Okay, the headline is an exaggeration, but I couldn’t resist. Steve Kennedy wasn’t attacked Saturday by a barred owl at the Sabine River. But his fishing lure was, specifically, a Zoom Horny Toad topwater bait. It seems wherever Kennedy goes, a fish/wildlife story somewhat out of the ordinary occurs. Earlier in the week, Kennedy was “attacked” by a mullet. It came flying out of the Sabine River and plunked Kennedy in the back of the leg.
Saturday’s owl incident occurred when Kennedy was in the midst of his 31st place finish. Kennedy is having a good season on the Elite Series circuit. The Auburn, Ala., veteran pro angler was 4th at Pickwick Lake two weeks ago and 2nd at the Tennessee River in February. He’s now 10th in Angler of the Year points.
Kennedy noticed the owl following him, flying from tree to tree, as he fished in a backwater area. Finally, the owl couldn’t resist diving on the life-like soft plastic lure that was waking across the water surface. Kennedy’s marshal captured the photos with his mobile phone. A little research indicates this is a subspecies known as the Texas barred owl.
The owl flew off unharmed.