The best/most exciting moment in fishing?

[david in va]

When that big old bass comes about 2 foot out of the water and does that tail dance , nothing like it anywhere. And he stays hooked

[Jar11591]

When a big, hooked smallmouth tail-walks 15' across the surface. And of course a nice topwater blow up.

[Ksam1234]

8 hours ago, MassBassin508 said:

Topwater blowups all day every day

I have to second this! Specially using the whopper plopper! Watching that huge splash from a hog just engulf the thing. Or even when it just tail kicks it out the way.. my favorite moment would hAve to be when my very first pike ever hit the topwater and just exploded ! Couldn't stop shaking after that. 

[Bassin' Brad]

Lots of good things on here. I really like it when I'm working a T-rigged plastic and my line starts to run. Seeing your line start moving through the water is just awesome. And of course nobody can deny topwater action!

[Scarborough817]

something boiling on my frog then jumping with it still suck down it's throat 

[Doelman]

My two most exciting fishing experiences would have to be...

 

I was fishing in the Indian River for redfish, I was walking a top dog by some mangroves when a 100+ lb tarpon hit it, skyrocketing several feet in the air.  Was fishing with bass gear so I had no chance catching it, but still an amazing experience.

 

I was fishing in Canada for SMB with an ultralight rod.  I got snagged on a branch on the bottom and was slowly dragging it up to the surface.  When it hit the surface, a branch didn't come out of the water, but the head of a big pike.  I looked at him, he looked at me, and then he made a big splash and ran a couple hundred feet.  Fought him for several minutes, my first 40" pike.

[Ratherbfishing]

On 8/7/2017 at 0:49 PM, scaleface said:

I fought  stick last week that came to the surface fast and I was saying " dont jump ,dont jump " .

 

I thought I was the only one who did this.  :  )

Like the OP, I think it's after I feel a bite on a soft plastic (or sense it with the force), bring my rod up, it loads up on a good fish.

 

The OTHER thing that is MOST gratifying is when I've "figured them out."  There's nothing like finding a good, solid pattern to make my day.

[pondbassin101]

Definitely topwater, the bass down here just inhale lures and on the first run you cant tell if its a 1 or 4 pounder. Even better is having a 5 to 6 pound bass destroy your buzzbait 2 feet from shore while you're barely paying attention

[Sword of the Lord]

2 hours ago, pondbassin101 said:

Definitely topwater, the bass down here just inhale lures and on the first run you cant tell if its a 1 or 4 pounder. Even better is having a 5 to 6 pound bass destroy your buzzbait 2 feet from shore while you're barely paying attention

I always get a good laugh when my worm is in the water and I am fixing a backlash, and then reel in to discover a bass has had it and still has it. Whoops, but I'll take it. Also funny was when I wasn't paying attention to a wacky Senko 2 feet from shore because I was hollering at my kids for bickering, and my hand gestures were slightly moving it and a bass annihilated it. Whoops, I'll take it.

[Bankbeater]

Feeling the weight on the other end and knowing that this fish is big. 

[JustJames]

I wanna add another excitement, when I caught fish with lure that never caught fish before. This year I scored two on Hudd 68, a few on true Ned rig. And I still have a whole bunch of lures in my tackle bag, fish-less, like square bill, lipless crank hudd shad, salvage gear trout and bluegill.   

[StrikePrince]

1 hour ago, JustJames said:

I wanna add another excitement, when I caught fish with lure that never caught fish before. This year I scored two on Hudd 68, a few on true Ned rig. And I still have a whole bunch of lures in my tackle bag, fish-less, like square bill, lipless crank hudd shad, salvage gear trout and bluegill.   

 

That's always fun.  I think that's been my most satisfying accomplishment this year, catching my first few jig fish.  Going from no confidence to having confidence in a bait is gratifying.  Plus there's something so basic and fundamental about a jig bit and hook set- you really feel like you earned it.

[gim]

Like many have already mentioned, topwater fishing is usually better than other types of fishing.  When you drag a frog through an opening in the lily pads and there's an explosion...and then the battle starts. 

[MichaelCopeland]

When I first started bass fishing back end of March beginning of April the excitement was just knowing I just hooked a fish period and then finding out when I get it reeled in that it's actually a bass. Now, specially the last few days, it's when I'm ever so slowly reeling in that Ol' Monster and almost back to the bank, about a foot or two out, a bass has just hammered it. Either just before that big worm gets surfaced or as it's starting to come up out of the water. That's an awesome feeling. Plus I'm gaining some most needed confidence. I said I was gonna catch a bass yesterday evening and I surely did! ?

[ohboyitsrobby]

Gotta go with a big one on a topwater. And maybe not even the big splashy one the one where there's just a slurp followed by pressure. Love it. My other would be anytime I get to watch my lil boy catch a fish. There all giants to him

[Bluebasser86]

Pulling up to the ramp and seeing the lot empty. 

 

Getting slack lined on a bladed jig.

 

Them big girls that live in bad places that make you work to get them out.

 

Taking my son fishing.

 

[Johnbt]

When I drive two hours to the lake in the dark and the motor starts on the first pull. 

[scaleface]

When I pull up to the lake and nobody is fishing my point . Thats fist pump time .

[roadwarrior]

When that big brown fish breaks water for the first time!

 

[Johnbt]

Then there was the day my buddy was driving my boat from the front seat and pulled a 8.5# largemouth out on a no-name, floating, rattling crankbait. While he was digging for his phone to take a pic, I cut the crankbait off his line, tied it on mine, cast over his head across the same point, and pulled an 8.25# one out. Two citations in the boat at one time.

 

John

 

 

[gilkeybr]

One of the most exciting things for me is when sight fishing a bed and you finally get the fish to turn on your bait.  That moment of "now i've got your attention" is hard to beat!

 

Also, as someone similarly said already, when swimming a ned rig and your line starts moving sideways or towards you!  Reel up into them and hang on (hopefully)

[Jaderose]

I love froggin in the nastiest muck possible.  My favorite thing is to see and hear the "toilet flush" of a truly big fish (6 lb or better) inhale your bait.  The big don't usually blow up all that much. That moment of time between hearing/seeing that and setting the hook is d**n near impossible but when you drive it home....THE FIGHT IS ON!  A lot (most) of the time, I am throwing into some seriously gnarly stuff.  Stumps, lay downs, THICK vegetation, and I have to get that fish outta there fast but will usually have to steer it around and over a bunch of stuff.  When I can boat a truly big fish after a fight like that is when I'm deeply satisfied.  

 

Then I turn her loose to fight another day!

[islandbass]

On 8/7/2017 at 10:37 AM, MassBassin508 said:

Topwater blowups all day every day

Nothing like those indeed.  My first big bass came that way when I first started fishing. I had a medium light trout rod (didn't know much about fishing in general back then and just went with a cheap "walmart special", as I dubbed my first rod, lol)

 

I tied on a rapala skitter pop, my first topwater bait and I was just trying it out.  It was the biggest slam down, take down, shake down.  That was over 12 years ago, and I still remember it like it was yesterday.

 

Another one is when fishing time is running out, and I still haven't caught a bass or any fish.  Much like in a tied or down by two basketball game that is tied with just seconds to go, making that last cast (three point Hail Mary shot) and hook into a fish right (swish) at the buzzer.  I've had many experiences like that, as recent as about two weeks ago.  Now that is a good feeling.

 

Another good/great feeling is when I am out, and I see a kid or other person fishing and looking at their set up, their chances were going to be next to zero for what they were targeting.  If I can sense that they might be receptive, I will offer to help them out and sometimes they catch fish.  The smiles on their faces and their joy are reward enough for me.

 

Earlier this summer, I just happened to be fishing with live bait and for some reason just felt like targeting pan fish. I saw a father with his little daughter and son sharing one rod.  I was nailing blue gill and rock bass with nearly every cast (love those kind of days) and I know the father noticed from afar.  So I asked him what he was fishing for and he said anything that will bite.  He had some generic plastic worm on a hook too big and braided line on the spinning reel.  Next, I mentioned to him that the fish were onto live bait (worms) right now and if he were willing, I'd be more than happy to help him out and set him up with tackle and bait.  They had been fishing for a couple hours before I got there so the father was receptive.  So I showed him the ropes to make a drop shot rig.  I put the worm on the hook and his little 5 year old girl drop the line into the water and as soon as the weight hit the bottom, the worm got nailed.  She shouted, "I got something" and she was right.

It's cool how well braid transfers data to our hands?  She caught a nice size blue gill for our area.  She and her brother took turns fishing and catching fish.  Before they left, the father came up to me, shook my hand and said, "Thanks, man.  Thanks for making a dad look like hero in his kids' eyes."

That says it all and to me, this is also a great fishing moment, even when I'm not the one catching fish.

 

[soflabasser]

Looks like most bass fishermen favor the topwater bite and I agree as well. Nothing in bass fishing compares to having a trophy bass blowup on a topwater and then catching that bass!

[38 Super Fan]

A lot my favorites have already been named. But that moment when you pull up to a ramp on a cool day in December or January, and there isn't one person out on the lake, that's pretty sweet.