Someone Please Clear My Mind.

[chadmack282]

Bass

[Bankbeater]

Check your line and drag. Make sure all is in good condition and keep fishing. Nothing you can do about a lost fish after it happens.

[MidwestF1sh]

I caught my biggest carp ever on a 3/8 ounce jig and burner craw this summer. Flipped it next to a dock and I didn't feel the bite but all of a sudden it just took off. Started pullen me around in my 19' boat.

But then again... 8lb bass do like swim jigs.

[WRB]

It doesn't sound like the fish was running through anything, not a lot of grass or wood or across rocks, just pulling harder than the line strength could withstand, I call this being freight trained.

17 lb line, even at 80% knot strength is still over 14 lbs, bass can't pull that hard and your rod can't take 1/2 that much force. If the line wasn't cut or abraided, it wasn't a bass, if there wasn't a tree, fence post, boulder or some other structure to pull the line against.

Sounds like a 25-30 lb cat, carp or turtle.

Lesson learned, set your drag at 1/3 the breaking strength, ie 5 to 6 lbs for 17 lb test line.

Tom

[GetJigginWithIt]

I don't think you could snag a carp with a swim jig because of the weedguard. But I would definitely tell myself it was a carp

Believe it or not, my son snagged a big cat in the side with a jig.

[Turtle135]

I had a grass carp around 40" grab a spinnerbait. The hook was in the mouth so I have no doubt that on occasion they will try to eat a lure. That fish smoked drag like nothing I have ever hooked in freshwater. Just a straight line run for about half the spool.

[Ratherbfishing]

Most likely culprit:  a big cat.