Tell me about your Big One that got away.

[WIGuide]

A little back story...about a year and a half prior to this fishing in my friends boat, an errant cast ripped the second to last guide off my rod I used for froggin'. I was going to get it fixed, but it wasn't and issue. Fished with it for a year and a half with no incident, that is until this one tournament day. We were doing fairly well. Suddenly out of nowhere in mid cast with my frog my line snaps. Apparently what was left of the eye must have had a small edge to it somewhere. It left me with a pretty small amount of line left, before my connection knot to my underpowered backing. I caught a good one within a few minutes which left us needing one kicker to cull a little guy. It wasn't 5 minutes later I saw a fish chasing baitfish right in the middle of this big circular flat covered in pads and slop. I launched my frog out there and I heard the connection knot make it's way through the guides. I just had that bad feeling when that happened. My frog came down, I let the ripples settle, and I think I only twitched it once before the water erupted. I set the hook and after a slight resistance there was nothing. I snapped it off. I put the tm on high and headed towards the mat in hopes of being able to grab my line. While this is happening, I see the bass jump with the frog in it's mouth trying to shake it. It came down on one of the dense part of the pads/mat and flopped on it trying to get back into the water so we got a real good view of it. It jumped one more time doing the same thing. The bass was about 19 inches or so and would have went at least 4 and some change. We ended up taking 2nd in that tournament. Had I landed that fish we would have taken 1st and big bass. It's frustrating to lose it that way!

[crazyjoeclemens]

Back in the day, I used to go on annual fishing trips up to Wisconsin with my buddies from college.  We haven't gone in a few years now, since they all decided to start having kids at the same time, but I digress.  The last time we went, we were getting bored of chasing walleye and crappie, so we got out the bass tackle and started hitting up some docks to see what was in the neighborhood.  One of my buddies was talking about how awesome he was at bass fishing (and everything else) so I made him a gentleman's bet that I would catch the first bass.  After getting into a bunch of undersized Northerns, I switched up tactics and tied on a spinnerbait that I had snagged up out of the lake earlier in the week.  I have this weird habit were, if I find or snag up an old lure, I have to use it at least once, even if its an old faded junker.  I had put a new skirt and a couple new willow-leaf blades on it, so I figured, "why not?"  My first cast with it was almost perfect.  It landed just a couple inches off the sunny side of a private dock, just short of a clump of weeds.  I let it settle for a second before I started cranking.  Right as the lure cleared the end of the dock, something big hit it hard.  I quickly made a motion to set the hook and started the retrieve.  Halfway to the boat, a great big pig of a bass launched out of the water.  The moment he touched back down, I felt the line go slack.  That bass took advantage of a comedy of errors.  As it turns out, I had forgotten to sharpen the hook on the old lure.  To make matters worse, I was using a much lighter rod than I should have.   We had been crappie fishing, and I had left my heavier rods back in the cabin.  The rod I was using didn't have enough spine to make that dull hook set.  Topping it all off, I hadn't cranked up the drag on the reel before making that cast.  I honestly don't know if it would have helped much, but I did feel the drag slip a little when I went to set the hook.  I really can't guess as to how big he was with any accuracy, but I am certain he would have easily been my personal best at the time (by a large margin).  Long story short, an old dull hook cost me my personal best (and lunch, as per the terms of the bet), but I did learn a few valuable lessons and one heck of a great memory.

[Eric Peterson]

Last spring I hooked into easily the biggest smallmouth of my life on a rattle trap river fishing. The hooks were junk but I was to lazy to change them. The fish jumped and the lure flew back at me... Breaks me heart to this day. My guess was it was around 6 pounds

[Ghostshad]

About 2 weeks ago,on rock,bait was a LuckyCraft 1.5 in a shad color,looked like about 7 lbs,lost him about half way to the boat,i don't think i set the hook good enough i just pulled,did't hit him hard . Live & lurn .  GodBless 

[Yudo1]

3 years ago my buddy and I were on the Ohio river on his boat in September.  The shad were schooling so we threw a cast net and caught a bunch for live bait.  I had a 7' medium spinning rod with a live shad rigged  drifting while I was casting senkos for smallies when all of sudden something hits my shad.  I grab the rod and set the hook.  All of a sudden I was in the battle of my life.  I only had 20lb braid with a 15lb fluoro leader.  This fish was pulling the 10' boat around.  Id reel a little then the fish would run.  I was losing this battle.  I thought the rod was going to snap or my line would break at any moment.  After 30 minutes I started gaining some ground finally and was able to bring the fish up to the surface.  We got a look and it was a huge flathead.  It must've been 4' long!  This is when I got stupid and tightened my drag and she dove and poof she was gone.  

[RichF]

A couple years ago, my father and I fished a team tournament on one of our favorite lakes and were in contention to finally win one together with this particular (really good) club.  We had a great bag but thought we needed one more good one to seal the deal.  Neither of us missed or lost anything all day.  I cracked "the one" with about an hr left in the day.  She was the biggest one we hooked that day (about 5 lbs) and would've gotten us the win.  I pulled her up from the grass, she tail walked, and spit my jig.  I was crushed, ticked, devastated, you name it.  It didn't set in for another couple pitches then I snapped...Cracked my Legend Extreme over the side of the boat and broke her in half.  We ended up in 2nd place by about 2 ounces.

Not my proudest moment.

[Master Bait'r]

There have been several and I've worked very hard to suppress those painful memories, thank you very much.  

[Last_Cast]

Yeah im in the same boat^ memories haunt me.

[ManchuSBF]

A few weeks ago (kayak fishing in a Massachusetts pond) I lost my PB on my third cast of the day and got skunked for the next five hours. Decided to throw the frog at some pads next to where I launched. No jump just a real subtle take. Thought I got a good hookset, got it about 2 ft from the boat, saw that nice fat belly and got excited. Just as I got excited it threw the hook and swam off. First time fishing with a frog too.

[corn-on-the-rob]

I don't wanna talk about it.

[N Florida Mike]

This is the one about my friends one that got away ( and the tournament with it) Our club had its monthly tournament at lakes Sampson and Rowell in Bradford county FL.We fished Rowell mostly and had a good bag going.I had Just picked off several good fish and my friend hooked at least a 4 pounder.Well, he was a net guy so he's yelling for me to get the net.But its buried under rod and reels.I get it out about the time the fish jumps and bonks into the boat and...gets off.Its like 15 minutes before weigh in.We came in 2nd by a pound or so.

[CenCal fisher]

I just got a new rod today and decided to go to my friend's house after work to do some fishing. I was on his boat with my friend, his dad and one of his dad's friends we fish with. I made a cast into some weeds and hooked up a fish. My drag wasn't set that tight but I had already gotten the fish out of the weeds and into open water so I wasn't worried about it. After fighting the fish for a bit it made a dive towards the bottom and get tangled up in something. I realized it is wrapped around something solid because I couldn't pull it out. The fish only felt like it was about four pounds, but I have a friendly bet going with my friend's dad and the other guy we fish without about who can catch the biggest fish by the end of summer and there was a good chance this fish would put me back in the lead. The current leader of four pounds will be broken soon and I knew if mine was bigger it wasn't by much , but I wanted to shut my friend's dad up who has been reminding me he is in the lead every time we go fishing. 

 

 I tried to untangle the fish, but nothing was working. My friend's dad said that he would never let a fish get away and went in after a trout in 45 degree water that had gotten tangled in a tree.  I would never hear the end of it if his four pound fish ended up winning our bet so I decided to go in after the fish. I stripped down to my boxers, checked the depth finder which read five feet and dove in to get the fish. It was actualy about eight feet deep and the fish had gotten my line tangled in small branch. I could feel the fish, but couldn't get a good grip on it so I decided to just swim up with the fish and branch it was tangled in. I grabbed the branch and started to swim towards the surface when I heard a pop. I surfaced with a broken line and no fish.

The fish wasn't big enough to be my personal best, but I had put more effort into catching it than I had any fish before and it stood a good chance of placing me in the lead of our friendly wager. 

[N Florida Mike]

Now that's dedication man.

[clh121787]

 Ive said on similar thread here before yall wouldnt believe it, but this is it. ..P.b. hooked up.  Its maybe @ huge status. Get to the boat. Fish darts under the boat. I think my rods gonna break. Half the rod is in the water fish pulling opposite direction. Fish swims towards surface and nails the freakin boat. Some how one of the trebles on the the swim bait got stuck on the keel gaurd. And I couldn't get it off. The fish beat the bottom of the boat for a few seconds and got off. 

[Nitrofreak]

It wasn't me I swear !!

Couple of years back, my wife was with me on this particular day, I had lucked upon finding a group of fish that were active in 25 feet of water, sonar looked like a big screen full of spaghetti which I really thought at the time were stripers, my wife was sitting there playing on the phone, I tossed in a flutter spoon and wham! a nice 3 lb'r, 2nd toss in wham! another one close to that 3lb mark, 3rd toss, wham! Biggest one yet, 4.4, again, wham! a nice striper 6.2, she gets excited and has to toss in, I offered her a spoon but she refuses, I offer to tie on the set up, "I got this" (her exact words) she ties on a Texas rigged ribbon tail worm, an Ol' Monster, she uses a twisty knot as she calls it, we know it as the clinch knot, I suggested that she twist it at least seven times and make ... I GOT THIS !! ok, I said, so I get back on the trolling motor and find the fish again, she casts out and just one twitch WHAM!! Her rod is bent but good and it's taking drag, SEE I TOLD YOU I...

Well, I had it she says, she reels in the line and at the end is a small section of twisted line where the knot used to be.

Ya know, she didn't talk to me the rest of the day, I even took her out to eat, not a peep...

 

[crypt]

I don't like to dwell on the past…………………..that's what me therapist told me to say……...………LOL...

[KYBassin']

Mine is a monster pike....in a canoe....in the BWCA.  On a daredevil spoon, classic red and white.  Basically dragged us around for 5 minutes and spit the hook before we could get to shore to beach it.  Estimated it to be over 45 inches and 20 lbs.  After it came off, me and my buddy just sat in the canoe in silence for several minutes...like a dazed boxer.  We still talk about what we could have done differently to land it.  Man, I wish I had a pic with that fish!

[geo g]

Everyone that fishes a lot has lost a big fish that just became unbuttoned, or broke off.  A couple of weeks ago I had a real unusual thing happen on a break off.  I was working a shallow flat at the Loxahatchee National Preserve in West Palm Beach Florida.  I hooked into a nice 3 pounder on the flat and fought it almost to the boat and it broke off in the heavy vegetation.  I watched as the fish went airborne 3 times trying to get rid of the hook. 

 About two hours later, I fished through the same area and hooked a fish in the same spot as the break-off.  Once landed, I noticed my #4 Gama WGH, with my senko still attached to its jaw.  It was like hitting the Lotto!  The chance of me catching that same fish, in a vast body of water, at the same spot, with my hook in its mouth, and still wanting to eat, was astronomical.

It wasn't that big a fish, but I will never forget that one.

[scaleface]

 I was bank fishing on this chute that use to be connected to the Mississippi river , before the levees were made . This was the best big bass spot I ever fished . Probably caught a hundred 5lb + fish here . This was way back when heavy action 5.5 foot rods were the norm for worms and jigs . This log had washed in ,  about twenty foot from bank and i knew there would be a big fish taking advantage of the new cover . I casted a black jig n   pork frog on the other side , hopped it a couple of times and  felt the  heaviness of a bass . I was using 14 lb stren,   reared back and set the hook on a large bass  . There was nothing I could do but  apply pressure that would test the strength of the line   and try to get the fish to jump . The fish did exactly as I was hoping and when it went air born  I pulled it over the log but the fish threw the bait . I still think it was the largest bass I ever hooked .

[JRammit]

On 4/28/2016 at 9:51 PM, JRammit said:

Crappie fishing with my kid... Minnows n bobbers in a laid down tree on the shoreline... Already had a nice stringer, and then WOW!!!

Bobber went down, gaver a pull, and she pulled back... HARD!... Assumed it was a big catfish from the weight of it... But then i saw it, clear as day... After a big green flash, i could make out the black stripe and light belly... This fish was only about 10 ft from me, but that 4 lb line couldn't keep her there..... I loosened the drag, tried to play her, but she wasnt in the mood.... She ran left, then right, tried to slow her down and..... Snap

My pb is only 6 1/2 lbs, this one had that by at least 3... Maybe not quite double digit, so my guestimate is 9

Gave that fish a name and looked for her for 3 years after... Thought i finally had her one morning on a 4" Berkley Gulp minnow, but pulled in a 12lb cat instead

Next year, that lake flash flooded and left a massive kill floating along all the shore lines... But i believe the Fat Bass**rd is still swimming there today

So just last weekend i was talking to a crappie fisherman on a different lake... Found out we both use to fish Cottonwood (the lake i lost this fish in) back before the flood... The guy starts to brag about a 10lb'er he supposedly caught there a few years ago.... So naturally, i tell him my story.... Then the guy tells me thats the exact same laid down tree he caught his on

Then he ended the conversation by telling me he kept and cooked the 10lb fish.... Thats when i pulled anchor and moved to a different area

Odds of his claim being true are 50/50 at best... But it still gets under my skin!

[BassB8Caster]

Mine just happened this past saturday. On my way back from fishing a new pond I swung into a dam at a small lake to give my wife a call to meet up at a local campground.  As I'm talking to her I'm up on the dam looking into the water. I see 3 or 4 decent bass swimming around. So I hang up with the wife and grab my rod with a white chatterbait tied on. Cast it out parallel to the dam and start reeling. I see a couple fish swim in the direction of my lure. One bites, I set the hook and snap, broke 12 lb test mono off. Run back to the truck and tie on a square bill and cast it out (straight out). I wait a few seconds and start reeling. At the dam it's shallow. Only like 3 feet. I can see a good ways out. But out where my lure is I cannot see. I have never been here so I have no idea what is in the water. 

As I reel my square bill, I feel a weight, like I was caught on something. Didn't feel a bite. So I keep tension and reeling, then all of a sudden the head comes up out of the water calmly. Mouth closed (like a shark showing its fin). It's HUGE! Trying to control my heart attack, I keep tension and rod down. I keep reeling, feeling like I'm pulling a log in. No fight really. As it gets closer she comes in parallel to the shore right in front of me,  maybe 8 feet away. It's huge, with my lure sticking out of its mouth barely hooked. Just as I start preparing to jump down on a rock to grab her, she turns left to head to deeper water ripping my lure out. No thrashing, really calmly.  I've thought hard about this one, trying not to exaggerate how big she was. I really think it was 24 plus inches, maybe close to 30. Possibly 7 to 8lbs. The weight of the fish with no fight and effort was crazy. Just calm cool and collected and she was gone. I've never fished that lake. But will be going back real soon! This has been on my mind since then. I've never targeted fish before. I think that's about to change!

[everythingthatswims]

I watched a big fish eat my bait the other day and put on quite a show. I genuinely though the fish was at least 7 pounds until I got my hands on her, just under 6lbs. Makes me wonder about all of the other "giants" I have lost!