I was fishing in the channel between Perdido Bay and the Gulf last year and a Great Blue Heron kept trying to get into my bait bucket. I ran him off a half dozen times and each time when I went back to casting he would come back. I finally got PO'd and as I was chasing him off and calling him a not so polite name, I cast my lure at him. As luck would have it the lure caught him in the wing (not my intention, I swear). Anyway he took off running and hopping and trying to fly. The whole time he was letting out the most ungodly series of incredibly loud squawks and cries and honks that you ever heard. It was like flying a living, squawking kite. I reeled in line until I could get close enough to pin him down with the rod and grab his beak. The whole time I am trying to get the treble hook out of his tough skin he is beating me with his other wing and squawking like crazy. Needless to say when I got the hook out and let him go he didn't make any more attempts at my bait bucket. I am not sure which of us was more relieved when the ordeal was over. This method definitely worked for me but your results may vary.
