can attest that otters are highly mobile and
resourceful on land.

The African spotted-neck otters here at the San Diego zoo are very like
American river otters. One of their enclosures opens onto an enclosure
for buffalo (not bison). The otters can run through the bars freely,
and we have seen them way in the back of the buffalo enclosure in a
raised bed. I always wondered how they managed to get past the buffalo
safely. I pictured them looking carefully both ways and making a mad
dash.

Finally, I found the answer. The otters were in the buffalo enclosure
playing with a eucalyptus branch. Any buffalo could have squished them
at will. A buffalo approached the otters. One of the otters, quick as
a rattlesnake, nipped it on the nose. The buffalo ran off. It was
clear that this was not the first encounter between the two.

So, chalk one up for brains over brawn.

And, come to think of it, could the otters deplete a pasture of cattle?

Getting off topic, I can attest that otters are highly mobile and
resourceful on land.

The African spotted-neck otters here at the San Diego zoo are very like
American river otters. One of their enclosures opens onto an enclosure
for buffalo (not bison). The otters can run through the bars freely,
and we have seen them way in the back of the buffalo enclosure in a
raised bed. I always wondered how they managed to get past the buffalo
safely. I pictured them looking carefully both ways and making a mad
dash.

Finally, I found the answer. The otters were in the buffalo enclosure
playing with a eucalyptus branch. Any buffalo could have squished them
at will. A buffalo approached the otters. One of the otters, quick as
a rattlesnake, nipped it on the nose. The buffalo ran off. It was
clear that this was not the first encounter between the two.

So, chalk one up for brains over brawn.

And, come to think of it, could the otters deplete a pasture of cattle?