The lost ones don't sting as much. How about you?

[Swamp Girl]

I fished for lmb in Ohio farm ponds, but then smallmouth and muskies had me hooked for about four decades. When I took up lmb fishing again about 2.25 years ago, I was fishing heavy weeds for the first time in my life. I'd lose big bass to the weeds and I'd think again and again about how it happened and wonder what I'd done wrong. However, I've caught so many big northern bass since that I no longer dwell on lost big bass. By big, I mean bass over four pounds, which are fine fish for someone nearly halfway between the Equator and North Pole. I boat most of my four-plus pounders now, but don't dwell on the ones that I do lose.

 

I'm wondering if it works this way for you or are you like I was two years ago, perpetually pining for lost bass.

 

 

Caveat: The only thing that bugs me still is when I hook a big bass and it surges, taking line, and then breaks free, but I never see it. I wonder about how big those bass were, but not for long. It's more curiosity than sadness.

[Fishlegs]

For the most part I'm where you are, but there are a couple that will always haunt me. One in particular. It was a DD that I lost right at the bank. I'll never forget the heartbreak of that morning, but it's also part of what drives my desire to fish. I want to win a battle against a beast like that.

[AlabamaSpothunter]

I feel like commenting on this thread will cause bad ju ju.....so let me make a pointless comment 🤣

[Swamp Girl]

3 minutes ago, Fishlegs said:

It was a DD that I lost right at the bank.

 

I've never hooked a DD, much less lost one right at the bank, but if I did, this would be me:

 

[Fishlegs]

That's pretty much what I did @Swamp Girl. I laid on the ground beside the water in disbelief for a few minutes, picked up my stuff, and went home. I was utterly defeated in that moment, but 30 years later I still haven't given up. I'm still fishing.

[padlin]

I don’t recall having one break off other then when I get a bigger then expected fish in the heavy weeds. The canoe moves easier than the fish giving them all the time they want to wrap up. If you were on the same pond at those times you’d likely her a few colorful words. I tend to stop thinking about it shortly thereafter, losing a fish doesn’t turn a nice day on the water into a bad one.

[gim]

I'd rather just have it get off before I see it.  Its way more painful when you get a good look at it and then lose it.

[WRB]

I lost 2 potential world record LMB. The 1st was at Lower Otay that wrapped my line around another boats anchor line. I didn’t see that bass but a highly skilled angler in the other boat did saying it at least a 30” bass. Because I didn’t see that fish it doesn’t wake me up at night.

The 20+ lb FLMB happened at Castiac lake at trout point and I clearly got a good look at that bass that broke me off going over the point and remember every detail as if it just happened. This is my nightmare bass that wakes me up 32 years laters.

Tom

[Swamp Girl]

4 minutes ago, WRB said:

I lost 2 potential world record LMB. The 1st was at Lower Otay that wrapped my line around another boats anchor line. I didn’t see that bass but a highly skilled angler in the other boat did saying it at least a 30” bass. Because I didn’t see that fish it doesn’t wake me up at night.

The 20+ lb FLMB happened at Castiac lake at trout point and I clearly got a good look at that bass that broke me off going over the point and remember every detail as if it just happened. This is my nightmare bass that wakes me up 12 years laters.

Tom

 

Understood, Tom. You're in a different class than the rest of us and losing a world record TWICE is beyond my ken.

 

Tom, if you had a chance to land both those bass again, is there anything you could have/should have done differently? As experienced as you are in catching HUGE bass, I can't imagine you making a mistake.

 

21 minutes ago, padlin said:

I tend to stop thinking about it shortly thereafter, losing a fish doesn’t turn a nice day on the water into a bad one.

 

Wisdom. In a few years, we'll all be pushing up daisies. Staying happy, grateful, and present lets us suck the marrow out of life. 

[WRB]

The Otay bass happened in 1971 and fishing a point away from the bank where another boat was double anchor near shore. The ran back toward the bank and that doesn’t happen normally only thing I could have done was apply more pressure.

The Castiac bass I was back seating in a friends boat and he got too excited forgetting to more the boat away from the point. I didn’t see Gary standing next to watching the bass with a net. Only thing I could have done was seeing Gary sooner and telling him to get out into deeper water. These giant are extremely strong and fast and take advantage of mistakes.

Tom

[Pat Brown]

Oh I'm definitely haunted - wouldn't fish with the appetite I have if I wasn't!  😉😉😉

 

Thankfully for everyone - I get one every now and again and manage to live a somewhat functional life.  😂👍🏼

[F14A-B]

Um not for me 😂 I lost one in the Osceola forest one time I’m saying went an easy 13 I saw that fish twice, and the second time she got airborne partially and threw my jig. My best friend at the time and we fished together, always.. said that was bigger than your 11.2 by a good bit, and it was.. her colors were beautiful like most Florida strain lmb. We all thought we could catch 12-16 pound fish, we were all boating 7-10 pounders fairly routinely. Central Florida was the Mecca in bass fishing in the 80’s. Even in February the fish had beautiful color. There were no efforts to kill the hydrilla like now, the Florida fish I saw this past Elite series schedule were sad. Bad color and oddly shaped, the last good looking fish I saw during a tournament was watching Clunn smoke check 2016 - 19 to win .

 

Watching Clunn over the years he knows how to fish Florida. It’s a hard grind for sure but some of those lakes and rivers still give up some big fish, but I doubt we ever see a 16 pounder come out of Florida now. 
 

But yea, the 13 is very etched in my mind like a picture in a photo album. 
 

The best of days. I’d choose Texas over Florida now for big fish. Definitely Texas. 

[gim]

34 minutes ago, WRB said:

The Castiac bass I was back seating in a friends boat and he got too excited forgetting to more the boat away from the point. I didn’t see Gary standing next to watching the bass with a net. Only thing I could have done was seeing Gary sooner and telling him to get out into deeper water.

 

You've posted about this one before here.  I distinctly recall it.

[Jar11591]

Big ones that get away haunt me. I always think “what if that was a new PB”. 

[F14A-B]

1 hour ago, Swamp Girl said:

 

Understood, Tom. You're in a different class than the rest of us and losing a world record TWICE is beyond my ken.

 

Tom, if you had a chance to land both those bass again, is there anything you could have/should have done differently? As experienced as you are in catching HUGE bass, I can't imagine you making a mistake.

 

 

Wisdom. In a few years, we'll all be pushing up daisies. Staying happy, grateful, and present lets us suck the marrow out of life. 

Right and what would we do without memories? 

[A-Jay]

I've lost a few fish over the past few years that I'd REALLY like another crack at.

Not that I'd do anything different, just so if by chance I did land them,

I'd sleep a little better; especially this time of year.

#hauntme

It's especially gut wrenching when I can see them,

up close & personal in the mostly clear waters I fish. 

This one just nipped at a jerkbait very close to the boat.

Never seemed to get a solid hook into her. 

I knew right away it was a plus size fish

but also thought my chances of landing her were pretty slim.

Despite all my pleading, turns out I was right.

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

Finally, and I hate this part of it,

but in my mind, I need to lose a few big ones here and there.

It's one of the things that makes holding any trophy I'm fortunate enough to land,

so special.

Fish Hard.

A-Jay

 

[GaryH]

Oh yea many times.. but I’m over it. Really i am. So just stop asking me…. 😁😁

I have lost a few big ones but never got a look at them.

[T-Billy]

Most don't hurt for long, it's part of the game, but there are a handful of super sized LM, SM, saugeye, and muskie that still haunt my memories. I'm mostly just grateful to The Lord for all those experiences. Half a century in the woods and on the water. Hopefully I'll be blessed with a few more decades. 😉

[Bankbeater]

When I got back into fishing I made the mistake of fishing coontail with spinning tackle that had 8 lb line on it.  Mr. Bass got me down in the weeds and I my gear didn't have enough muscle for me to get him out.  I ended up breaking off.  I think of that more as a learning experience than a failure.

 

 

[Swamp Girl]

19 minutes ago, Bankbeater said:

When I got back into fishing I made the mistake of fishing coontail with spinning tackle that had 8 lb line on it.  Mr. Bass got me down in the weeds and I my gear didn't have enough muscle for me to get him out.  I ended up breaking off.  I think of that more as a learning experience than a failure.

 

 

 

I'd fail with 8 lb. test too and I've landed 20 lb. pike on 4 and 6 lb. test while fishing for smallies, but they were open water pike. I use 30 lb. test when bog fishing. 

[thediscochef]

I remember almost every big fish I've ever lost. They haunt certain spots for me lol

[MIbassyaker]

The ones that sting for me are when I make some stupid mistake, where I knew better but got lazy or careless.  Like failing to check the line for abrasions and retie.

[Swamp Girl]

19 minutes ago, MIbassyaker said:

Like failing to check the line for abrasions and retie.

 

That's a mistake I make pretty much constantly. If I suspect I'm going to be catching bigger bass, I might retire, but otherwise, I just keep casting. 

[AlabamaSpothunter]

Was just listening to Bass After Dark podcast and they were talking about Billy Westmoreland who lost what he believed was a WR SM on Dale Hollow on XMAS day 1970.

 

They said until his death he never got over that fish.    They also said that he would wake up in the middle of the night after a dream over that fish, and he would immediately hook the boat up and go fish the spot where he lost that fish.   Quite literally that fish haunted his dreams.   

A panelist who currently has the C n' R state Idaho SM record lost a 10+ SM and said he didn't throw another cast that day, or for a couple of weeks after.   

 

 

[WRB]

5 hours ago, gim said:

 

You've posted about this one before here.  I distinctly recall it.

Yep, more then once  it haunts me😔