A fisherman in New Jersey got more than he bargained for when he went on the lake one day to catch bass.

Emre Olceroglu regularly fishes around Pennsylvania and South Jersey, but he wasn't prepared for the wildlife he encountered on this particular day.

Photo: Pexels/eberhard grossgasteiger

Emre shared on YouTube that he mainly targets "freshwater and bass" when fishing, but noted that he's aiming to "experience different species over time."

I think it's safe to say that Emre probably wasn't aiming to catch anything outside of the water, but that's exactly what happened.

He took to YouTube to share his experience, explaining that he was fishing in the woods of New Jersey when he "heard a loud cry for help."

Photo: Pexels/Landiva Weber

After doing some quick investigating, Emre discovered the cry was "a cute screech owl tangled in fishing line." He noted that the owl was "attached to a tree, so it was swinging like a pendulum pivoted to the branch."

While many people might've turned a blind eye to an owl in need of some help, Emre refused to give up on the poor thing. He said that it took a while to free the owl from the fishing line, but after being freed, the owl took off across the lake and seemed to be fine.

Photo: Pexels/Ofir Eliav

Emre went on to speak of the importance of leaving no trace. He said, "This just goes to show how important it is to leave no trash behind when fishing, or doing any other outdoors activity. Always carry a trash bag with you, or at least put the extra line/garbage in your pockets or socks. Feel responsible for line that's tangled in the tree branches and try to clean them up as much as possible (I know it is not entirely possible sometimes)."

If you want to see the video of the rescue for yourself, check it out on Emre's YouTube channel here!