I blew it....

[Airman4754]

I decided to go to a high mountain lake pretty close to me that I usually never touch in the summer because it's like ski boat central. It's really shallow and it's always a grind to fish. 

I'm showing a buddy how to bass fish a little and I am fishing the deep edge of a huge weed flat. I cast my drop shot out there and it just starts taking off. I set into it and it feels like I have a sturgeon on. I start closing the gap with the TM and it turns and makes a run towards the boat. I see it swim broadside about ten feet away and it looks like a mailbox in the water. Double digit fish are so rare here and this fish was on the doorstep and probably past it. I got it up along the boat and it dove straight down and burried me into the weeds. I couldn't horse it with a 10lb leader and he eventually shook me off. I won't be able to sleep for a week. 

I still had a 17lb bag on the day which is pretty good with a 5lb kicker, but it didn't really lessen the blow. It might be another decade or more before I hook into a fish like that again. 

[fishinfiend]

d**n hate that bro

 

next time!

[lakeannaangler]

Wow!! I would be devastated if that happened to me . Double digit fish are rare here too, everythingthatswims caught one on my home lake, one of the only ones I've ever heard of being caught there.

If that would happen to me I would die,right there on the spot. I would probably have a heart attack if I saw a bass of that size on my line.

[Jaderose]

Those are rough.  I still dream of what had to be close to a double digit girl that inhaled a frog of mine last year.  I fought her like a pro.  Gave her NO leverage....until she switched direction on me and I couldn't take slack up fast enough.  She jumped completely out of the water...gave me a wink with a twinkle in her eye...and spit my frog straight up in the air.  It literally brought me to my knees cursing the Gods.  She's still in there.

Call me Ishmael.

[Bluebasser86]

Other than my PB, I've only ever hooked one for sure DD bass. I had mine on heavy gear, but the cover was so thick, the fish so strong, and I so inexperienced, I put my thumb on the spool to stop her from being able to pull line and she straightened a 5/0 Mustad Megabite hook like an aberdeen crappie hook. I was 17 I believe, 13 years later and I still remember it like it was yesterday. 

[shimmy]

That is brutal man. Never lost one in the states that big. I had 3 break offs in Mexico that changed me forever (I know I am being dramatic, but wow, it feels that way!). Had one giant that slammed my 10xd on 20 pound fluoro and did this back and forth thing for a while. It went 20 yards one way and then 20 yards the other. At no point, even with my drag pretty tight, could I make this fish do anything. I finally get lucky enough to guide him away from the island into open water, but this fish taught me the new meaning of "open water." The fish gets bored for a bit and just hovers for a while, slowly gliding laterally, probably checking the scenery, and all my pulling could not move the thing an inch...but I was still confident because he was a long way from the island and in "open water." Then the fish did something I had never had happen, after it took a quick rest suspending about 15 to 20 feet deep over 60 feet of water, moby dick went parascope down and dove...and kept diving...and kept diving...it was getting so deep and kept diving, and then I learned that open water does not mean anything to this type of fish. It wrapped me up at the very least 50 to 60 feet down and that was it. I yanked on the line, maneuvered it for 5 minutes, felt my stomach in my throat. It was gone. This happened at the spot that I caught a 10 pounder from previously that morning. I will never forget that moment.

[Dwight Hottle]

Most guys that fish frequently have experienced something similar but it still hurts like hades. 

[Master Bait'r]

I did the same thing like a week or so ago.  I actually almost touched the fish, I was right above it and clearing weeds when she broke off.  I'm still upset.  

[Gundog]

We have all been there. Fish of a lifetime ends up getting away. It hurts every time. Keep trying. 

[kilroy9988]

I have lost my fair share of big smallies boat side. It hurts bad. But one thing I have started telling myself is that, if the fish didn't get to win sometimes it would greatly depreciat the thrill of the fight and the joy we get from landing a biggin. Better to have fought and lost, than to have never fought at all. Still hard to swallow on a fish that size. 

[GORDO]

Ill never forget the time I was flipping docks with a 1/2oz jig. Perfect flip under the dock at the middle pillar. Jig hit bottom, hopped it and felt weight. Set hook as hard as I could and line just goes screaming from right to left! Felt like a really big northern honestly until the dreaded jump. I buried my rod tip into the water in a hope to stop the jig being thrown and it was at the moment, time stopped. The fish breached and it was indeed a largie. Thicker than my leg and at least 25", I watched as what must have been a DD bass thrash its head with beautiful red gills showing and my poor little jig holding on for deal life! In the blink of an eye, my jig went sailing 30 feet to the right and with the splash quality of an Olympic diver, the fish was gone. Me and my buddy stood silently because we both knew, that was a fish of a lifetime. To many states a DD bass isnt that big of a deal, but in Washington state its a unicorn. 

[HeavyDluxe]

21 hours ago, Gundog said:

We have all been there. Fish of a lifetime ends up getting away. It hurts every time. Keep trying. 

Not to nitpick, but technically losing the fish of a lifetime only hurts once. Every other fish, by definition, would be less-than-the-fish-of-a-lifetime. 

[BassB8Caster]

Yes we all have these hurtfull experiences. All though it is the move we all hate to experience and do our best to keep them below surface, seeing a big bass jump out of the water shaking its huge head showing its red gills is such an awesome moment. There is a brief moment when you see it jump and you watch it and enjoy the moment. So its kinda like it goes "no no no dont jump.....to wow that is awesome, look at that beast...to no no no dont shake the hook.....noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! Holy #$@@ that was huge. 

Talk about highs and lows within a brief few minutes. Have to keep it in context of everything. I would take losing a huge one every time i go out vs never losing one. Atleast i know i had the opportunity at a fish of a lifetime. Some people in texas, florida, california etc have high opportunities at monsters (even 10+ lbs). Up here in Maine (and many other states) 6+ may be that same feeling. My PB is between 4 and 5. I have lost bigger. But no where near a DD bass. I cannot imagine that feeling and sight of that big of a fish. Nevermind fighting it a bit. Every time i go out fishing, im just hoping i put my lure in front of a big fish. If i go out enough it will happen. And one thing is guarranteed.....I WILL lose most of them. 

[UPSmallie]

Never really lost many big bass, but I have lost some big walleye.  Always a thrill to see them coming up, only to see them spit the hook in your face.  Keep fishing and one of these days, the big one will be in your net.

[senile1]

On 7/31/2016 at 1:05 PM, Gundog said:

We have all been there. Fish of a lifetime ends up getting away. It hurts every time. Keep trying. 

Yep.  That's why those fish are categorized as fish of a lifetime.  They don't succumb to our efforts easily.

[temfish2]

The most outstanding experience I had in terms of losing fish, wasnt fresh- but saltwater. Was jigging with 200lb line for big lingcod and while letting the lure sink, halfway down to the bottom i got a strong hit and the line just ripped of. No idea what it was, might have been sharp teeth. I will never know and thats what hurts most.

[Reel Guy]

That had to be a heartbreaker! I've never lost anything that big but even ones smaller than that one can haunt you for a long time! I've blown hunts like that for deer and by far, I am my worst critic. I will examine what I did or what I should have done over and over and over until I am out of reasons altogether and just have to get back at it. Congrats on a good trip though!