The One That Broke Your Heart

[Columbia Craw]

I was in the 8th grade and she sat in front of me in math class.  I hoped she would go to the Armory Dance with me. Never got over it. 

[Woody B]

I was a kid, I don't remember exactly how old.   I was fishing with my Dad.  I was fishing a Texas rig.  I had felt a rough place on my line up 6 inches or so and knew I needed to re tie.  I didn't.   I hooked something big under a dock.  (It might have been a big Cat)  After I set the hook is slowly went under the boat and headed toward deep water.   I kept pressure on it but was scared to pull much due to the nick in my line.   It never came near the surface, and it never moved "fast".    After 5 minutes or so my line went limp.  It was broke, probably at the nick.   It may have been a big cat instead of a Bass but I'll always think it was a DD bass.   

[steve carpenter]

For me it was early 70's at Millwood Lake in Arkansas. I was inexperienced bass fishing with a cheap limber shakespere 5' 6'' rod and old ambassader 5000 reel. Tossed a black worm into a jungle of trees and thought I was snagged as the person on the trolling motor moved the boat. I could barely crank the reel. I finally realized fish on and said stop. About that time the bass head came to the surface and looked like the size of a plate. Surged straight down and was gone. Biggest bass I had ever seen at the time and have often wondered how large. Went and bought a stouter rod.

[GreenPig]

June 2012 we'd been catching Stripers & Hybrids on 7" CC Redfins Smokey Joe color, casting across points in 20 - 30' early in the mornings and slowly waking it. We pulled up to the first point and I made a cast as we we're still moving and made a couple turns on my reel and a fish exploded on my Redfin. My partner ask me how big, I replied 5 - 7lbs, I just knew it was Striper and was fighting it with my rod tip high. I WAS WRONG! A few seconds later a massive green body cleared the surface with my 7" Redfin completely crossways in her mouth just before it just popped out of her huge mouth. This fish was the obese sister of my 13.44 PB and I'm pretty sure would've broke the lake record. For about 4 hours I wasn't right in the head according to my partner. I believe I lost the fish due to using the subpar factory hooks and that won't happen again.

[FrogInTheWell]

For me it has to be around 1990 or so.  I was fishing a local Reservoir one early morning.  It was calm as glass and I was working a Heddon Tiny Crazy Crawler about 20 feet from the shoreline in a parallel fashion.  After the ripples from the lure landing cleared I gave it a couple of twitches and the water exploded.  The fish, a smallmouth bass, then almost immediately came up out of the water shaking her head,  back down she went only to come up a second time shaking her head at which time she tossed the lure out of her mouth..I estimate that fish to be in the 6-7lb range (a very big smallmouth for this area, the state record is 8.2 lbs from the same body of water).  Ironically,  the rest of the day STUNK!!  I landed a couple of dinks and that was it...I still have dreams or should I say nightmares about that fish! 

 

 

[AlabamaSpothunter]

8 hours ago, WRB said:

I caught my giant bass using jigs, stopped using live bait in the early 70’s. 

Pre Spawn giant bass are very strong fast bass that usually make a head shaking jump. The 19.3 was no exception, jump full body length out of the water shortly after hooking it after making a long cast at The Old Folks Home, a deep rocky point on lake Castaic. This bass ran under my boat and out the other about 50’ and did a heart stopping surface head shake while trying to get my line under the TM. Hand landed this bass and it was a lot bigger then it look when it jumped.

The myth these giants are lazy trout eaters is simply wrong.

Bed bass can be tried from spawning more then once and maybe that is where this lazy bass myth comes from.

Tom

Most excellent reply, thanks!

 

You might not have gotten the WR like you were chasing, but you caught Bass that again 99.9999999% of all Bass fisherman couldn't even imagine.   I honestly struggle imagining a 20lb Bass.    A 10lb Bass is truly remarkable, to double that is mind boggling.   

[txchaser]

These two are tied for me:

 

1) Bass were up in a creek mouth being pretty aggressive on some shad. I picked up my a-rig rod that had 25lb line, and out of habit checked for nicks and rough spots. There was a spot on it that wasn't right. My first thought was you should retie that, my second was 'this line is enormous, and it's not like you are going to catch a DD anyway'. Pro tip, never ever say that in Texas. Anyway I make a long cast from shallow to deep, and just a little ways in get that bite where the lure just stops dead in the water like it's a tree. Only I know this part of the lake and there's no trees. Start getting big, slow head shake and then she starts to surface. Comes fully out of the water and I'm like get the net! get the net! Now, I think I'm a bad judge of weight in the 9-11 range. Until it is on the scale it's just a DD story. Bigger than that, I know it's a monster, smaller, it's no chance of DD. Anyway, this fish was solidly in the 9-11 zone. I'm on silly heavy line so I'm just grinding it back to the boat, and about ten feet away from the boat she buries up in the weeds - we were sitting in shallower water with a weed flat that dropped off in to the creek channel. 

Anyway, I have a giant rod, and giant line, and so surely I can just horse it out of the weeds, right? 

Nope. Fail 1 - didn't re-tie, fail 2 - who tries to horse a monster fish, on an a-rig, out of weeds? Just move the dang boat!

This one is 100% my fault.

 

2) I took the day off during prespawn to fish on a Wednesday. I'd been hunting for a big fish I had a pretty good idea was around, and figured I'd have a better shot on a weekday. Sun's going down and I'm headed in. Day was ok, but no giants. Fishing a chatterbait in a shallow grass flat that was right near deep water and an island. Lots of gills in this area, so GP chatterbait. I get a bite and it starts running straight towards me, as I was in between her and deep water. As I get her near the boat, she comes up for a big, epic, slow-motion jump. Left head shake, still pinned, right head shake, still pi[DING DING YOU HAVE A TEXT MESSAGE] .... and , she's off. There was a one-second window where that notification would have made a difference in my day. I'm not good enough to ignore that sound in that moment, and it was one of those days where I was off, but needed to pay attention to the phone a little. I don't even remember what the text was about, I just remember it wasn't work, and it wasn't important. Sigh. 

 

Bonus loss, I was using someone's boat so I didn't bring my net. I thought about it, but I didn't do it. I fought that fish for at least 15 seconds trying to get it in the net so I got a really good look at it. It was too big to scoop in a regular net, and that's how I'm used to getting them in the big hoop I have. Now, ask me why I didn't drop the get and just grab the fish. I still don't know. 

 

Two of those losses I had a moment where if I had made the better choice, the one that I already knew to make, I'd have caught them. Now if it crosses my mind it's getting done. 

 

[geo g]

I have caught a few double digits in my time, and I have lost a few that could have been double digits.  The few I lost, I had seen, and usually lost in the final stage of the fight right at the boat.  Most were do to stupidity on my part, for not retying, or allowing it to run under the boat hull and roughed up the line, one got tied up on the trolling motor.  All things I could have avoided with a little care and thought.  The ones I caught were all hand lipped since I just don't bother using a net.  I know some will say that's stupid, but it's just the way I roll for the last 50 years.

 

It really didn't bother me that much since it's all part of the game.  I always feel fortunate to have had the battle with a monster, and she won this one.  If I was fishing for money or competition my feelings would be different!  Since I don't, I could care less, I'm going to put her back as soon as I weight her, and take a few pics.  I just love the search, and the fight!

[1984isNOW]

Great stuff y'all, thanks for sharing. My heart is breaking for some of you too, and then mine own is breaking again when people say things like yeah I've caught a few DD bass or a 20 pound bass and I'm like - that is literally an impossibility out here. Once my girls are a little bit older I'm going to have to get a guide somewhere in the country to hook me up with a DD, otherwise it might never happen again.

 

Much love

[roadwarrior]

 

[Jaderose]

 

[1984isNOW]

31 minutes ago, roadwarrior said:

 

Yeah, that was a hard read my man. How do you rig up your shiners? I don't fish them often, but I feel like I might need to try more just to start the healing process and pull in some fish.

 

@Jaderose Yeah that's a tough one too. I don't frog much because the hook up ratio is lacking, but it always makes the heart thump when a fatty jumps to attack.

 

Much love

[roadwarrior]

25 minutes ago, PUTitinYOURmouthFISH said:

How do you rig up your shiners?

#6 Gamakatsu Octopus Circle Hook, up through the lower jaw and through the roof.

Split shot rig or drop shot.

[Junk Fisherman]

My first tournament locally on Lake Michigan saw me lose a fish I still think about.  Had an absolute monster hit my Ned rig.  It came up and couldn't jump since it was so big.  It just kinda wallowed on the surface before he dove deep.  My line was frayed and he broke it.  I got a good look and know it was over 6 lbs.  I had just been in Northern Michigan a couple weeks earlier catching a bunch of 4s and a few 5s.  This fish dwarfed them.  I still caught a limit of 4lbers and won the tournament but that would have been my PB locally.  

 

Another fish I thought of was a huge 10+ lb walleye that hit my dropshot and came unbuttoned.  I was fishing pretty close to the smallie spot I mentioned above- about 200 yards away.  It was Labor Day Sunday, hot, sunny, and boats were everywhere.  I stopped at this point as I was going in to make a few last casts.  I never felt the fish hit.  I just felt weight and I thought maybe I had a plastic grocery bag that was filled with water.  I never set the hook and as the fish came to the surface I was stunned.  But that fish opened his mouth, the worm fell out, and he just sank back down in the water.  I had just netted a 7.5 lb walleye in a tourney a week earlier and this guy was much, much bigger.  It was easily 10 lb but I would not be surprised if it was 11 or 12 pounds.  And walleye in Lake Michigan around Chicago are very rare especially in the summer.   If I landed this fish it would have been a pretty big deal around my neck of the woods.  I posted a picture of a 16"er I caught a few years ago and a lot of people were asking me about it.  

[RDB]

Every fish I lose and never see…they were all DD’s.

[1984isNOW]

13 minutes ago, RDB said:

Every fish I lose and never see…they were all DD’s.

Or they were all sunfish just yanking your line! I'd rather convince myself of that than the opposite, if you didn't see it you can convince yourself to believe anything - probably just stuck on a stick.

 

Much love

[gim]

I was muskie fishing in August with my Father.  As it turned out, we had a fantastic morning fishing and we landed three sizable mid 30-inch tiger muskies.

 

However, there was one fish that got off a ways out (not boat side) that has haunted me every day for a month now.  I hooked that fish on a very long cast burning a black spinnerbait.  I saw the fish take the lure way out there near the surface and knew it was big.  But I didn't think it was THAT big.

 

As I'm slowly reeling it in, its not really fighting much.  Its just heavy and its down a ways.  When it got to within about 10 feet of the boat, it surfaced.  Both my Father and I got a good look at it.  Enormous for a tiger muskie.  It must have then realized it was hooked because it shook its head violently and spit the hook.

 

That scenario has played out in my head multiple times.  What could I have done differently to catch that fish?  Better hook set?  Sharper hook?  My tackle is thoroughly checked regularly through out the season and I very rarely have gear deficiencies.  I keep coming back to the same answer: there's nothing I could have done differently.

 

A few minutes later, my Father looked at me and said "I think you hooked the biggest fish in the lake."

[1984isNOW]

19 hours ago, gimruis said:

   When it got to within about 10 feet of the boat, it surfaced (do you mean jumped?).  Both my Father and I got a good look at it.  Enormous for a tiger muskie.  It must have then realized it was hooked because it shook its head violently and spit the hook.

 

That scenario has played out in my head multiple times.  What could I have done differently to catch that fish?  answer: Don't let it jump! That's how I lost my lifetime fish too.

 

A few minutes later, my Father looked at me and said "I think you hooked the biggest fish in the lake." Man that would've made it hurt even worse haha, having someone else be like "yeah, that was the one that got away."

 

[gim]

No, it didn't jump.  Just surfaced and shook its massive alligator sized head.  The spinnerbait came sailing back at me.

 

This fish was so big that my gear was undersized to be honest too.  I can handle up to about a 40 inch fish.  I honestly didn't think they grew that big in that lake.  I've been fishing it for 6 years now trying to pattern those fish and this is by far the biggest one I've seen.

[Zcoker]

On 9/13/2022 at 10:40 AM, AlabamaSpothunter said:

I've broke off big fish before but nothing that has ever stuck with me more than a day or two.

 

On the other hand I've lost Saltwater fish that made me physically ill, and will stick with me for the rest of my life.   I think it has to do with being involved in a fight vastly longer than with a Bass.  

 

I lost a 150-200lb Tarpon in the Keys after a 2 hour fight, and following the fish for 1.2 miles.

 

Lost a Blue Marlin in Saint Martin that broke my heart.   Finally as a kid I lost a giant Cobia I hooked on a pier in the Outer Banks, NC.  

 

The only fish that most likely should have been caught was the Tarpon.    Cobia spooled me on a pier, nothing I could do, and the Marlin just pulled it's hook.    

 

Knock on wood I've been blessed with freshwater.  

 

Maybe it does have something to do with the fight time. I've lost tarpon near 200lbs off local beaches here in south Florida during our annual minnow runs and I cannot begin to describe the fight time, the sheer will power to keep a large fish like that under control, absolutely insanely brutal on foot! And when she breaks off right near shore from a frayed 150lb leader after tons of jumps and runs, it does have a haunting effect that sticks around for a very long time! Yet I've also landed giants from the surf, so it does balance things out, I think. 

 

 

 

[Zcoker]

Only one fish sticks out with bass. And it was many, many years ago. I was out in the Everglades with a girlfriend. We had rented a small Jon boat. It was about time to go home and we were next to a bank, arguing over something, arguing and arguing while I was reeling and reeling, reeling in a Snagless Sally spinnerbait. The water was very clear. Next thing I know, I look down and see this giant white platter-size mouth come up from behind the spinnerbait and inhaul it. The thump was so pronounced that I can still feel it to this day! I can even see that gigantic wide open white mouth! It all played out in slow motion. I reacted more out of shock than anything else. I tried my best to get this fish under control. I had 30lb Ande mono on the reel and thought that I had the upper hand...yeah, right lol. That fish made short work out of everything. I had no chance. That was over 30 years ago and it is a scene that has never left me. The only thing that I learned from it, if anything, is to leave the ticked off GF's at home! lol 

[AlabamaSpothunter]

16 minutes ago, Zcoker said:

 

Maybe it does have something to do with the fight time. I've lost tarpon near 200lbs off local beaches here in south Florida during our annual minnow runs and I cannot begin to describe the fight time, the sheer will power to keep a large fish like that under control, absolutely insanely brutal on foot! And when she breaks off right near shore from a frayed 150lb leader after tons of jumps and runs, it does have an haunting effect that sticks around for a very long time! Yet I've also landed giants from the surf, so it does balance things out, I think. 

 

 

 

I can't even imagine handling a 100lb Tarpon from shore.    That's awesome, and I love to do that....what a thrill!

 

You the same member who has a thread about fishing at night in the everglades for pigs?

 

So jealous of your location......South Florida is the best place on the planet for a fisherman.

[Zcoker]

2 minutes ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

I can't even imagine handling a 100lb Tarpon from shore.    That's awesome, and I love to do that....what a thrill!

 

You the same member who has a thread about fishing at night in the everglades for pigs?

 

So jealous of your location......South Florida is the best place on the planet for a fisherman.

 

Yep, I am the nighttime Everglades guy lol But my quest for big Tarpon from the surf is ongoing. They can get near 200lbs from the surf. These big fish come in practically at your feet to feed off the glass minnows. The initial hookup and run is, what can I say, totally mind bending! Next is our annual mullet run, which should start this month. Talk about fishing insanity. Fun times ahead! Come on down! 

 

 

[AlabamaSpothunter]

4 hours ago, Zcoker said:

 

Yep, I am the nighttime Everglades guy lol But my quest for big Tarpon from the surf is ongoing. They can get near 200lbs from the surf. These big fish come in practically at your feet to feed off the glass minnows. The initial hookup and run is, what can I say, totally mind bending! Next is our annual mullet run, which should start this month. Talk about fishing insanity. Fun times ahead! Come on down! 

 

 

Watching a fishing show right now where they are fishing the Mullet run, catching mainly snook.

 

I really dig your style of fishing.  That's mad man stuff, I love it.  

 

[gim]

4 hours ago, Zcoker said:

The initial hookup and run is, what can I say, totally mind bending!

My Father and I went to the Keys in April 2018 and we each caught a tarpon one day. They weren’t enormous, but the power those fish had were incredible. I also caught a 28 pound Jack one day that took me 20 minutes to land. Saltwater fish are in a whole different class compared to freshwater fish.