Night of the otter

[Okanagan]

A couple of weeks ago while elk hunting my son and I came into camp after dark.  Grandson Code had gotten there just before us and was gathering firewood along the river bank.  No fire yet.

As we rummaged through gear to transition from hunting to supper by a fire, suddenly Code called out, "Hey, bring a light!  I think there's a bear over here!"

Then he upped the volume and called, "Hurry! He's coming across the river!"

We could hear splashing, some grunts and a sort of woof or dog bark.  I brought a small spotlight and there across the small river were four otters lined up on a log.  Now and then one of them would slip into the water and come up with a trout in its mouth, which it would eat from one end like a banana when it got back up on the log. 

This story has razz potential for our next antler party, about Code's bear coming across the river. 

[Hawks Feather]

But being the kind, considerate, and nice people that you are I am sure that there will never be a razz about it. Or at least not till he is there. 

[nastygunz]

I foul hooked an otter while fly fishing a trout pond, he spooled me pretty quick lol.

[Okanagan]

I foul hooked an otter while fly fishing a trout pond, he spooled me pretty quick lol.

That musta been exciting.  Did he get your fly line or did he break off at the leader?

One time on Vancouver Island a friend and I put a skillet on a small fire on lakeshore gravel to catch and cook some cutthroat trout for breakfast.  A family of 3 otters, mama and two youngsters, set up 30-40 feet to one side of us and caught trout ten times as efficiently as we did. They would come up with a trout every time they slipped into the little lake, and would sit up on shore and eat it from one end.   They woould hold it vertcially with both paws and eat straight down.  I think they ate from the head down but can't recall.  Good time and they weren't the least intimidated by us.