The One that got Away-Share your story....

[Del from philly]

Heres mine:

The Day She Got Away

You cast out. Its been a slow day, but something deep inside you is telling you the day is far from over. You Cast out, and as the lure finds the bottom you casually light your last ciggerette. The lure sits and sits, and just when the moment is officially relaxing... BAM.

You know this is the big one. You can tell by the way it is controlling its own movements, not just dragging on the end of your line like a hyperactive toy poodle on a leash. She is using her power to take you out deep.

As you let her flee, in the back of the head you are waiting for her to tire. You know this power has its limitations, and you know its all a matter of time before you take control again. Just a matter of time.

After a short pull, you Finally start to get her on her way in. She starts to take you down the shoreline a little bit, and as you casually walk down the shoreline, you realize she is finally close enough where you can see just how big she is.

You feel pretty confident in your 6 lb test and hookset, but not enough to sit and stare at this beast while shes still in the water. You decide to worry about gettiing her in first, and admiring her second. The random flashes are pulsating in front of you as you try to churn her in.

Then, in an instant, this fish is entirely exposed as it enters the shallow water against its will. The first thing you notice is the dark color. Seems darker than usual, but maybe its just the size. Its all happening so quickly you arent really thinking, but making quick observatuions that wont make sence until you have a chance to actually think about them.

This fish is easily 2 or 3 pounds larger than anything you caught all year. You realize this now, as you squat down to try and pull this beast out of the water. But something is wrong, you can tell, because the moment of serenity has ended with a flash of a tail, and a splash large enough to turn the dirt caked on your timberland boots into thick, slimy mud. The moment turns from a free-flowing flash to a dead stare. You are now still, looking directly at your lure, now laying limply where the water meets the shore.

Then the moment hits, The fish is no longer under your control, and you realize this.

In an instant, you see the big fish, and you see that this big fish has big plans- that dont involve you! As much as the fish would love to part ways, she is stuck in about 3-4 inches of water and rocks. She is powerfully flopping around, inching her way out of the shallow water, using the big rocks on the bottom as leverage to escape.

At this moment you comtemplate jumping in after her. You envision yourself wrestling with a large, whale like creature, but suddenly your mind is jolted back to reality with a final splash. The fish is swimming, not flopping. At this moment the frustration you feel is peaceful. Calming. Like the way many would describe a near death experience.

You sit their, and stare out into the water. The moment feels strangely positive for what just took place.

Is this what you hate about fishing, or is this secretely what you love. They say deap down that degenerate gamblers play to lose. Is this the same? As you try and decide you blindly reach into your pocket to pull out a ciggerette. You feel the phantom pack, empty back, and realize its time to head in.

You take one last look, shake your head, "NEXT TIME"!

[Shadcranker]

Was fishing a weekend series regional at Eufaula in 06. Non-boater gets $25,000 for first prize.

I end up finishing fourth and get a whopping $450 check (still qualified for the nationals).

Lost a fish the second day that was easily 5/12 pounds and possibly 7 or 8. Hooked her on a chrome and blue trap. Fought her for thirty seconds or so. My partner had the net in the water, and she jumped about a foot from the net, throwing the trap back at me.

I did the math at the final day weigh in,, and if I'd have had that fish instead of the 2 lbr I ended up weighing in that day, I would have won the event by around 2-3 lbs and you guessed it- $25,000.

Thanks for opening up that wound with this thread :'(.

[Masshole Mike]

Was fishing a weekend series regional at Eufaula in 06. Non-boater gets $25,000 for first prize.

I end up finishing fourth and get a whopping $450 check (still qualified for the nationals).

Lost a fish the second day that was easily 5/12 pounds and possibly 7 or 8. Hooked her on a chrome and blue trap. Fought her for thirty seconds or so. My partner had the net in the water, and she jumped about a foot from the net, throwing the trap back at me.

I did the math at the final day weigh in,, and if I'd have had that fish instead of the 2 lbr I ended up weighing in that day, I would have won the event by around 2-3 lbs and you guessed it- $25,000.

Thanks for opening up that wound with this thread :'(.

OUCH!

not really a "one that got away" story, but i had just bought a new fenwick eagle gt and was raring to get out and use it. i threw my reel on, tied on a EWG hook and headed out to my favorite spot. i'd been there for about an hour or so, had caught a couple small keepers and some dinks when i almost literally crapped myself when another angler crept up on me and asked "how's the fishin'?" from almost right behind me.

after i calm my nerves, have a good laugh about literally jumping out of my skin, and give a short rundown of what i'd caught i told the other guy to throw a line in. we get to chatting, "where ya from?" "you come here a lot?" kinda stuff when not more than 5 minutes later i get a big hit on a green pumpkin senko. two minutes later i'm standing there holding a 5-6lb bass yellin at the other guy to get my camera. he's searchin and searchin for it and tells me he can't find it. turns out i left it in my car, a good 10 minute walk back through the woods (plus another 10 back to the spot). not only that, but i didn't even have anything to measure her with, save for my leg and my rod. needless to say, i still don't know how big that fish was, but i can relax in the fact that there is 1 other person on earth that saw me land my PB (by far) that day.

come ice-out, i'll be back beatin the banks of that reservoir hoping to catch her again. this time with scale, camera and measuring tape in hand. i'm still hoping to up my PB this year, but it'd be a nice treat to land her again.

[dman]

I was teed up on a 205yd par 3, took a nice easy swing with my 5 wood making a nice crack. Beauty of a shot and my ball rolled up and stopped literally on the edge of the cup.....oops , wrong forum

[Guest muddy]

Well you all know my rep. concerning trolling motor control. I was on Greenwood Lake, way back on the NY Side by LONG POND MARINA, with my friend Steve, he had a fish on and we were tight next to a dock and the fish was in some weeds/pads. He asked me to pull back with the TM, and said" Don't go left" I thought he wanted me to go left, when I put the motor on, fished spooked, went under the boat and I was going left and BASS-O-MATIC time. I am sorry to say I chewed that bass practically in half. I was grateful it was legal sized, but since I always C7R, I wasn't feeling all that good.Steve was %^%^* because I cut his fish in half

[Tokyo Tony]

When I was a kid (maybe 12 years old?) I was in my canoe with my brother and for a change, we were bass fishing in one of the lakes in my neighborhood.  All we fished back then was t-rigged worms with 1/4 oz brass bullet weight, or little Rebel jointed minnows, blue/chrome.  

Anyway, I was fishing my little Rebel out in the middle of nowhere over some submerged brush, and this bass just absolutely nails it.  I was using my saltwater inshore gear (I think it was a Symetre 3000 with a Carbomax) and pink 8 lb test Ande line (the only line I used).  This fish goes on a crazy drag run, and as I start to gain, I caught a glimpse of the fish, and it was an absolute giant.  I freaked out, ended up losing the fish, screaming, and my brother and I just sat in the canoe for a few minutes talking about how huge it was.  In retrospect, it could have been a double digit (it was in FL), but I really don't know.  

I haven't thought about that in years, but I'll definitely never forget it  

[Jake.]

I was fishing at a local pond with a friend on a warm spring day last year. I was throwing an LC RC 1.5, and the bass were crushing it. All of the fish I had caught had hit the bait right at shore, right when I was about to lift it out of the water. I casted out near a rockpile about ten feet out from shore and began my retrieve. This big bass followed suit, and blew up on the crank in no more than 10 or 12 inches of water. She had to hit it on the cast I was looking away. :-[ I heard a big splash and turned around instantly, and saw my rod bent in a full arch. My drag was to tight, and she jumped about 4 feet away from me. The trebles popped right out of her huge mouth. My friend and I both got a good look at her, and we both are certain she would have gone 7-8 lbs. I still get mad at myself every now and then for having the drag set to tight. :-/

[Sam]

Which one?

Lost two beauties on Lake Gaston two years in a row due to my stuipidity.

Grabed the 1) Carolina rig two years ago; grabed the crankbait setup last year WITHOUT CHECKING THE DRAG so I could throw it fast.

Got two major hits.  Like wham!  Both times she took it and headed west.

She is still heading west as the line broke off both times.

I now check my drag all the time.  

And then on Lake Chesdin, not paying attention when a nice size bass hit my Pop-R along the grass line, I had too much slack in the line and he took the Pop-R down with him and spit it out.

Talk about being sick.

Just stuipidity on my part.

[Fishin-Psyantist]

 Fishing with a crank bait last year I was in an area with heavy weeds along the bottom. If I cranked it too fast I was sure to bring in a weed fish. And so thats what I thought when the line grew heavy so I continued to reel it in until the last 5 feet the bass jumps out of the water spitting out the lure. If I had only set the hook.

[Buckeye1955]

Not mine, but the buddies. And boy did he deserve it! I fish only artifical and the buddy knows it. We needed to wait out the fog on the river and moved back into a cove to fish. I didn't notice he had one pole laying on the deck with his tackle box on it and was throwing a crank with the other. Then he yelled! When I turned the pole on the deck was about 2 ft off the river and about 6 ft from the boat heading for the river at high speed! I was like what the heck? What did you have on that thing? "A worm............"  Well deserved! But the story doesn't end there. He snarled his other pole, so I pull one out of the boat and loan him one. About 15 minutes later he gets snagged. Gives a big yank and breaks my pole right in half!!! I dang near made him walk back.....

[Evan Pease]

I was fishing in GA on Lake Seminole a year or two ago with freshly spooled 14# braid. Our guide told my mom and I we would be pitching stumps and suggested a watermelon color with a 3/16oz bullet weight. I tied on a 2/0 gammy regular gap and made a perfect cast to the biggest stump around. On the fall I feel "tick" so I slammed her and felt the biggest fish Ive ever had. My line dug into the spool on the hookset so I had no drag. Needless to say she got next to the boat, jumped, and left me with frayed line and a broken heart. The guide and I were nearly crying. He said it was EASILY double digit :'(. I think I get to go back in March so I may get another shot at her.

[burleytog]

In my defense, how was I to know that a single roll of duct tape wasn't enough to hold her?

[pondhopper]

In my first year of "organized" bass fishing, a good LM in a small pond hauled me into moderate cover in seconds and broke me off. I was using a spinning reel and 10# test.

I started learning the bait caster the very next day! Learning to use a bait caster is fun ... by the way.

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

All I know  that all my "one that got away"  stories have the same ending......................

...............and then her fat friend came up and said "I'm leaving NOW, are you coming with me or not..." ;D ;D

[Masshole Mike]

All I know that all my "one that got away" stories have the same ending......................

...............and then her fat friend came up and said "I'm leaving NOW, are you coming with me or not..." ;D ;D

aaaaaahhh... the "D.U.F.F."

always a hindrance when tryin to land a good one. also known as a "grenade". your best bet is to bring along a buddy that's willing to take one for the team and jump on that grenade so as to protect anyone else from being injured, or even worse, possibly losing a good one.

[ba7ss3in]

A few years ago a buddy and I fished the local watering hole in a place called the hot ditch. It was mid-January cold and rainy. I went to tie on Smithwick firetiger jerkbait and did not tie  knot correctly but I did not think anything was going to hit it. Very first cast , I felt the strike, set the hook, and could feel the not come loose. My buddy and I watched this hog, 7-9 lbs, come out of the water, shaking its head trying to rid itself of the bait. We heard that fish for the next 10 to 15 minutes, from that point on I make sure the not is properly tied.