Is there one that haunts you?

[Bass_Akwards]

Okay guys here's another post by me. Sorry if they're getting annoying but I've got cabin fever like you can't even believe. We have another 3-6 weeks before we can even THINK about wetting a line here in Boulder CO. Therefore coming to BR and trying to have some fun is the only thing keeping me sane in terms of my fishing life.

Anyway, perhaps "haunt" is a little strong of a word but I was just wondering, was there a time where you hooked a LMB or SMB but didn't get it to the boat or shore, that still drives you a little, or a lot crazy even to this day?

I was night fishing last summer and was whipping a fire tiger jerkbait and heard a splash like somone hucked a small brick into the water.

I felt the tug and gave it a yank. I couldn't believe how big and strong this thing felt. We all could hear it fighting out there in the dark, splashing around like noones business. The moment I hooked it, I could feel it's head just yanking my rod as if a friend of mine was on the other end of my line, tugging really hard, playing a practical joke on me.

In a raised voice I said , "Oh my god bro, this things huge!" It made another super loud splash and my friend said "Holy shxit bro did you foul hook a muskie?" (theres no muskie in this lake)

I kept saying "Oh God please let me land this thing!"

We fought for a good 15 seconds, which is WAY longer than you think when your heart is pounding out of your chest and you have what you believe is the biggest Colorado bass you've ever caught by far on the end of your line. I didn't even have time to really enjoy the fight before my line went SNAPOLA!

I let out the biggest

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!" of my life and that was that. Could it have been the state record I'm looking for? Who knows but it still kinda bugs me even now..

[Gatorbassman]

Sounds like a beaver to me. lol  ;D

There is one fish for me. It was back when I was stationed at Ft Gordon, GA. I was fishing one fo the many lakes on the back of post in a borrowed 10ft jon boat. It was a beaver dam lake that was a pain to get the boat into but it was full of fish. I made a cast with a fluke up into a beaver ditch that went into a den and saw the flash of a fish. I set the hook and she came out of the water. It was huge. I don't know how big but it is still the largest bass I've seen in real life. She made one run up that ditch and the drag on my cheep, peice of crap Shimano spinning reel caught and the line broke. This is the fish that still drives my motivation to this day.

[tritz18]

I was fishing for smallmouth one summer and was deep cranking. I had caught alot of small fish earlier in the day and once I set the hook on this fish I knew it was big. After a great fight I got it to the boat, still had not even seen the fish. As it gets near the boat it takes a giant dive for the bottom that was very unexpected. My line then rubbed up against the boat and broke, never saw the fish but it was a beast. Still haunts me every time I fish for smallmouth on that lake.

[mjhutch1116]

I was fishing in a tournament last year it was in the morning just after the tournament started.  My partner and I quietly pulled into this cove and started fishing down along the bank with creature baits.  Just about 3/4 of the way into the cove my line started moving toward the center of the cove, I set the hook the fish came up and swirled the sound alone had my partner reaching for the net, I started to reel down on the fish to pull it towards the boat and wham the fish just came unbuttoned and swam away we never really saw the fish but from the swirl it was a big fish.  Later at the weigh in we discovered that if we would have landed that fish we would have won hands down.  It still haunts me to this day over a year later.

Matt

[River Rat316]

I actually landed mine, but I was wading the river, I was mid river and landed a sow of a smallie, I really wanted a correct measurement bad but was a long ways from shore and didn't really have anything to measure her with, so standing in water over my waste I tried to get a halfway decent measurement against my rod, I marked the blank with my pliers (another bad idea the rod ended up snapping at that mark awhile afterward) The measurement I came up with is 2.5" longer than my PB and a good 1" longer than any credible fish out of this body of water that I have ever heard of. I still have a hard time believing the measurement. The kicker is when I got back to the truck I was pulling stuff out of my wading vest and I had a soft tape measure in there, I could have at least gotten a better idea with that. I still don't say it was my pb though cause I am not sure.

[fourbizz]

There are two, neither of which I hooked.

April 2007, my buddies and I were out chasing big bedfish. The way we do it is all of us stand on the front of the boat as  I buzz the shoreline on high. Whoever spots her gets her. Well throughout the day we got some good fishm, I got an 8 and a 6 and one of my buddies also got a 6. My third friend was not able to connect, so we decided that the next good one any of us saw was his. I buzzed over a nice 5-6 lb fish so we stopped to give him his shot. As he was getting his stuff, I was standing there watching this fish when this behemoth came into sight and started rolling with the 6lber. The 6lber was the male! I first judged this fish at about 11 and told me buddy what he was in for. He came over and worked this fish for about an hour while we just poked on little fish. He finally gave up, I told him that if he gave up his rights, he wasnt getting them back if I got her hot, lol. When I got on her, she came up shallow and I got an idea of just how big she was. She was all of 14, most likely in the 15-16 range. I spent the rest of that day (7 hours) trying to get her to go. I exhausted every trick in my book to no avail. So I sat there for 7 hours, with the fish of a lifetime not 10 ft from me and was miserable. She would spook when the V from the line went within 10 ft of her. She would spook if the bait moved. She would spook if I stood up. She would spook if I bumped her. She would spook if she saw the bait flying over her head. It was horrible. I decided to sleep in my truck at the lake that night and hit her at first light. She never showed up that next day. That sucked.

The other one was a smallmouth so big that I dont even talk about just how big I think she was, because everyone would think I was full of it. But she was giant, and after she missed the topwater twice, blowing it 6ft in the air, I felt like crying, and actually got sick to my stomach. That sucked too.

[burleytog]

Just the big ***** that broke my line last summer.

And the big ***** in Varner that decided to bite Beast's jig instead of mine.

[Wild Bill [NY]]

OH...yup, it does haunt me.

I remember it clearly.

I was down in Texas, playing hooky [pun intended] for a week from my job while my wife was there for training at her Dallas based company's headquaters. She was there for three weeks, staying in a compnay condo alone, so I drove down, and while she was at training sessions all day, I was driving to Fork, and getting home in time to do an evening dinner with her.You know, so SHE wold not be lonely..yeah, right ! She had a company-paid food allotment that we both easily could eat on, so i just had to get myself there, and amuse myself while she'd go to training every day.

All week I had been fishing with guys from texas that I had 'met' through the internet, getting to fish with them. Different guys almost every day, and I had a true gas that week, and my day's last guy said 'hey what you doing tommorow' which SHOULD have been the day I had to leave to go back home again.

He tells me there is a heated lake right on my way home, right alongside the highway i got to take to go home, and he'll meet me there at the ramp atsunrise, so I can see and fish that water before I have to go back to NY...

Well, what's a poor boy like me to do in a situation like that..

Come on,now, that did not take you tooooo long to figure out , did it, honestly?

Well, the next morning, my brandy new good ol' boy pal Steve has me into them good. Nice TEXAS sized LMs, and we're sticking them, and giglling like two little school girls as we boat fish after fish . Well, I KNOW I get to get on the pony to make my planned stop for the night, as I am looking at about 27 hours of driving solo now, only staying that one pre-arranged and pre-paid night..

I say, let fish another five minutes to Steve, then I REALLY seriously have to go[despite not wanting to] to make it to the place in time for any sleep at all.

Well , we get to this patch of grass emerging out of the water, and I sling this big green worm up into it, and just as I pull it into sight outof the weeds in the gin-clear water, this behomoth LM just darts out and inhales it fully, in clear sight of both of us, and I set the steel firmly to it. The fight was ON !!!!

It darted easily 20 feet, me with my drag taking line as I pull back on the rod to try to control the fish,with me slightly thumbing the spool to slow it, and amazingly I did, and it now did a 180 turn from what it just had been doing, now paralleling the weedline again but in the other direction, as feverishily took p line with the reel. As the line tensed up again, it turned again, running at me, now right under the boat. I 'd swear I had jammed my rod down fast, but it must not have been fast enough, as obviously my line now cut on the bottom of the boat..losing the "beast from the weed".

Steve goes to me..."You see how big that was..?"

I say 'bigger than I have ever seen, and way bigger than what I ever caught"...

He tells me that I had told him just yesterday I had come to Texas in hopes of sticking a ten, and well, that was better than a ten; about 12 to 14 pounds...he figured.

I then had 27 hours behind the wheel to get myself home, thinking about it, and thinking about it, and thinking about it...yup, and even thinking about it some more.

Yes, it haunts me...

[Paul Roberts]

No. Not anymore. That's the short answer.

Happens occasionally and I go, "Auuuggggghhh!" for a few minutes. Then "Oooooooohhhh" for a few days. Then...it just fades. Senility maybe.

I've not hooked and lost a bass larger than my PBs -that I knew of. Hate not knowing, but, if you don't see them, it's too easy to be fooled. Guestimating fish size that are not in my hand is just not very accurate a lot of the time, the way water distorts vision, and the way direction of propulsion can fool me.

I can think of a few that made me go 'ooo' in the last couple years. One was a good 20" smallie I got to boat side before it just popped free. I could see it below me clearly in the clear water. Beautiful fish. Hooked a big LM I didn't see a few years ago. It bolted and separated my leader and braid -damaged Uni-Uni. I really lamented that fish for a while, until a week later I hooked one in the same exact spot and nearly same circumstances. It bolted to the side and made me give it some line. I was relieved not to lose this one, but it was only 19". I have no idea how large the first one was, but it could just as well have been just another <20er.

As for other fish, that I could make good estimates on: I lost a mint bright steelhead that was around 20lbs, and another around 18 -both I saw really well. I lost a brown I estimated at 16. And a largish muskie once, that bent out a saltwater treble hook. A lone ~30lb striper exiting a bay on an ebbing tide I almost got a fly to in time. Those had me oooooooohh-ing for a while. I've seen some BIG bucks and bull elk, I've missed opportunities on too.

I guess I just don't have the trophy bug. It's just not the reflection on "me" it used to be. Happy to catch a big one, but more interested in other aspects of fishing I guess.

Then again, as to bass fishing, I don't live on the shores of Castiac, or Clear Lake. I leave room for the fact that I'm likely very much a product of the environment I live in.

[little_stephen]

nope. but something else does.

I landed a really nice bass in a private pond i fish in. had to have been one of my top bass todate. but she swallowd the hook so deeply and faught so hard that when she finally came outta the water, she was bleeding alot.   it was obvious this bass was a bruiser! She had a long plastic worm that was so old it had bleached white in the water stuck in her throat, and a few nicks on her. tried to extract the hook, didnt work, throat clamped shut quick!

i was gunna cut her free and let her be and have nature run its course. but the guy i was fishing with flipped.    that fish was hurt bad. and tossing it back, to him seemed really cruel! So, he insisted we toss her on ice with the bluegills we were gunna fry for dinner........ and i did (mainly bc the guy was the reason im allowd to fish that pond & he kinda intimidates me a bit).    she tried so hard to get outta that cooler. she had the thing bouncing around..... and i felt HORRIBLE! it was so wrong to hear that beauty of a bass trying to get free.

at long last, she quit. but while i was watching him fillet the bluegills, and then eventually the bass, the poor thing was still trying to gasp for air. gills were going hard. and he just cut into her. i had to walk away.      for all the times that ive been sooo excited to watch a bass swim off after a hard fight i was heartbroken. :-[

[Eternal Angler]

No not smallmouth or largemouth, but I did have a big fish that got away.  Have no clue what it was but it snapped my fireline, one hell of a strong fish.

[Bassin_Fin@tic]

The one that haunts me was one I actually caught. It was by far my personal best and was caught while I was fishing alone. I had no scale and was off the beaten path a little bit and couldn't find anyone to take my picture either. I got a few crappy pictures of it laying in the boat with a cheap disposable camera,none of which turned out worth a crap and did not do the fish justice at all and some of the pictures didn't turn out at all,they were a blur.There was no way to hold the fish out with one hand and try a snapshot either. This one was a two hander,I couldn't support her weight with one fist and her mouth was too large. I know what I caught and it still excites me to this day but for others to hear about it I get treated like I'm BS'ing. It was 27 inches and 21.25 girth.Easy enough to do the math on that one to get an estimate, I measured it with two pieces of fishing line.Still though I can cut a piece of line to any length I want to and it's just another fishermans tall tail,right? :-/ :'( This one haunts me because I fear I will never ever see one that big again in my life or especially catch it.Guess I need to be more positive.

[Catt]

While I have none that haunt me I do have a few that make me think "how big an ole boy were you!"

Several years ago while preparing for a night tournament I picked up a bottle of Uncle Josh Kicker Frogs that only had 1 left, so I opened the bottle, slipped it on a jig and right before I put it back into the bottle I noticed a bottle of Riverside Real Craw. I'm thinking what the hey and emptied the Uncle Josh bottle and filled it with Real Craw then dropped the jig in. That was the last I thought of that jig since the next night the bass were on a buzz bait bite at sundown that lasted all night.

OK Catt get to the point!

Well about 5-6 months later while sitting in the bottom of the boat thinking "man something gotta make em bite", low and behold there is this bottle of Real Craw with a jig inside. With the jig tied to an 7' 6" extra heavy jig rod spooled with 65@ braid I make a long cast to the edge of an under water tree line in about 20' of water and sit down. No sooner does my derriere hit the seat when there that all familiar "thump", so with quick drop the rod, reel the slack and set the hook only to have this bass set hook back! Now I'm on my feet with rod tip buried in my chest and drag slipping I got that ugly feeling in the pit of my stomach of line rubbing log. Now with the struggle swinging the boat on it's anchor rope, line still rubbing on wood and with that relieved feeling of knowing "I've got braid", crack like a 22 rifle going.

Pat: what's up with that?

Catt: mumbling under his breath, "how big an ole boy were you!"

[roadwarrior]

David Hayes caught the World Record smallmouth bass in 1955 on Dale Hollow Lake.

Some believe the next World Record will be found on the Tennessee River:

http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/smallmouth_record.html

Almost exactly four years ago, November 2004, my fishing partner and best friend,

Speedy Madewell, boated a 10 lb beauty. I netted the fish and weighed it, he released

the monster! Since that time we have had some luck with other big bass, including the

bronzebacks in my avatar (January, 2005).

Last Saturday Speedy and I fished the river with limited success: an assortment of species

including largemouth, smallmouth, Kentucky bass, striper, cats and drum. We may have

caught forty fish or so, but no size and most importantly, no browns of note. Around 11:00

things changed.

With poor results off either bank and limited water release by the TVA, we moved to the

"middle of the river". Actually, we decided to fish along the river channel, defined by

navigational buoys. The drop is well defined, but relatively small, only 3-5' in 15-25' water.

Still,this represents significant structure for fish in open water.

After landing a few nondescript fish, I got a nice strike drifting along the ridge.

I set the hook hard and didn't budge the fish. However, there was very little fight

and I saw another drum in my future. After 10-15 yards of retrieve, the drum dove

and turned into a big catfish, just digging to the bottom, but no run. As I brought the

fish closer to the boat, Speedy asked, "Gonna need the net?" Without any emotion

I replied, "Yeah, it's big and ugly."

Speedy runs the trolling motor on the forward platform of a BayRanger 2180,

center console. So, with the net on the floor opposite me, it takes

a minute to get set up. With little current, we let the boat drift.

This time of year the water clarity on the Tennessee is about 3, maybe 4 feet.

As my partner came over to my side he asked, "What's ya got?" I replied, in a

steady voice and without inflection, "The biggest f***ing smallmouth I have ever seen."

The fish appeared to be a Trident submarine as it rose toward the surface so both of

us could get a good look at her, but then she bolted. She initially ran about 15 yards

forward, then after a 90 degree turn, another 20 yards toward the middle of the river.

My situation was precarious. I'm in the middle of the boat and have to hustle to get to

the front, around and over the trolling motor while at the same time maintaining rod

position with a sizzling drag. I was starting to have some fun!

The pig came up, but did not jump. I got her turned around, but she had already decided

she didn't like the Ranger. When she was halfway back, she bolted again, but this time

dove deep. It took a few minutes to get her a little closer.

Most smallmouth, especially biggun's, tend to fight the best on the first run after a close

encounter with the boat, but even later, they never give up. This fine lady staged at rod

length, tugged mightily and would not come up. I asked my buddy what he thought

I should do? He responded, "Doesn't matter. That fish ain't ready and she's going

to do anything she wants!"

Well, I've caught a few big fish and I was in no hurry. My rod appeared parabolic with the line

straight down into the river. I said to my friend, "This is when you have to believe in your equipment."

And then.......the line snapped.

stupid, Stupid, STUPID!

We weren't catching anything interesting, so although I noticed a burr on my line before

the last cast, I didn't do what I always preach: "If it ain't perfect, it ain't good enough."

When there is any doubt, retie your line, leader or hook.

So, could that smallmouth have been the New World Record? I don't know, but it wasn't boated,

so it doesn't count. You might ask, "Really now, how much do you think she weighed?"

I don't know the answer to that either, but what I can tell you is, she was...

HUGE!

[jdw174]

I have two...one smallie and one largemouth.  The smallie happened about 15 years ago while fishing Presque Isle Bay on Lake Erie.  I was throwing a C-rig on the edge of a weedbed in about 7' of water when this one hit.  Had her up to the boat when she came out of the water and shook her head.  The French Fry and hook came flying back at me.  I've had my share of 5lb smallies out of that lake and this one was far bigger than any that I'd ever seen.

The LM was on Kentucky Lake.  This was back when the lake was nice and weedy.  I was fishing near a submerged roadbed using a firetiger Bomber Long A with tailspinner.  Things had been slow the last hour (it was about 11am) and the lure was just setting still while I looked at some thing else.  I turned back just in time to see a tiny "slurp" that pulled the lure under...just about what you'd expect if a bream took a smack at it.  No swirl, no boil....zip.  When I tried to reel back in, my rod doubled over and this HUGE largemouth came up and wallowed on the surface with the Long A in it's mouth, then opened up and spit the thing right back at me.  My biggest is an 8 pounder, and this thing was WAY beyond that.  Maybe if I'd have set the hook initially I'd have landed that fish.  Definitely an opportunity lost... :'(

[Radical Conservative]

Ahhhhh the one that got away....

Last season I was fishing a tournament and about 9:00 in the mornin' we pull up to that spot we've beein waiting to fish all mornin'. I was throwing an orange Norman through a cedar tree alley when I lost the feeling of vibration and noticed my line heading straight towards the boat. We had wedged the boat in between two cedars to keep it still and not have to use the trolling motor (bad idea). That fish got one look at me at the surface and took off. He wrapped around one of the trees we were wedged in and popped off. He would have been my personal best.

It's good to have these though. I've learned from every mistake and like to think I get better after each lost fish.

[bilgerat]

Last year the state opened for fishing a previously private sand wash. I had made a post about it and had said matter of factly "My next PB will come from this water"

Anyhow, this place is deep, especially by Jersey standards. Up to 50' in some spots. It's late August and the sun is going down. I'm throwing an *** 4" *** rigged on a 1/8 oz exposed hook tube jig from deep water up onto a sandbar and slowly back to me, going deeper. All of the sudden the bait stops. No thump or tap. I never felt a thing. I set the hook and it's on. There's two guys wading the sandbar and another boat about 20 yards away, plus my buddy in the front of the boat. Everyone knew it was big by the way my rod was bent but we had not seen it yet. Then the thing launches out of the water about 15' from the boat and shakes my tube. It was a pig and I would conservatively put it at 8 -9 lbs easily. Everyone around saw it and could not believe it. I was stunned, then I just laughed. What else could I do ?

Come on Spring.......

[Bass_Akwards]

AWESOME STUFF!!!!  Just had so much fun reading all that!  More! More!

[Paul Roberts]

Some friends told me they would occasionally hook something HUGE in a large local river in summer while fishing for smallmouth and walleyes. These fish were immovable and would either spool them or break off. They wondered if they were catfish, or sturgeon -this was a Great Lakes tributary.

[kms399]

well mine is actually a musky. I had been fishing for maybe 20 minutes there was a slight chop on the water and it was cloudy about 50 degrees. i was throwing a big inline buzzbait and had actually already had 1 boil right near the boat. well I cast out and almost instantly i see this huge back come out of the water following my buzzbait. after what seemed like a long follow probably only 5 feet the musky lunged at it i felt a little pressure and tried to set the hook but couldn't feel anything after trying to reel as fast as I could to catch up to this fish it jumps about 20 feet from the boat, fully out of the water it looked like a painting or something this huge fish with my bait hanging out of its mouth once it hit the water i still couldn't catch up to this fish. I never saw or felt it again. the thing was running right at the boat the whole time. needless to say I use a faster gear ratio reel now. just a guess but I bet that musky was 50"

[Atomic]

I'm not a bass fisherman yet, I plan on going this summer so bear with me on this bass that got away. I'm 36 now so this was a long long time ago.

I was around 10 or 12 and dad said "We're going fishing this weekend." I was super excited. I went out all that week catching black crickets. We fished a lot for bluegill using cane poles and bobbers. I found one that was huge. The alpha cricket I guess. Anyway I thought this one would catch a really big fish! I put it in the bucket. Now the day is finally here and I get the bucket and jump in the car. On the way dad buys some grey crickets and we're well on our way to catching the usual 45 or 50 nice sized bluegill. Dad rents the boat and I shove us off. I dip my hand in the bucket... Not yet. I'm saving that one for a big fish. The fish are biting and it's pretty fun. I put my hand back in the bucket... Not yet. I'm saving it for a big fish! Catch another and dip my hand back in when the big cricket jumps on my hand and out of the bucket into the water. I sit there looking at it wishing I could reach out and grab it. All of a sudden a softball sized whirlpool pops up and engulfs the cricket. Well... It did catch a big fish, I just wished my hook had have been attached to it at some point. 

[Paul Roberts]

I'm not a bass fisherman yet, I plan on going this summer so bear with me on this bass that got away. I'm 36 now so this was a long long time ago.

I was around 10 or 12 and dad said "We're going fishing this weekend." I was super excited. I went out all that week catching black crickets. We fished a lot for bluegill using cane poles and bobbers. I found one that was huge. The alpha cricket I guess. Anyway I thought this one would catch a really big fish! I put it in the bucket. Now the day is finally here and I get the bucket and jump in the car. On the way dad buys some grey crickets and we're well on our way to catching the usual 45 or 50 nice sized bluegill. Dad rents the boat and I shove us off. I dip my hand in the bucket... Not yet. I'm saving that one for a big fish. The fish are biting and it's pretty fun. I put my hand back in the bucket... Not yet. I'm saving it for a big fish! Catch another and dip my hand back in when the big cricket jumps on my hand and out of the bucket into the water. I sit there looking at it wishing I could reach out and grab it. All of a sudden a softball sized whirlpool pops up and engulfs the cricket. Well... It did catch a big fish, I just wished my hook had have been attached to it at some point.

;D Great story.

Reminds of two:

I was maybe 10 and fishing a local pond during a family picnic. I found a dead bluegill along shore and thought I'd use it for bait. Then I was called to go eat, and I pitched the little sunfish in the water, and watched it sink down into the stained green water. Suddenly it appeared to move, then rise. Then a big eye, and long black stripe appeared. It was a very large (in my memory) bass! All I could think was, "If I'd only put it on a hook, I'd have caught that huge bass".

Another time, same pond. I'd been fishing and not catching and got kinda bored. I had my only spinnerbait on, a Mann's Woolly Bully in black/yellow, and I started ripping it up off bottom and letting it fall, ripping it up and letting it settle. After maybe 8 or 10 of those I picked up and there was a heavy weight. I stood confused, "Huh??" And a big bass came up, thrashed, and was gone. Now, I had 6lb line on that light little glass spinning rod of mine. I'd have been lucky to get the hook set if I'd tried. I was shocked, then felt that sick hollow feeling in my gut for the very first time. That fish meant something.

It was that pond, that made me a bass fisherman. Of all the great fish I've chased and caught, and loved, largemouths do it for me in some way I don't really fathom. Dark peaty marshy water is full of mystery -a big eye with a dark stripe behind it.

Supposedly, we develop our aesthetic sense, by our early teens. I guess I was ready to be absorbed into the world around me at that point. I have my Dad to thank for bringing me there.

[brushhoggin]

i can't imagine the horror of losing a pig during a tournament, especially if it would've sealed a win, so i'll leave the tournament guys the most sympathy. i was fishing a point that had some pads snuggled up around it. probably 8 ft of water. i threw a brush hog into the middle of it immediately catching a proper 3 pounder. well, following what i've learned about throwing right back into the same place with the probability of more bass in the vicinity, i did just that. it didn't sink 2 seconds before i saw the line haulin A into thicker concentration of pad stems, but for some reason i couldn't believe it and just stared at the line like a scared deer. when my brain fart was over i finally came to and set the hook on what could have actually been a washing machine, swimmimg. i got two MONSTER tugs so strong, i literally almost lost my balance and my rod. she was gone before i got my balance back. never saw her. now i know i've set the hook on fish that i thought were huge givin the fight they were puttin up but came up only to be a couple pounds. this one was different. those two tugs will haunt me forever. or at least until i catch one over 10 pounds this year in that exact same spot  :'( :'( :'(

[The Capn]

While there are more that haunt me than I care to remember, the one that comes to mind first is a 4-5 lb. smallmouth. I've caught bigger smallies, but this was during a 2-day BFL tourney on the Mississippi River out of LaCrosse, WI. Practice hadn't gone especially well, but a couple hours into the first morning of the tournament I discovered a channel ledge that had a school of smallies on it. Throwing a Rat-L-Trap, I quickly boated a couple short fish and a couple nice keepers when the 4-pounder hit. The fish fought hard and jumped a couple times, but it was a pretty typical fight for a big SMB. My partner was ready with the net, but the fish made one more charge under the boat. He shook his head hard, and the hook popped free. I can't say I was happy, but I wasn't devastated because the action was pretty steady, so I figured I'd get plenty more chances. Of course, at this point the school disappeared. I worked the ledge with a variety of presentations with no more bites. I tried to find similar conditions elsewhere, but never got on the smallies again. So with 2 nice keepers in the boat, I changed gears and went looking for LMBs. With about an hour to go I discovered a thick, matted weed bed near deep water, loaded with good sized largemouth. I managed to get 2 of them into the boat before I ran out of time. While I had been able to put that lost smallmouth out of my mind for the day, on the ride to weigh-in I was sure wishing I had my 5-fish limit. At weigh-in I found that I had missed the day 2 cut by a little over a pound (with only 4 fish). With that fish, and the patterns I had figured out that day, I probably had a legitimate shot at that tournament. Yep...that one haunts me.

[SoFlaBassAddict]

While I've never really had a bass that has haunted me, I'll never forget the biggest fish I've ever seen before. My father and I were trolling several years ago off the drop off of the reefline outside of Miami. Fresh ballyhoo on skirts looking for dolphin and sailfish. We had already released several small sails earlier in the day and had a few dolphin in the box. We reset the lines after landing a smaller fish and started working a weedline.

Next thing we know we can hear the drag ripping out of one of the Internationals on one of the outriggers. My dad grabs the rod and gets drug across the deck and darn near over the transom. He gets set and starts fighting the fish and we see a HUGE Marlin start greyhounding across the back of the boat. He hammers down on the drag after it keeps ripping line out. More line goes out, reel is smoking we have no idea what to do. Finally it spools us and is gone.

I'll never forget how ticked off the eyes on that fish were. They were the size of dinner plates. Estimated the fish at 1100 pounds. Obviously thats off, but we did the best we could going off of similar sized fish. We still talk about it to this day. I still to this day can't believe how that fish tore through that reel.