I think my most memorable fish was the one I caught when I was still very young. I was fishing the lily pads with a texas rig when this nice maybe 2 pound largemouth got hooked.
I was fighting the fish when suddenly he got off. I lifted the line and the hook was gone! I had tied a bad knot.
Boy, was I disappointed! That was my first big bass. I still remember that fish.
The most memorable “lost” fish that I can recall wasn’t even mine. It was a friend of mine. We were fishing out of my boat at Lake Jordan.
We were jig fishing a grassy point. He got a big hit and his rod just bowed over and whatever was on it wasn’t budging. At first I thought he was hung. Then he was able to start reeling it in. Then it came to the surface and I seen it roll. It seem to roll forever. I said “holly cow, did you see the size of that thing?” This fish was huge. I said “man, that’s one of those fish of a lifetime, it’s got to be at least 10 lbs.”
He fought it for a little while and then it started coming to the boat. He got it to the boat and was going down to lip it. It’s mouth was open and this was without a doubt the largest bass I had ever seen. Then it happened. It shook it’s head violently and the jig popped out. Then everything seemed to happen in slow motion. The bass seemed to sit there for a couple of seconds just looking at us, then slowly, and I do mean slowly, it slipped back in the water and just swam away as if it wasn’t in any hurry.
I said “dude, did you see how big that thing was? That has got to be the biggest fish I have ever seen. Man that sucks.” He just looked at me, stunned. He threw his rod down and just sat there for a few minutes. That’s when I realized it would be best to let him have a few minutes to recover before I said anything else.
The most memorable “lost” fish that I can recall wasn’t even mine. It was a friend of mine. We were fishing out of my boat at Lake Jordan.
We were jig fishing a grassy point. He got a big hit and his rod just bowed over and whatever was on it wasn’t budging. At first I thought he was hung. Then he was able to start reeling it in. Then it came to the surface and I seen it roll. It seem to roll forever. I said “holly cow, did you see the size of that thing?” This fish was huge. I said “man, that’s one of those fish of a lifetime, it’s got to be at least 10 lbs.”
He fought it for a little while and then it started coming to the boat. He got it to the boat and was going down to lip it. It’s mouth was open and this was without a doubt the largest bass I had ever seen. Then it happened. It shook it’s head violently and the jig popped out. Then everything seemed to happen in slow motion. The bass seemed to sit there for a couple of seconds just looking at us, then slowly, and I do mean slowly, it slipped back in the water and just swam away as if it wasn’t in any hurry.
I said “dude, did you see how big that thing was? That has got to be the biggest fish I have ever seen. Man that sucks.” He just looked at me, stunned. He threw his rod down and just sat there for a few minutes. That’s when I realized it would be best to let him have a few minutes to recover before I said anything else.
The most memorable “lost” fish that I can recall wasn’t even mine. It was a friend of mine. We were fishing out of my boat at Lake Jordan.
We were jig fishing a grassy point. He got a big hit and his rod just bowed over and whatever was on it wasn’t budging. At first I thought he was hung. Then he was able to start reeling it in. Then it came to the surface and I seen it roll. It seem to roll forever. I said “holly cow, did you see the size of that thing?” This fish was huge. I said “man, that’s one of those fish of a lifetime, it’s got to be at least 10 lbs.”
He fought it for a little while and then it started coming to the boat. He got it to the boat and was going down to lip it. It’s mouth was open and this was without a doubt the largest bass I had ever seen. Then it happened. It shook it’s head violently and the jig popped out. Then everything seemed to happen in slow motion. The bass seemed to sit there for a couple of seconds just looking at us, then slowly, and I do mean slowly, it slipped back in the water and just swam away as if it wasn’t in any hurry.
I said “dude, did you see how big that thing was? That has got to be the biggest fish I have ever seen. Man that sucks.” He just looked at me, stunned. He threw his rod down and just sat there for a few minutes. That’s when I realized it would be best to let him have a few minutes to recover before I said anything else.
Remind me again why bass fisherman dont use nets?
My buddy had a big walleye one time, I asked if I should grab the net and he said it doesnt feel big, and he’ll just swing it in. I grabbed the net and scooped it up before it even broke the surface, and the second it went in the net (before it even touched the net sides or bottom) the jig came flying out. When the fish turned to swim down, he was already caught by me . Its his biggest one to date and I bet if you ask him, he is glad I grabbed the net.
The most memorable “lost” fish that I can recall wasn’t even mine. It was a friend of mine. We were fishing out of my boat at Lake Jordan.
We were jig fishing a grassy point. He got a big hit and his rod just bowed over and whatever was on it wasn’t budging. At first I thought he was hung. Then he was able to start reeling it in. Then it came to the surface and I seen it roll. It seem to roll forever. I said “holly cow, did you see the size of that thing?” This fish was huge. I said “man, that’s one of those fish of a lifetime, it’s got to be at least 10 lbs.”
He fought it for a little while and then it started coming to the boat. He got it to the boat and was going down to lip it. It’s mouth was open and this was without a doubt the largest bass I had ever seen. Then it happened. It shook it’s head violently and the jig popped out. Then everything seemed to happen in slow motion. The bass seemed to sit there for a couple of seconds just looking at us, then slowly, and I do mean slowly, it slipped back in the water and just swam away as if it wasn’t in any hurry.
I said “dude, did you see how big that thing was? That has got to be the biggest fish I have ever seen. Man that sucks.” He just looked at me, stunned. He threw his rod down and just sat there for a few minutes. That’s when I realized it would be best to let him have a few minutes to recover before I said anything else.
Remind me again why bass fisherman dont use nets?
My buddy had a big walleye one time, I asked if I should grab the net and he said it doesnt feel big, and he’ll just swing it in. I grabbed the net and scooped it up before it even broke the surface, and the second it went in the net (before it even touched the net sides or bottom) the jig came flying out. When the fish turned to swim down, he was already caught by me . Its his biggest one to date and I bet if you ask him, he is glad I grabbed the net.
Yeah, I hear ya. I should have grabbed the net. I had one in the boat but it was in one of the boxes. I guess I was too stunned by the size of the fish and watching him pull it in. Besides, we never got any fish big enough to need a net. I have had it ready after that though.
I go fishing with my buddy on the Lake of the Ozarks and he has a field and stream freaking one foot round trout net. The first time I was out with him a few years ago I lost a monster at the boat because he didn’t have a decent net. I sat in the boat for twenty minutes pissed off ready to throw my ten year old rig in the water. He got off because of a bad knot but he would have been in the boat had we had a real net. The only saving grace was I hooked a 4.5 lbr an hour later and that SOB didn’t get off. I fought it for what seemed to be ten minutes, was actually about two in real time, and he did everything to get off from swimming under the boat and around the motor. He ended up in our crappy #&*$ net but I think it was because of divine intervention more than anything.
Im guilty of not having a good net. This year was the first year I even regularly carried one in my boat and that was just when I was fishing a tourney. I look at it like this, a net is only as usefull as the person using it, meaning, if the guy netting your fish doesnt have a clue how to handle it, then chances are you’re going to lose the fish anyways.
Next year Ill go out and pick up a decent one to use if I absolutely have to. I’ve just been burned too many times with one.
As far as my most memorable lost fish, well thats a fail/win story. A few years back in the early Fall I went out to a local 150 acre lake. Its a trolling motor only lake and all I had at the time was a 8ft plastic Bass Raider.
It was windy that day and the boat was hard to handle but I managed. I was throwing a SPRO Aruku Shad lipless crank around a point when I felt the rod load up. I killed the trolling motor and began to fight the fish. I knew it was good fish but after a few seconds everything just stopped. I thought I was hung on a stump but the line kept slowly moving. At this point the wind had blown me to shore. I sat there trying to horse whatever I had on my line in when this massing ball of white/green rolled. I had two fish hooked. I have caught doubles before (and even a triple) but this one got the blood flowing. I kept pressure on the fish and slowly drug them to the rear of the boat. There wasnt a figh, it was just dead weight on the end of the line. I tried to move around in that little boat so I could land both fish without losing my rod in the lake. I took too long to get situated and the biggest fish flopped off right at my finger tips. I managed to lip the smaller fish. It weighed almost 5 1/2 pounds. The rear fish was pushing 6 lbs. The ended up being one of my best days on the water. My best 5 was over 25lbs for the day, all caught on that Aruku Shad.
my most memorable lost fish was when i was fishing with my dad and little brother in a strip pit below our house in Ohio. this pit was fairly deep but clear water and not many fish in it. i was about 15 and fished maybe 1 or 2 times a year at that time. i was throwing one of those pre-rigged worms with the 3 hooks and red beads and propeller on the front. i could see a big boulder in the water and threw past it. as i was retrieving the worm it stopped and i thought i had snagged the boulder some how so i pulled hard and didn’t realize i was setting the hook. i didn’t know i had a fish on till the line started moving fast and hard. i was hollering i got one over and over because all we ever caught out of those pits were rock bass and bluegill. i fought this bass for a while and finally landed her. none of us knew how to hold it or lip it. it was at least a 5 lber and dad wanted to keep it and eat it. we had no net, stringer or nothing. so dad was holding it in both hands and told me to take the shoestring out of my tenny runners and he would run the shoestring through it’s gills and tie it off somewhere. as he was threading the shoestring through the gills, she started flopping and got loose and back in the water swimming away with my shoestring in it’s gills. since i did land it, i don’t consider it a lost fish. i was in shock for a long time, not really mad she got away but just because it was the biggest fish of any kind i had ever caught to that point. me and my brother still talk about it and i can still see her.
Most memorable one I lost I have no clue how big it was. I was throwing a lipless crank & launching it & I felt it get heavy right after it hit the water & I set the hook & started reeling & this little 6-8” guppy that I started skimming on top of the water. After reeling in about 20 feet, the fish dipped under the water & started diving & pulling hard to the left. I figured what the heck & gave it another hook-set hoping to get a free treble in the cannibal, but the weight dropped away & all I got was the guppy. I’m guessing it was in that same 3-4lb class which I’ve caught plenty of out of that pond, but I’ll never know for sure.
I don’t think I’ve ever lost a known big bass, almost all of my losses of good fish happen when they’re a long ways out before I can get a good read on how big they are or a hook-set break off. The only big fish I’ve knowingly hooked & lost was a BIG grass carp I hooked into when I was trying to catch my Uncle’s baited in catfish. They were swarming where he threw out his dog food & I had caught a couple 4-5lb cats when I hooked into one that I thought was fighting a bit harder than the others & I got it right out in front of the dock, it came up to flash it’s scales as it dove & took off like a rocket! I had 10lb mono & he took off so fast there was no dropping my tip & letting him run before he broke me off. It looked like it had to be 3’ long when it showed itself to me. If I knew then what I know now, I’d have been better prepared for that one.
Most memorable one I lost I have no clue how big it was. I was throwing a lipless crank & launching it & I felt it get heavy right after it hit the water & I set the hook & started reeling & this little 6-8” guppy that I started skimming on top of the water. After reeling in about 20 feet, the fish dipped under the water & started diving & pulling hard to the left. I figured what the heck & gave it another hook-set hoping to get a free treble in the cannibal, but the weight dropped away & all I got was the guppy. I’m guessing it was in that same 3-4lb class which I’ve caught plenty of out of that pond, but I’ll never know for sure.
I don’t think I’ve ever lost a known big bass, almost all of my losses of good fish happen when they’re a long ways out before I can get a good read on how big they are or a hook-set break off. The only big fish I’ve knowingly hooked & lost was a BIG grass carp I hooked into when I was trying to catch my Uncle’s baited in catfish. They were swarming where he threw out his dog food & I had caught a couple 4-5lb cats when I hooked into one that I thought was fighting a bit harder than the others & I got it right out in front of the dock, it came up to flash it’s scales as it dove & took off like a rocket! I had 10lb mono & he took off so fast there was no dropping my tip & letting him run before he broke me off. It looked like it had to be 3’ long when it showed itself to me. If I knew then what I know now, I’d have been better prepared for that one.
Yea those carp can give you a wild ride. they zoom off so fast you have hardly anytime to do anything before they spool you or tangle you up in something. they are fun though. i might do a little carp fishing next year for the fun of it and if i can land any, i’ll take it home to the wife. Carp is a delicasy in china. she’ll gobble it up, eyes, brains, fins, everything but the guts
I was lucky this year, every fish i set the hook on i caught. last year i lost 4 or 5 quality fish by not getting a good hook set, wasn’t going to let that happen this year.
Most memorable one I lost I have no clue how big it was. I was throwing a lipless crank & launching it & I felt it get heavy right after it hit the water & I set the hook & started reeling & this little 6-8” guppy that I started skimming on top of the water. After reeling in about 20 feet, the fish dipped under the water & started diving & pulling hard to the left. I figured what the heck & gave it another hook-set hoping to get a free treble in the cannibal, but the weight dropped away & all I got was the guppy. I’m guessing it was in that same 3-4lb class which I’ve caught plenty of out of that pond, but I’ll never know for sure.
I don’t think I’ve ever lost a known big bass, almost all of my losses of good fish happen when they’re a long ways out before I can get a good read on how big they are or a hook-set break off. The only big fish I’ve knowingly hooked & lost was a BIG grass carp I hooked into when I was trying to catch my Uncle’s baited in catfish. They were swarming where he threw out his dog food & I had caught a couple 4-5lb cats when I hooked into one that I thought was fighting a bit harder than the others & I got it right out in front of the dock, it came up to flash it’s scales as it dove & took off like a rocket! I had 10lb mono & he took off so fast there was no dropping my tip & letting him run before he broke me off. It looked like it had to be 3’ long when it showed itself to me. If I knew then what I know now, I’d have been better prepared for that one.
one time last year i caught about a 20lb grass carp. it gave a helluva fight before i finally landed. i think there is about 20 of them in my dads lake.
Most memorable one I lost I have no clue how big it was. I was throwing a lipless crank & launching it & I felt it get heavy right after it hit the water & I set the hook & started reeling & this little 6-8” guppy that I started skimming on top of the water. After reeling in about 20 feet, the fish dipped under the water & started diving & pulling hard to the left. I figured what the heck & gave it another hook-set hoping to get a free treble in the cannibal, but the weight dropped away & all I got was the guppy. I’m guessing it was in that same 3-4lb class which I’ve caught plenty of out of that pond, but I’ll never know for sure.
I don’t think I’ve ever lost a known big bass, almost all of my losses of good fish happen when they’re a long ways out before I can get a good read on how big they are or a hook-set break off. The only big fish I’ve knowingly hooked & lost was a BIG grass carp I hooked into when I was trying to catch my Uncle’s baited in catfish. They were swarming where he threw out his dog food & I had caught a couple 4-5lb cats when I hooked into one that I thought was fighting a bit harder than the others & I got it right out in front of the dock, it came up to flash it’s scales as it dove & took off like a rocket! I had 10lb mono & he took off so fast there was no dropping my tip & letting him run before he broke me off. It looked like it had to be 3’ long when it showed itself to me. If I knew then what I know now, I’d have been better prepared for that one.
one time last year i caught about a 20lb grass carp. it gave a helluva fight before i finally landed. i think there is about 20 of them in my dads lake.
They are a helluva lot of fun. if you have any questions about the quality of your rod, reel, line or knot, a carp will give you the answer in a hurry.
That was my first big bass. I still remember that fish. 
. Its his biggest one to date and I bet if you ask him, he is glad I grabbed the net.
Good thing you scooped im’ up!
