Monsters Getting Off....

[Grumpy V.]

Question for all you Pro's ????? The other day I hooked a monster, probaley a 8 to10 pounder and was reeling it in, now I didn't want to loose it and it was pulling hard, i let my drag out a little so he wouldn't break my line and when I got him about 5 to 6 ft. from shore he came up and started to dance so I let off and he was gone...bummer to say the least anyway,  what is the best way to bring these big one's in without losing them......Thanks  Grumpy

[J Francho]

Big fish are a whole different animal.  Everything has to go right.

[AK-Jax86]

If its that big dive in and grab em

[PotomacBassin]

Say a prayer and/or jump in and tackle her like the croc hunter.

 

Just kidding.  I just try to keep constant pressure on them when I'm fortunate enough to have a big one on and reel at every chance you can gain ground on them.  You have to constantly be thinking where you're going to land the fish at (especially bank fishing) and what you need to do in order to accomplish that and be ready to adjust because the fish will never do what you expect it to do. You'll know how much you can horse them when you see how they're hooked.  If you have them in the upper jaw you know you can give a bit more tug as opposed to when hooked on the loose fleshy skin on the side of the mouth.

 

Then just enjoy the ride.

[Darren.]

Happened to me as well. I'd estimate her at about 8 lbs, she danced just inches from the outstretched net and gave me back my worm. Sad day. But I caught the 6 pounder in my avatar a few minutes thereafter!

[H00kedOnBass]

Keep the rod tip down. With experience you can feel when they're gonna jump.

[Darren.]

Keep the rod tip down. With experience you can feel when they're gonna jump.

Very true, but you can't always prevent it...

[fstr385]

Man I had that happen to me twice one day. After the second time I was pretty mad for a few hours. Then again today, fish prob between 6-8 came out shook it off and gone trying not to break my line just like you.

[zip pow]

My best tip to prevent this is just catch smaller fish LOL. Really just be careful not to point your rod tip at the fish with slack in your line its almost a guranteed way to let one off.

[Grumpy V.]

Say a prayer and/or jump in and tackle her like the croc hunter.

 

Just kidding.  I just try to keep constant pressure on them when I'm fortunate enough to have a big one on and reel at every chance you can gain ground on them.  You have to constantly be thinking where you're going to land the fish at (especially bank fishing) and what you need to do in order to accomplish that and be ready to adjust because the fish will never do what you expect it to do. You'll know how much you can horse them when you see how they're hooked.  If you have them in the upper jaw you know you can give a bit more tug as opposed to when hooked on the loose fleshy skin on the side of the mouth.

 

Then just enjoy the ride.

Thanks for the tip,hopefully next time ??? she won't get off, but like you said there unpredictable!!!!!  Grumpy V.

[Grumpy V.]

Thanks for all your tips guys.

[SirSnookalot]

There isn't a person in the world that lands every fish both big and small, any fish can be lost on the jump even a well hooked one.  It doesn't make any difference if it's a big bass, snook, tarpon or even a sailfish, it's going to happen, your going to lose your fair share, I wouldn't list all my losses, lol.

But you can give yourself an edge, a tight line and low rod and keep the pressure on.  Many fish are lost due to of over excitement, the time to get excited is when the fish is on the deck, before and you given the edge to the fish.  It isn't strength, it's technique, many small in stature people land bigger fish.

[Sam]

Grumpy, to follow up on what was posted above:

1. Keep rod tip in the water to prevent jumping.

2. Keep rod to left or right.

3. Never point rod tip at fish causing line to be straight between rod tip and fish.

4. Keep line tight at all times. Even a little slack is enough for them to throw the bait, especially treble hook baits.

5. Let her get tired. She will get tired and then you will have to reach down to lip her.

6. Do not horse her in.

7. Keep her off the grass or bank so you don't remove her protective slime.

8. Take pic and let her go as soon and as fast as possible by placing her in the water and letting her swim away, slowly.

 

If she hit the bait to kill it and not eat it your bait may not be as secure in her mouth as you believe.

 

Good luck and post some pics.

[PotomacBassin]

x4 on never point the rod tip at the fish. This is the easiest way to break off a lure. This is how I intentially break off my hooks if I'm in a snag that I can't undo.  Point the rod at the snagged hook and pull straight back. Ha.  

[SPEEDBEAD.]

I was never really a fan of the "bow to the fish" technique if they were going to jump. If I hook into something that I know is good size, they get DRAGGED to the boat if it is on my swimbait gear. I'm not in the mood to play a fish on swimbait gear as most of the time the bait I'm using is big enough that if the fish jumps and shakes its head, that fish is gone.

 

If I do feel that they are coming up, the rod goes right/left HARD, whichever way is opposite of the fish.

 

A net is a huge help too.

[CPBassFishing]

what bait were you using?

[J Francho]

I was never really a fan of the "bow to the fish" technique if they were going to jump. If I hook into something that I know is good size, they get DRAGGED to the boat if it is on my swimbait gear. I'm not in the mood to play a fish on swimbait gear as most of the time the bait I'm using is big enough that if the fish jumps and shakes its head, that fish is gone.

 

If I do feel that they are coming up, the rod goes right/left HARD, whichever way is opposite of the fish.

 

A net is a huge help too.

 

I agree.  While I prefer them not to jump, when they are in the air, you have the advantage.  Steer them the opposite direction they're headed, which is usually toward you.

[BrettD]

Im like Ike when I lose a big fish. The worst was when I lost an 8+ on a kvd 1.5 because the hook straightend out this was before I started changing the hooks on them.

[roadwarrior]

I have complete confidence in my drag setting which allows me to maintain

maximum pressure on the fish at all times. The fish is either pulling drag or

coming my way. Unlike a lot of you, I always prefer that the fish jump, especially

the big ones!  This my favorite part of fishing.

 

I don't lose too many big fish, but it has happened...http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/68635-huge-disappointment/

 

 

 

[RoachDad]

Dude, your not wearing a shirt in your avatar.  I don't know if you realized that or not.

 

 

My best tip to prevent this is just catch smaller fish LOL. Really just be careful not to point your rod tip at the fish with slack in your line its almost a guranteed way to let one off.

[RoachDad]

Man, a couple weeks ago here in NC it was really warm and I took the wife to a farm pond and set her up for some bobber and jig fishing. Then I started bass fishing.  After a couple hours of nothing, I grabbed a little spinning rig and started throwing a little mepps inline spinner to snag a crappy or bream just for fun before leaving.

 

You guessed it, I hooked the biggest bass of my life.  I was on the dam so i was a couple feet above the water and there was grass and trash for about 10 feet between me and the water.  I got down the bank as far as I could and played her like Eric Clapton on a guitar and wondered how in the world I was going to keep her on and get her out of all that mess. Plus I figured she was going to break my line any second. 

 

Luckily the wife saw her roll one last time and toss my bait so at least she saw the gut on this hog before I lost her.

 

I have decided to replace my mono with 15 lb proline braid so that I can horse them a little more even when I am finessing.  I still think the biggest problem was the little treble on the spinner, but I don't know how to get around that.  I only caught her because I had a small bait on.

 

I wanted to really set the hook but I was afraid of my light line.  I hope with the braid I can just go ahead and really set the hook.

 

BTW, when I lost her, I could not catch my breath for a minute or 2.  I think i was literally holding my breath the whole time.  I was caught completely off-guard.

tight lines bros

[A-Jay]

Something to consider is your tackle.

 

If you have chosen to use a set up that is capable of handling the largest fish you're apt to hook in the body of water you are fishing, you have a better chance of actually landing it.  An often over looked portion of your set up beyond just your rod, reel & line, includes the hardware on the lure or bait you're throwing including split rings and hooks.

 

Sometimes anglers fish gear that is matched to the average fish they are routinely catching; not wanting to over power these bass.  But when the fish of the year is hooked, the angler may be seriously under gunned and any weak link in the system has a better chance of failing.  This is not to say that big fish are not landed on smaller or mid-sized tackle because we all know this is not the case.   But it's something to thing about.

 

Do you want to have fun fighting the 2-3lb fish and hope your gear stands up to the big one or do you want to be as ready as you can when that trophy is finally on the line ?

 

I prefer to tell fish stories that include the use of a net, scale and a camera.

 

A-Jay

[SoFlaBassAddict]

It happens. Just one of those things. You can do everything right and still lose them.

I can't even begin to count how many big fish I've lost. Makes for a good fish story though.

[zip pow]

Dude, your not wearing a shirt in your avatar.  I don't know if you realized that or not.

Yeap told some sponsors I'd be shirtless on the biggest and best fishing website Bass Resource until they came thru with the money so here I am. It won't be long and I'll have on a nice tourney Jersey in the avatar.

[slonezp]

Yeap told some sponsors I'd be shirtless on the biggest and best fishing website Bass Resource until they came thru with the money so here I am. It won't be long and I'll have on a nice tourney Jersey in the avatar.

Hows the boy doing?