Popular Post Jeffrey Walker Posted July 19, 2022 Popular Post Posted July 19, 2022 So this last weekend, i caught my PB. I wasn’t going to go when the alarm clock went off, it was early, but i luckily couldn’t fall back to sleep so i made the decision to go. i got in the water about 6:30, i caught a few small dinks on a wacky rig, after trying topwater with no luck. i went back to the whopper plopper as i wokred up the edge of the pond. There is just something about a buzz bait and whopper plopper early morning that calls me. all of a sudden there is a blow up, nothing crazy but immediately i felt the weight of the fish and knew it was big. then it jumped and saw the mouth and started to realize and freak that it was really big, at least for me. my prevois PB was 3lb 5oz. As it neared the kayak, i started to realize that this is 5lb and somehow i landed it without a net. It weighed in at 4lb 13oz. i was so excited! my scale has an integrated clamp and so i ook a few minutes with the fish taking pictures and putting the fish in the water to keep her hydrated, really trying to absorb the moment. Around here a 5lb bass is Big! During one of those dips, she hit the water and freaked out and jumped and completely shook free of my grip on the scale which was clamped to her mouth. She started to swim away from the boat with the scale and clamp still attached. i was in shock, and realized she was loose in the water, so i instinctively started chasing her with my paddle but as she got farther and further away, the panic started to set in. All of my joy and excitement began to fade with intense sadness and remorse as i realized this fish isn’t going to survive with an that bulky clamp and scale secured to her mouth and it wasn’t going to come free, and slowly she got further away and she disappeared. i was completely upset and distraught over what happened, i just caught my PB, the biggest bass of my life and i’ve been fishing hard for the past few years and all of that joy and excitement was negated with the reality that fish was going to die. i wanted to leave right away but for whatever reason, im not sure, i decided to keep fishing. As I worked my way around the entire pond. a few times i saw a big splash and hurried over to see if it was her trying to shake the thing but no luck.it was too deep in those areas. This pond was pretty big, for a pond. I caught a few more dinks, and after a few hours, i decided to hang it up, as i paddled over to where i began, i decided to take a pass at the opposite side of the pond that i never really hit because of the chaos of what happened earlier as i neared the opposite shoreline from where i caught here, i looked down, the water was so clear, and i saw something in the water at the bottom, it was shallow there about 4 feet. i realized it was my scale!! and i began to think, did she shake it lose? as i looked closer i saw the silhouette of her ish as she laid on the bottom. OMG THATS HER! -What an incredible miracle that there she is below my boat. What are the odds!!?? Then the sadness set in again, she looked compeley exhausted and she looked defeated. she looked like she was leaning to one side like a giant dying minnow. i never saw a bass just lay on the bottom like that, almost like a catfish. I thought i have to do something. i have to get her free. So my mind raced, what can i do? i tried to stay calm but my pulse was racing. I knew i was not leaving w/o getting her free but how? it’s impossible / if i jump in, she’ll swim away, i don’t have a net. I can’t catch her again with that thing in her mouth. For a few minutes i thought about trying to snag her in order to save her life. that seemed like my best option. But then i had an idea - what if i can hook the handle of the scale. my hands and mind were just racing because as i knew at any second she can just swim away agin. So i remebered that i had a very large 8/0 offset hook, and i attached that to the hook of my BFS, wacky rig hook as it was the only hook small enough that could get through the eye of the larger hook. As I carefully lowered the rig into that water, i mean the whole idea was ridiculous but i could think of anything better, but i said a prayer, lord please let me rescue this fish, please let this work. Very slowly and nothing short of a miracle the the big hook, somehow it made its way around the handle of the scale and i started to lift her. thank god the water qas clear and i begin to lift her up, she became agitated and started to resist, i tried to remain patient on. i resisted trying to fight her and just let her swim, she slowly swam away, my BFS rig was strained beyond measure with the weight of the fish and the scale and everything. i kept thinking just keep tension, if any slack is created, the hook would lose its tension and the handle and she would be lost again, at this point inwas thinking incant belive this is happening, to have come this far, and to lose her again, would absolutely make this ten times worse. At one point she started to really gain speed and i was just so nervous that if she jumped, it would all be for not, thankfully she didn’t!! she slowed, probably completely exhausted and i reeled her close once in range i lifted her up and somehow got a homd of the scale and i lifted her once again from the water! she was not getting free again, without being fully free!! What a miracle was all i thought, so incredibly grateful and thankful that inwas found her again. i took one last picture with her and removed the scale and put her back in the water with so much joy and appreciation! Inwas finally able to enjoy the moment knowing that she is safe and sound and free! one day we may meet again but my mind was at peace finally and i finally rejoiced in the catch! what an incredible and miraculous turn of events, i immediately wrapped it up and left feeling so thankful and just reflecting back in what happened, in shock and awe and gratitude. i’ll post a pic as soon as i can shrink the file. If anyone Anyone can help me do that that would be great. This story needs Pictures 33 Quote
Super User gim Posted July 20, 2022 Super User Posted July 20, 2022 That is quite the story. You're lucky you found that fish and were able to snag the scale/clamp, and set that fish free. That would bother me for a very long time if I was not able to remove the scale/clamp from a fish like that. Congrats on the new PB. 1 Quote
Super User flyfisher Posted July 20, 2022 Super User Posted July 20, 2022 wow. I have heard a lot of stories around fishing but that was the first i have heard of something like that one. 2 Quote
steve carpenter Posted July 20, 2022 Posted July 20, 2022 Great post. I commend you for your persistence. 1 Quote
Super User LrgmouthShad Posted July 20, 2022 Super User Posted July 20, 2022 WOW. What an excellent read. Big congrats on the PB, man! Quote
Super User Bird Posted July 20, 2022 Super User Posted July 20, 2022 This is the greatest fishing story I've heard on BassResource. The fact that you had so much empathy for the fish and it's preservation trumps anything I've heard. 1 Quote
Jeffrey Walker Posted July 21, 2022 Author Posted July 21, 2022 Thank you! The more i reflect on what happened the more incredible the set of circumstances become and the reality of the situation sets in. i am just so absolutely grateful that there is a god because that fish was doomed, really he was sentenced to death and in my opinion knowing the pond and the magnitude of possibilities, there is no way without divine intervention that she was able to be saved god is good! 3 Quote
GRiver Posted July 22, 2022 Posted July 22, 2022 Great fishing trip and story Congratulations on your personal best. And to you Sir, you have my up most respect. Quote
Jeffrey Walker Posted July 22, 2022 Author Posted July 22, 2022 Thank you! anyone know how i can shrink a picture so i can attach it? says the file is too big. Quote
Super User PhishLI Posted July 22, 2022 Super User Posted July 22, 2022 9 hours ago, Jeffrey Walker said: Thank you! anyone know how i can shrink a picture so i can attach it? says the file is too big. Email it to yourself. When you hit send you'll get a prompt to choose a file size, small, medium, large. kb size for each choice is shown. Choose small, then hit send. Open the email, tap on the picture, then save it. Use that picture when you upload to this site. Sounds complicated, but takes about 20 seconds to do. Quote
Derek1 Posted July 22, 2022 Posted July 22, 2022 1 hour ago, PhishLI said: Email it to yourself. When you hit send you'll get a prompt to choose a file size, small, medium, large. kb size for each choice is shown. Choose small, then hit send. Open the email, tap on the picture, then save it. Use that picture when you upload to this site. Sounds complicated, but takes about 20 seconds to do. Yup I do the same thing. I can get a away with the medium size photo. Only takes a few seconds. Quote
Super User Dwight Hottle Posted July 22, 2022 Super User Posted July 22, 2022 Congrats on the new PB. Quote
The Baron Posted July 24, 2022 Posted July 24, 2022 That is a crazy story indeed! Congratulation on your PB - even after she gets bumped off the podium, you'll never forget her!! Quote
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