The one that got away

[uglyasheck]

    Last week someone posted about losing big fish and of course I commented. Saturday I lost the biggest Bass I have ever hung and actually saw. She came up twice and then went straight away from me.  She was definitley a 10 + bass and yes I know they look bigger in the water cause she looked 15+ so I'm under estimating>LOL . I had already caught 13 and had thought about retying but being lazy I didn't and my drag was not set properly so it cost me a better chance at a bass of a life time. I fish light spinning tackle and when you hang a good fish the world needs to be perfect. I had to eat humble pie and think about what I did wrong.  You never know when you feel that tick on the other end what it will be.

[Skunkmaster-k]

That sucks ! 

[Jaderose]

Been there, done that, felt the pain.  It happens and the smart ones learn from the errors.  Be a smart one!

[Bubba 460]

I know too well the feeling... Had 13+ LM on last summer that jumped all the way out of the water four feet from the boat. Holly cow what a bass... Dove and wrapped around a log.

 

Couple years ago I had a monster blow-up on a 5" Jitter Bug in the James River, VA. (probably a musky but could have been a freak small mouth. Ripped the side hook clean off the lure and gone.

 

[A-Jay]

Last spring I had a Freak of Brown Bass on for a just a few brief moments. 

Got a good look at her - and she still haunts me. 

Really like another shot ~

https://youtu.be/yfnYSE-HjIE?t=887

A-Jay

 

[gim]

8 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

Got a good look at her - and she still haunts me. 

Your response was quite restrained.  My reaction would be significantly louder and less restrained.

 

The nice part about those freaks is that at least you guys all know their address or at least their neighborhood now.

[A-Jay]

Just now, gimruis said:

You're response was quite restrained.  My reaction would be significantly louder and less restrained.

Thanks ~

Unfortunately, having lost at least my fair share of mutants over the years,

I've learned that breaking or throwing my gear in the lake is sort of counter productive. 

A-Jay

[crypt]

I still wake up in the night with the chills when I dream of the big one I lost.....................then I go back to sleep.

[GreenPig]

Ths Summer of 2013 just after daylight I hooked and fought for the biggest LM I've seen in the wild. I fought her for maybe 10 seconds before she threw my lure. My fishing bud said it was 4 hours before I spoke a word. I think he's exaggerating it couldn't of been more than 3.5 hours. 

[GRiver]

I hate that feeling you get in you stomach when you lose a nice one. 

[Ski]

Fish enough and long enough and it "WILL" happen.

 

 

[Dwight Hottle]

If it's any comfort to you it does happen to all of us. Learn from your mistakes & don't take anything for granted. 

[Fred Allen]

I know how you feel. Tuesday I went out on kayak and bass were finally real shallow. Big huge ones in the shallow. I had 10+ hits on my dark sleeper and did not even land one. Either I couldnt set the hook or if I did I lost the fish reeling him in. I ended up getting so mad I took the dark sleeper off and threw it in the forest. Then I tied on a curl tail grub and got a huge chain pickerel. Which was the only fish I landed all day.  Went out at 1pm and did not find where the fish were at till after 5 and my arms were getting tired from paddle. Stayed on that bank 2 hours. Next time im going to paddle right there and hope the fish are staying there. Its going to be really cold and SNOW tonight though so I hope fish dont go back away to winter spots.

[Retiredguns]

When I was stationed in Beaufort, SC we used to fish Santee Cooper and Lake Moultrie a lot.  Someone asked if I had ever tried the Cooper river which I had not. The very first time we fished it, I was chucking a blue and black Culprit under some low hanging branches and something hit it with a fury. Line got wrapped around some small branches, but I could still feel the fish. I knew it was a big gal. I was in front trying to get to that branch so fast that we were stepping on poles, poking our eyes out on branches, trying to get the net. It was pretty funny what 3 Marines will do when it comes to a hog. I tried for what seemed an eternity trying to untangle my 17lb Trilene from that stick. Then the fish surfaced and luckily I had witnesses. It looked like an 11-12 pounder that you could stuff a softball in that mouth with room to spare. My buddy went to try and get a net around it and how it happened we weren't sure but the line snapped. I just stood there staring in despair.  I trolled away from the bank with nothing, but sticks and Spanish moss in the boat.

[Zcoker]

Dang! Same thing happen to me the other day on a spinnerbait. I brought along another rod/reel combo that I hadn't used in a long time but it was still a fresh setup. Was slow rolling a spinnerbait with it when on the last leg (what else is new lol) she hit. And what a monster! Double digit, for sure. I went for the hookup and the eventual fight but my line simply came off the lure! Yet the fish continued to jump and jump and jump, thrashing its head, trying to shake off the attached spinnerbait. This fish continued to jump over the course of an hour in various other places.  Point is, I got a VERY GOOD look at its size....uggggg

 

 

Later on I found out what the problem was...and what a problem lol I was using some of the original Power Pro Super Slick, the older stuff that was discontinued. That line was SO SLICK that it simply came unraveled on the force of hookup! Even with an excellent knot. Maybe that's why they changed it.....who the heck knows

[J Francho]

I caught a really nice fish at pond I used to fish on my lunch breaks. I had no issues with it getting off, and I was able to weigh it - it was 6-1, easily the biggest fish I'd caught from that pond. The part that haunts me is the MUCH larger fish that bit my fish on the head during the fight. I guess she wanted that frog too. Haven't seen that fish since. 

[Bankbeater]

Many years ago a friend of mine lost a really nice bass.  He said it was the largest he had ever seen.  He was fishing from the bank and he said when he saw the bass he froze for a second.  That was all it took and the bass was gone.