What could it have been and how to react

[airborne_angler]

The other day I was Dropshotting a Tiki Drop and occasionally had a real ferocious bite. The fish hit and just pulled like a freight train.Like wanting to pull the rod right out of my hand. What can I do in a situation like that. First instinct is to set the hook,but when I did that hook came back bare. Ripped my entire Tiki Drop striaght off the hook.

What are the chances that the fish that was doing this was a Bass and was wondering if that could be what was hitting so hard.

OR---Is that sort of strike just normal for a dropshot rig?

[Shad_Master]

Chances are good that what you had was a turtle -- they will sometimes go after your soft plastics and bite the bait right off your hook.

[BassKing813]

I don't know what it could have been. I've never caught a turtle on an artificial bait before, it was always live bait or bread or something, but it could have been a bass. Who knows.

[THEbassmaster]

if you have gar in your lake it was probably one of those things. they have a long and VERY hard snout with ALOT of razor sharp teeth. i have been using bluegill before for pike, and sometimes when i get a hit and miss the whole tail is gone from the bluegill. last year my dad got about a 4 foot gar, no pics. if we have this happen to us again i will take a pic of the bluegill.

aaron

[Bankbeater]

Could have been a Muskie or a Cat.

[airborne_angler]

The only fish I know of that exist in this lake where I experienced this are LM Bass,Rainbow Trout,Bluegill,Redear Sunfish(Shellcracker),Green Sunfish, Channel cats(which havent been caught in many years),Bullhead Cats(same situation as the Channel Cats) and there have also been reports of Pike but noone has caught one of those in a long time either. My guess is its a feisty Bluegill hittin and runnin. Or a Green Sunfish because those are very viscious when they strike.

But I still would like to know just how I should react to such a strike. I would really like to hook into whatever this is and clear up the mystery.

[BassMaster_1]

I haven't really dropshoted at all.  My guess if your coming up empty is that something small is taking your bait off the hook.  Again, Im not experienced enough to give you a definite answer, but try making sure you have taught line when you set the hook.  

[senile1]

Maybe it was a diver with a sense of humor.  

[Guest bigtex]

chain pickeral????

[Toddn76]

In my experience with drop shotting you can tell when it is a fiesty bluegill popping at it.  As you described the way it hit I would be really surprised if it was a bluegill. Probably a pike or a really big bass.

Todd

[okieboy3]

Down here in Arkansas the bluegills and sunfish are notorious for running full speed into a worm and pulling off the tail.  When you do get the rod back in your hands its to late to even jerk.  You'll reel in and the body will be left but not the tail.  It's also fun to watch your line when a couple bream get to fighting for the worm, they pop your line hard and sometimes you can get lucky and set the hook on them.  

[5bass]

My guess would be a catfish.They hit hard and pull like crazy......I had one break a rod about a month ago.Hooked it on a GULP! worm on a point.Drag was too loose,tightened it a little too tight and SNAP!,I suddenly had a two piece rod. >  

[Siebert Outdoors]

my three guess's

Drum (notorious for rod ripping strikes)

Cat

turtle

[Cephkiller]

I don't know what it was, but a circle hook might provide the answer.  If a fish pulls hard on a circle, he's caught if he gets it in his mouth.

[wvbucketmouth]

My guess would be a 12 pound bass ;D

Just kiddin....probably a mad ole catfish, but ya never know :-/

[YankeesWin]

I gotta' guess catfish.  Though when a turtle finally knows there's a hook in his mouth... LOOK OUT!!  that  &!$$3$  them off!!  They can tear up all kinds of things.  

[Bassassasin12]

I've had a couple rock bass hit artificials pretty hard and they never hang on if you go to set the hook. I would just let the thing take it next time and wait, wait,wait, then set the hook.

[roadwarrior]

I have been following this story from the get-go. It could have been anything EXCEPTa turtle. Although you will never know, I suspect it was a big catfish. Once they decide to eat something, they don't just "taste" it, hey eat it and move away.

However, bass will do the same thing. There is no way of knowing what it was.

If I were guessing, I'd bet it was a 22 lb 6 oz largemouth bass!

[airborne_angler]

Yeah I could only be so lucky to miss the bite of a 22 lb Bass. Im determined to get whatever it is and when I do Ill be sure to report my findings.

[Keithscatch]

I think you answered your own question when you guessed Sunfish or Bream. My experience is the bites we get that we set the hook with nothing more often then not are Bluegills or Crappie or other types of Sunfish. Bass almost always suck in a small bait like what you were using. We just always assume it was a Bass when we miss a fish. Dropshot rigging will produce panfish bites for sure.

Bream pull real hard for their size way more then a Bass ever could. I caught a huge Bream once maybe 1.5lbs or so and I swear I had a 4-5lb Bass on.

Go with your gut feeling on this as I think you already know the answer.