Worst bass miss

[A-Jay]

On ‎12‎/‎15‎/‎2006 at 10:57 PM, Catt said:

I was sitting on a stump field in 18' of water slowly working a Texas Rig when there came that little tail tale tap. Dropped the rod, reeled the slack, set the hook and it sets hook back. Get her up to where I could see her when she sounded taking me to my knees in the process. Got her up again but she quickly sounded again only this time the reel came out of the reel seat hitting the last eye on the rod snapping the line and falling over board. I stood up screaming damm that was a hawg and then screamed damm that was my reel.

I aint saying how big she was but definitely Share-A-Lunker quality

The reel was a brand new Abu Garcia Eon on a Cabala's Fish Eagle II rod, the rod a defective the back part was built to shallow far the reel to fully seat. Haven't bought a Cabala's rod or an Abu Garcia since.

 

Some of these are classic - and yours is now slouch either.

A-Jay

[samwise2u]

Spring of 2016 on Caddo Lake while frogging. Hooked 'em, got him to the boat. Once I saw him I knew he was going to be my new PB. While reaching for the net, he flicked his tail and was gone.

[N Florida Mike]

Ive had several through the years that would qualify.

probably the biggest fish I lost was when I was fishing a tournament at Rodman in '86 or '87.We were fishing isolated stumps out in the middle of the lake.I made a long,perfect cast to a stump with a T- rigged 7 1/2 inch red shad culprit worm.I was using either 14 or 17 pound Stren. Felt the tap,set the hook, and the fish never came 1 inch closer to the boat.She simply swam away and the line broke like a pistol shot.Cant say how big,but I was able to steadily gain line on my PB, which was 8 1/2 to 9 pounds.This fish I couldnt turn atall.

Would have won the tournament easily with that fish.

["hamma"]

   20 years ago I spent a week in early June up at Sebago Lake in Maine. I stayed at Point Sebago which is close to some of the lakes best  smallmouth area's in my opinon. The big smallies were getting ready to  move in on beds, Now this lake has extremely clear water, clarity at that time was like 25 to 30 feet I could see bottom. So A long cast for the truly big girls is neccessary. 

 I got up before the sun each morning, slipped out of the cove, and would be fishing right away. There is a few islands and hazards closeby and I'd fish my favorite topwater,...a Pop-r, and it produced well. On like the second morning I quietly fished along and came upon one of the hazards, tossed up on top of it, and tugged the first,  BA-loop!, second ba-loop, then it quietly disappeared, and I set the hook, felt some good weight, but then the line went dead, and the lure surfaced. After a few choice words, and a few more casts, I moved along. I knew by the silent hit, and the weight felt,, that this fish can be my PB smallie, over (6+)

 Two days later I found myself around that same hazard,  same bait, same time of morning I gave it another shot. BA-loop!,...ba-loop,...ba-loop,..Four more tugs and no response (im getting concerned nothings there) Another cast, rings settle down, and just as Im about to tug the line, the lure disappears,. I feel the weight and set the hook, and this time I got a good hookset, and its on. She feels like a whopper, my drag is singing and she heads for deeper water, Im playing her like a piano, twist for turn and so on, finally I see the line coming up, she's about to jump,...I reply by sticking the rod tip into the water and reel for all I got. She breaks the surface and sure enough she looks to be my new pb, She does a perfect triple gainer with a full 1080 twist, and splashes down like a pro. My hearts pumping to beat the band, Im beginning to realize whats about to happen, I've got the boat positioned right, my decks are clear, and this seems to be it, Im going to break the long wait for a new PB. After she dove deep again, she's playing around, pulling drag and racing towards the boat, but im on top of it and fighting back all I can to keep up with her. I can feel she's slowing down, Im at that point in the battle that it's time to take over and get her boatside, As Im doing so , she peps up again and heading for the surface for another jump, alot closer to the boat this time, like about 15 feet away, I reply the rod tip down and reeling again, but this time, in the middle of her divers performance, it was as if time stopped and in slow motion she appeared to look right at me, opened her mouth and the inevidable "Pahtooey",... spit the lure directly at me. ,............

 

  I stood motionless for a few minutes, not moving a single muscle. The mornings bird chirps were muffled, the beautiful scenery was faded. That early morning fog was still on the waters surface, and it was as quiet as quiet could be, on a georgous Maine lake,... until,.. 

  "AHHHRRRRRGGGGGGGG!!!!" I think I woke up sleeping kiddies on the complete other side of the lake. Wasn't intentional, but yet still quite evident, as to what just happened. She yet again escaped the hopes and dreams of another anglers clutch. Swimming off into the clear cool depths, probably smirking. As, she was a true brute of a smallie, a wallhanger, the kind of fish we all dream of. Definitely My new PB, she was a sight to behold,...I didnt see hide nor hair of her again that week, not even a sniff over that hazard from even a kibbie. I've been to the lake since, and of course fished that hazard, to no availe.

,...this? isnt over!

  Good morning all !       MMMP    (my morning marathon post)

[wdp]

On 12/15/2006 at 9:57 PM, Catt said:

I was sitting on a stump field in 18' of water slowly working a Texas Rig when there came that little tail tale tap. Dropped the rod, reeled the slack, set the hook and it sets hook back. Get her up to where I could see her when she sounded taking me to my knees in the process. Got her up again but she quickly sounded again only this time the reel came out of the reel seat hitting the last eye on the rod snapping the line and falling over board. I stood up screaming damm that was a hawg and then screamed damm that was my reel.

I aint saying how big she was but definitely Share-A-Lunker quality

The reel was a brand new Abu Garcia Eon on a Cabala's Fish Eagle II rod, the rod a defective the back part was built to shallow far the reel to fully seat. Haven't bought a Cabala's rod or an Abu Garcia since.

Oh my gosh!!! You beat me to it. Had almost same thing happen!

 

I had just gotten my Citica back from being cleaned & serviced with a few upgrades, I mean that thing was smooth & would cast a country mile. I was so excited that I bought a brand new rod to pair it with.

 

Went fishing the next week at a local private lake with a buddy & I'm fishing a 5" hollow-bodied swimbait. We're hitting some coves fishing cover that residents have sunk around docks & banks. Doing well & catching some good fish. 

 

All the sudden I hook into a tank. I set the hook hard & feel like I didn't even turn the fish. Simultaneously, the reel seat cracks & my line breaks. I'm trying to reel very fast to take up slack thinking the fish is swimming towards me, not realizing what happened. All the sudden my reel falls over and I make a mid air swipe at it to grab it before it falls. I missed ? and plop! That's my reel falling in the water. 

 

I yell, NO!!!!! And my buddy goes what was that splash? I hold up my rod, with an empty reel seat. He laughed & laughed & said no way? I was so mad. ??

 

Needless to say, the rod was returned & got my money back. The reel, well it's gone forever. No idea how big the fish was. But it felt like a giant!

[Choporoz]

I know exactly where my Moby Dick sits.  Broke off twice in six months....on the same stump....I'm going to get him this year

[Blackhawk83]

Not sure if it's my worst miss ever but had a really poor outing last night after work. Fished several smaller lakes around my home using a black/blue 1/4 oz jig with matched crawfish trailer.  Conditions were overcast and 66 degrees with yet another front moving our way. Water stained to muddy due to all of the recent rains but the bass were up and more active than they had been in last 2 wks  fished 2 hours and got bit 6 x but could hook up with any of the fish. Very frustrating but it at least lets me know I am on the right track

[Bankbeater]

About 7 or 8 years ago I caught a nice 4 to 5 pound largemouth on a 1/8 ounce jig.  I get the bass up to the boat where my partner can lift it out of the water, and the hook slides from one side of the fish's mouth to the other.  I yelled out "grab him, he's not hooked", but before my partner could do anything that bass was gone.

[JustJames]

one of the worst lost is that one that can be my PB. This happened last year at canyon lake. I was fishing on a dock, hook up with a nice size bass. Play with the fish a few mins let him run a couple times until I think he tired enough. Bring the fish in so I can lay down on dock to lip it up. The fish is pretty good size 5lb or more. The dock is pretty high from water. I grabed the line and did what others tell you not to do, I twisted the line with my hand while grabbing that #6 hybrid line the fish shook head one last time and say bye bye to me.

[OCdockskipper]

Two summers ago, I was casting a DT10 in one of the deeper portions of our shallow lake, digging it along the bottom.  It gets hit by a freight train that starts pulling drag and towing me towards the middle of the lake.  After a minute or so, I start to pick up ground on the fish.  As it gets closer, something started feeling odd.  I am looking in the water, trying to get a look at her when instead of a fish, I see my line wrapped around a moss covered rod & reel.  I reach in the water, trying to get it off my line, when the fish makes another run.  I am in no position to fight the fish, she snaps my line and I end up landing the lost combo.

 

I don't know if it was a bass or a giant carp/catfish.  I also don't know if the old setup that foiled me was being dragged around by this monster or if she just snagged it on one of her passes.  It is fun to believe that she was the queen of the lake and had been dragging that old combo around for years...

[Bluebasser86]

Fishing a tournament in October on LOZ as a non-boater. It was a BASS Weekend Series tournament where the non-boater is only allowed 3 fish and they add the boaters weight to your total (weirdest rule I've ever heard). I have 3 solid fish and have culled several times while my boater can't get his last 2 fish. Decided to drag a 1oz footballjig looking for a big fish. My jig fell off a ledge in 25' of water and seemed to disappear. I found the fish moving towards deeper water and hammered her. Thought it might be a drum or catfish until she wallowed next to the boat. My boater hadn't even gotten the net yet so I tried to make a quick grab for her. She dove, line had wrapped around the rod tip and popped when she hit the end of the line. I ended up in 5th with 18 something (my 12 pounds plus my boaters 6 pounds, guy that won had 1 4 pounder but his boater had around 25 pounds so he got 29 pounds). That bass wouldn't have won it for me, but it would have sent me to the Monster Bass tournament at the end of the year on El Salto. 

I told a friend about the fish because he had a tournament there the next week. He not only won, but he caught the same fish with my jig still driven into her jaw, she weighed 8lb 2oz.

I've lost bigger fish, but that one still hurts the most.

[Airman4754]

Last year I had my only for sure double digit northen stain largie on after three decades of trying. She hit a 7" robo drop shot on the fall out in open water right in the ski boat lane. 

 

I got her by the boat, she had other ideas with my 6lb leader. She buried herself into some weeds and worked her way off.

 

Pretty lame.

[the reel ess]

Fishing late spring at my favorite lunker-loaded private reservoir. I was fishing a T rigged Hula Grub. But I had the drag locked tight for a frog I just took off. My mistake. I cast toward a little rock pile on the bank and started slowly swimming the bait right off the bottom when it just went the other direction so I set. The behemoth (LOL) discovered it was hooked and made a run toward the boat as fast as I could reel. It went straight down at the boat, headed for deep water and my drag was still tight. The line went slack and I pulled up a straightened out 2/0 Gamakatsu EWG-not a superline hook. My buddy said he saw the shadow of it. I was busy trying to do something with the drag when it went came within sight. He was guessing a 10+ pounder. He had already moved everything in the boat out of the way, hoping to help me boat my PB. He has caught a good many 8+ pounders there and he knows new PB's are about my goal when fishing anymore. It would have shattered my PB by 3+ lbs if it was 10.

[RoLo]

I see this 10-yr old thread has been resurrected  

My worst loss was a northern pike.......I can't remember ever losing a bass 

 

Lois & I were pike fishing out of Hawk's Nest Camp on Moon River, Georgian Bay (Lk Huron, ON)

I hooked up with a fish that was clearly longer than 40" and probably a new personal best.

When she jumped entirely out of the water, I turned to my wife and said: "That's a musky"

During that battle she jumped 2 more times and each time I repeated: "That's a musky".
 

After finally pumping the big serpent next to the boat, I was astonished to see

the bean-shaped markings of a northern pike!  Pike was our target fish, so I was ecstatic to learn

that it was a trophy pike, and not a middling musky. Pike aren't as aerobatic as muskies,

and this was the only gator I ever caught that leaped 'entirely' out of the water '3' times.

 

My wife lowered the net and I deftly guided the brute to the net.

As the net & pike were coming together, I noticed that the net mesh was billowed forward of the hoop

but thought nothing of it. Unfortunately though, my wife did the unthinkable

and lifted the net out of the lake to pull the mesh behind the hoop. During that brief net-less moment,

I allowed a microsecond of slack line. My hook fell out of the pike's keyholed jaw

and swung to the boat without the pike! It's hard to describe the deep gut-sickness I felt,

as I watched that big beautiful log sink slowly back into her dark watery world.

 

Roger