Went out on my center console last night to do some bottom fishing and a friend of mine literally almost got killed while I was on the way to my spot. I was running about 35mph or so in 2 foot seas when a 9lb Mackerel jumped out of the water and hit my friend on the side of his neck and forehead knocking him out for about 30 seconds. Now this guy is 6ft, 300+ pounds and when that fish hit him, it was literally the loudest smack I've ever heard in my life. At first, I thought something had happened to the engine and when I look in front of me, there's my buddy, bear hugging a 9lb mackerel, falling over to the side knocked out. Now I must say this, he's always bragging about how good of a fisherman he is and I told him that after last night, I'll never contest that. Any man that can get the crap knocked out of him by a 9lb fish traveling 35mph and still be able to grab him, and not let go all the way down to the floor, while knocked out, is a fisherman in my book.

After he got hit, there was a moment there that I thought I might have had to call the Coast Guard because he wasn't doing too well but luckily he snapped out of it. He said he felt dizzy for about 2 hours after that and now he has a bump on the side of his neck that looks like another head but other than that, he's fine.

Now, after I realized what had happened, I started laughing like crazy up until the point he started falling over because then I got worried. Then when I saw everything was fine, I was laughing so hard I couldn't drive the boat because I was on my knees crying of how funny it was. I swear I don't think I've ever laughed so hard and I think that fish hit him because he's always talking crap.

Overall, we were lucky that nothing happened. If that fish would've hit one of my kids, or my buddy square in the head, it would've killed them. So from now on my kids are riding behind the console. I know this is a freak accident that will probably never happen again but last year a lady down here was killed instantly when a sting ray jumped out of the water and hit her in the forehead. She died instantly along with the sting ray so it's something to be on the look out if you're on a boat. Oh, and in case you're wondering, that mackerel died instantly too. When we pried it from my friends arms, that thing didn't even twitch.

I had something similar happen to me not to long ago. I was fishing a bass torney and we were running wtfo and I saw a flock of puldeau fly across our path. Being that I been in this predicament before I knew to duck but did it a little late and the bird slid acros my back leaving about a 12" welp across my back. If I wouldn't have ducked I would have taking it to the face at 60 mph. I think people just underestimate the danger of flying animals. Fish or birds

Coming back Sat. night the mullet were thick. Switched on my KC's in the dark at WOT and those mullet went fllying. Even though they're only about 12 inches long, 4 or 5 of em hit you at a time kinda stings. LOL Glad your buddy's ok.

I took a mullet to the chest at 50+ mph talk about hard to catch a breath

Around here you have to watch out for the asian carp jumping 10 feet out of the water. Some of them are 40 pounds. Luckily my boat isn't very fast so you just kind of have to watch out

one of my buddys got knocked out like that we were on the way to his camp in pierre part one night. He turned around to tell me something and a mullet jumped in the boat and caught him in the back of the head he was only out for about a half a minute but when he woke up all he could say was wtf happened until we all stopped laughing enough to tell him.

I've seen the same thing happen with flying fish when we are running out to the Gulf Stream to catch dolphin but never with a 9lb Mackerel.

I was on a boat once running 40+ when a flying fish hit the captain square in the forehead sending him flying back towards the rear of the boat but even that was minor compared to what I saw yesterday.

These days every time I put my boat in the water it feels up with fish!!! Lol

Coming back from frogging a couple years ago my buddy got knocked the phuck out by a tree duck. The next day the side of his face was swollen and he still has a little dimple on his face from the incident. For a long time when we rode in the dark that mofo would lay down while we were underway.

Ive been hit square in the mouth with about a 3 pound mullet while running about 30 mph. That sh!t hurt. It surprised me more than hurt though. It was so quick I didnt realize what happened until I tasted mullet. It was funny and sh!tty all at the same time.

dad was night fishing on Bob Sandlin one night (alone). Runnin 60 mph, he smacked a duck and knocked him clean out.
thankfully, he was still on board and the boat had slowed to a managable speed and was doing donuts. He split his glasses in half, the duck was on the front deck and it actually led to a couple seizures a few weeks later. Quite a scare, an now he is real caurious when running into big rafts of coot

I've caught my fair share of june bugs and wasps but never birds or fish

I agree...

Buddy of mine was sittin in the front his boat and I was driving. First mullet hit him in the back he turns around to see what it was and when he turns back another one hit him in the face.

We had a 60# wahoo miss a ballyhoo my friend was rigging and land beside the center console. That toothy SOB had it all to himself for a while. He did leave a bloody mess, but also made a lot of grease stink..

I was riding my brand new 400 ex wtfo one evening and caught a blue bird to the goggles. Had I not had on a helmet I would probably be dead. We were wide open 1 morning rushing to get to our spot and set up and my dad narrowly missed catching a red head to the face, luckily the spotlight he was holding helped him swat it away. First duck of the day on our limit and it was a big old pretty drake red head.