The saga continues…

[N Florida Mike]

Out at the church pond again as the sun came up. Slower today- but I finally had a run and popped him. Acted like the target fish again. Swimming left to right... Had a bigger bream than last week on. 
But she had gone under a branch. I got 2-3 turns on her and thought the line broke. Reeled in and found this… Ive had this happen less than 10 times in 50 years of bass fishing…

Tied on  a new hook, and after a long time, had another run, going to the right and out. Took up the slack , set the hook, and whiffed 😕.

Lord willing, I’ll try again soon…

At least I enjoyed a beautiful sunrise!

[A-Jay]

Perhaps stop hunting for an elephant with a BB Gun.

Gear Up Man !

Life is short and there's no way to tell how many more opportunities you be afforded at this fish.

Don't squander the next one, might be your last. 

Doesn't this feel personal now ?

Good Luck

A-Jay

[N Florida Mike]

@A-Jay, I am geared up. 8 foot rod with a Black max 60 series and 40 pound power pro. Slightly ashamed to admit it lol.

I cant go bigger on the hook without sacrificing action for the bait. A stronger guage hook probably would work , at least in low light conditions. 

[A-Jay]

13 minutes ago, N Florida Mike said:

@A-Jay, I am geared up. 8 foot rod with a Black max 60 series and 40 pound power pro. Slightly ashamed to admit it lol.

I cant go bigger on the hook without sacrificing action for the bait. A stronger guage hook probably would work , at least in low light conditions. 

I hear ya ~

What is the clip pictured that failed ?

I'd eliminate that deal.

A-Jay

[TnRiver46]

3 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

I hear ya ~

What is the clip pictured that failed ?

I'd eliminate that deal.

A-Jay

That’s not a clip but a broken offset hook and a tag end of braid 

[A-Jay]

9 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

That’s not a clip but a broken offset hook 

Would love to see what that hook looks like intact.

Just to get an idea of what we're dealing with here.

#thekracken

😎

A-Jay

[Swamp Girl]

I'm thinking there's more than one Kraken in your pond. Bass are so strong. It takes a little luck to land a big one or perfect circumstances, like open water with no weeds nor wood.

[TnRiver46]

@A-Jay, I edited my post to add what made it look like a clip is the tag end of braid 

[BrianMDTX]

First off, 😩 That’s heartbreaking. 
 

Second, that’s a spot that I would assume should be one of the strongest parts of the hook. No stress in a bend, or the eye, or the point. Right in the middle of a straight shank. That does not happen every day. 
 

Good luck with that hawg! 

[A-Jay]

31 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

@A-Jay, I edited my post to add what made it look like a clip is the tag end of braid 

I finally see it.

I'm not the sharpest tack in the pack sometimes.

So I'm going with old bent up hook or this is not a bass.

A-Jay

 

[Swamp Girl]

4 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

I finally see it.

I'm not the sharpest tack in the pack sometimes.

So I'm going with old bent up hook or this is not a bass.

A-Jay

 

 

I had a friend hook something while musky fishing a spot where she'd seen the largest musky of her life, much bigger than her PB 54-incher. She was with her husband and the hooked something started to pull their heavy boat.

 

"No musky can pull this boat," he said.

 

He was right. She'd hooked a beaver. 

[N Florida Mike]

1 hour ago, TnRiver46 said:

That’s not a clip but a broken offset hook and a tag end of braid 

Correct.  It’s a Gammy 3/0. I usually use a small bait holder hook for this type of fishing . Youd be surprised how small. 
I think Im going to go up a couple sizes on the bait holder hook. It is a heavier guage hook than the EWG gammy. I wont sacrifice bait action with it at all, because it’ll still actually be a smaller hook than the 3/0. 
I will endeavor to persevere! 🤠

[N Florida Mike]

Interestingly, I met a guy who dives/swims in there last sunday. To say that I picked his brain would be an understatement. He said he sees “a lot of big bass”,but that he’s never seen a catfish in there.   There are a ton of little turtles. But never seen a bigger one.As many times as Ive fished it , Ive never seen any kind of animal in it, except geese. Ive not seen 1 gator either in 28 years.  We dont have Muskys. Gars break the water to get air ( This doesn’t) 

A mudfish? My experience with them is that they will roll on the surface often      ( This doesn’t).
It fights like other big bass Ive caught. It just seems considerably bigger…

My conclusion👉… Its a giant Bass.

 

[Pat Brown]

Maybe try a straight shank flipping hook.  I have seen them bend but never break.

 

Also I would think with good enough penetration, the fish would have a really hard time coming off regardless of size of the fish or density of the cover.

 

Maybe a lighter wire hook would go deeper and make it harder for her to throw the hook when thrashing.

 

Also maybe heavy mono instead of braid (I know breaking bass fishing rules) to help play the fish rather than tear a hole while she digs ( not ideal for vegetation but mono might help when she really makes a run for it at first and I use it for big drum in rock and shell and it holds up).

 

You're really trying to hold onto her for that initial burst where she tries to get off and then you just need torque to get her in.

 

Sounds like the torque to get her in is fine but maybe your system is not ideal for keeping them pinned when they first try to get off.

[LrgmouthShad]

Regular Gamakatsu hooks are lighter wire and are not built to withstand straight braid and a big rod. Mustad Grip Pins are a little heavier and flex less, but with straight braid and a big rod like that, I would go to Gamakatsu superlines. One of the biggest game changers in my worm fishing was when I found out that Gamakatsu made their offset round bend hooks in a superline. I could use a small hook for a thin bait that is still incredibly strong. 
 

Really sorry you lost this fish though

[N Florida Mike]

Good points. I think Im going to re-line with some big game or get the super lines  hooks.  I have never had these problems live bait fishing with mono. The 6 pounder or so I caught last week had the hook fall out of his mouth after I grabbed it. The SAME hook that broke today. So I nearly lost that one too. 

[Dwight Hottle]

Mike I have been using Owner jungle wacky 3/0 weedless (4109-136) . It is a small 3/0 made with zo wire & a light wire weed guard. Or if you don't need a weed guard Owner K-Hook 1/0 or 2/0 or 3/0 (5173-131). Both styles have been effective & will handle a DD without problems. My personal experiences favor Owner over Gamakatsu hooks.  

[WRB]

Never seen an off set hook break in middle of the straight section! 
I prefer hooks that are forged ( flattened ) at the hook gap. Gamakatsu round bend off set hook isn’t forged it round wire. Flawed hook.

Tom