Bat and release

While kayaking a Northern California river this week a tangle of fishing line above the river caught our eye. Imagine our surprise when we got close enough and realized it was a bat (Myotis sp.) with a fishing hook in its mouth – and it was still alive. The hook, a bead head Hare’s Ear nymph, was probably nabbed by the bat after a fly fisher lost it in the tree. We were able to retrieve the bat from the tree and remove the hook from its mouth. As you can see from the video the bat was able to fly off in good condition. The Hare’s Ear was added to our collection.
Photo source: FISHBIO

• brown bat
• Myotis