Losing a Big One 2025
Squarebill79 reply :
So I decided to go out last night to try out my new baitcaster, got the new Pro Qualifier 2 combo that was on sale. Im more into Carbonlites but decided to mix it up a little this time. The bite was pretty slow, only caught a couple dinks. Finally I hooked into something nice, fought it up to the surface and it was a 5 or 6lber.
Right as I was about to land it swam into the weeds and somehow slipped off, left a huge boil on the surface. Any of you guys have a simliar story of losing a trophy? It might not seem like much if you live in the south, but here in Iowa anything over 5 is a trophy and I only average a couple in that range every summer after fishing pretty much every evening from May until October.
Needless to say, I didnt sleep very well last night after losing it.
Eric J reply :
Fishing off a floating dock. Lost a Lunker as I reached down to grab him. Guess I had him too low in the water, maybe a soft hook set.... I was a few inches away and he shook and flipped and bam... he was gone... just gone... I stood there mouth open stunned....
Then I just laughed....
Eric J
Russ E reply :
unfortunately it happens to everyone.. I wouldn't lose sleep over it. If it is not during a tournament, I just chalk it up to a quick release and move on.
2 days ago I lost a nice fish on a shakyhead. Se picked it up and swam right at me. I tried to catch up , but never got a good hook set. She spit it right at the boat. Even though I did not get to touch her, it still gave me a good adrenaline rush.
Preytorien reply :
Just last night - had a hold of one that felt like other 5-lbers I've had on before. Swam to the surface, jumped, and gave a mighty shake. It broke my line at the knot (10lb braid on a spinning reel), like it was nothing and left with my Iovino popper and a great story with it.
I was sick. 
Dwight Hottle reply :
I have lost more than my share over the years. Some were PB's waiting to be landed because we actually saw them. Those always hurt the most but that's fishing.
Frisbie385 reply :
Yep. A few days ago I ran home for lunch and decided to grab my frog rod and run to the pond in our backyard. 5-6 casts in, right around a patch of coontail, I had one come up and take the frog. Did not look that big but then she started swimming and I got a good look at her. 5lbs easy but probably in the 6 range. She went one way and then jetted back the other and then came flying out of the water with a violent headshake. Threw my frog and I stood there just contemplating what had just happened.
There are big ones in our pond for sure but they are not caught very often. That's what made this miss so disheartening.
Choporoz reply :
Stopped in to tell you that the pain will ease over time....but, then realized it would be a lie. Sorry.
Mine was over a year ago. About two hours after sunset - no moon, pitch black night. The long fight had me convinced that it was either a flathead or snakehead -- it did some of each, slow, long runs straight away, interspersed with rather violent shakes. Either way, I didn't have a net and wasn't too interested in lipping it. As it got near my kayak, I was trying to control it, while readying my fishgrips and fumbling to turn on my headlamp. As the light came on, I was staring into a LMB mouth that I easily could have stuck my fist in without touching the sides...just the head out of the water, but then at that same moment, she crashed violently on the side of my yak and broke off....Easily the biggest bass I've ever seen live other than at a weigh in or in a tank. Entirely my fault -- had I even considered it might be a bass, I would have handled her much more carefully.
Dirtyeggroll reply :
In Iowa, somewhere along I-29 on an oxbow lake, I broke off what for sure would have been my new PB. It was probably 8+ lbs. I was fishing a chatterbait in old lily pad stems with monofilament. My rod bent over and wouldn't budge and I thought I was hung on a lily stem. Then it slowly started moving, then started swimming, then became dead weight again. I knew it was big. I got it right up to the boat and it surfaced like a small whale. I thought for some reason it would be a smart idea to lip it even though the net was within my reach. I grabbed the line to move it a little close to me to grab it by the lip, I bumped the fish on the side of the boat and *plink* the line snapped. There went the monster with my chatterbait in its mouth. I still lose sleep over it.
bagofdonuts reply :
i lost one on okeechobee several years ago that i still loose sleep over.
Dens228 reply :
Until this summer I've only caught one bass over 20". Earlier this year I was in my kayak and lost one that was much over 20" as I tried to net it and it snapped my leader. I was more disappointed than mad but it still sucked. Then a few weeks ago I caught one that was 21.5" and had it on my trough to measure for an online tournament when it went crazy and was able to make itself air born and land back in the water. I had to laugh, then realized that in my attempt to catch it midair I knocked my net into the water and lost it too. THAT made me mad! LOL
geo g reply :
The longer you fish, you will realize it happens to everyone. Hopefully you have learned a few important things. You know where she lives. You know what she liked to eat. You know what time she liked to eat. You know what the conditions were that day she ate. You know now that when you bring her into weeds, you must get her head up above the weeds, or LOSE HER! Now go find her again!!!!
OCdockskipper reply :
I have been fortunate that of the half dozen bass over 7 lbs that I have hooked up with, I have landed all but one. Obviously, I am estimating the weight of the one that I didn't land, but like everyone else, it has burned a memory into my mind.
Last year, I was in Georgia visiting my sister and fishing the two ponds on her property. The previous owner never fished the smaller pond, so while it is loaded with bass, they are stunted, a ton of 10" fish. One afternoon I decided to see how many casts in a row I could catch a bass from this pond. Since there wasn't much brush near the dam, I tied on a ZMan TRD on 8 lb line. Caught a dink on the first cast & 2nd cast. Then nothing on the 3rd so I had to start over. Caught a dink on the 4th cast and felt the "tap" on the 5th cast. I reeled into the fish and then she reeled back. I knew she wasn't one of the little ones, but it wasn't until she shoved her massive head through the surface that I realized she was at least as big as my PB, probably bigger (it was March, so she may have been prespawn). I thought I had her coming my way until I saw she was actually headed for the only laydown within 40 yards. She began pulling drag, I couldn't turn her and once she dove into the cover, pop went the line. I literally did one of those hand-on-the-knees, bent-over-at-the-waist-moves, shaking my head.
I have fished that pond a few more times, but haven't found her again yet. I suspect she is wearing that TRD like a lip ring to show off to her smaller boyfriends.
Fishingmickey reply :
Here's my fish lost story. Choke Canyon Reservoir in South Texas. Late evening just before sun down. I was fishing a on-line charity tournament and pre-fishing for another tournament. The on-line tourney was a three month long largest two fish event and I had already logged a 24.5" fish and had another 20 or 21"er that had me in the top ten and tied for big bass. I hooked into a big bass just as I was about to quit fishing for the day. I had her whipped and along side the kayak and net in hand. As I was guiding her into the net she made one last effort and got her head out of the water and made a weak head shake. My lure came loose and I made a stab with the net. Got half her body in it but not the head. As I lifted the net she slid out and free. It was easily a 26"+ fish. That one is still replaying in my mind several years later.
FM
keagbassr reply :
More than I can count. But the pain passes eventually. One in.particilar was a 6+(estimatedof course) that broke me off at the boat. I lunged to try and belly scoop her but missed then sat for about 5 minutes dumbfounded as the breeze drifted me away. When I finally decided to retie I looked around and-no rod- I can only surmise that I had backkicked it overboard in my attempt to grab the fish. Oh well just a 180 dollar Loomis. ????
Koz reply :
I lost a few 6+ pounders earlier this spring the first few times I used my new Lew's Mach II SLP. For some reason I just could not dial it in. The drag always seemed off, hook sets felt mushy, and for a guy that stands only 5'7" I was having a hard time getting the proper leverage with a 7' rod (I had always used 6'6" rods).
Despite the heartbreak, my consolation is that I'm doing the right things to find the bigger bass, and I know where they have been lurking. I know that if I get enough time to fish, things will even out - especially now that I have that rod and reel dialed in.
Bluebasser86 reply :
On 6/15/2018 at 11:55 PM, Dirtyeggroll said:In Iowa, somewhere along I-29 on an oxbow lake, I broke off what for sure would have been my new PB. It was probably 8+ lbs. I was fishing a chatterbait in old lily pad stems with monofilament. My rod bent over and wouldn't budge and I thought I was hung on a lily stem. Then it slowly started moving, then started swimming, then became dead weight again. I knew it was big. I got it right up to the boat and it surfaced like a small whale. I thought for some reason it would be a smart idea to lip it even though the net was within my reach. I grabbed the line to move it a little close to me to grab it by the lip, I bumped the fish on the side of the boat and *plink* the line snapped. There went the monster with my chatterbait in its mouth. I still lose sleep over it.
Man you even had the net sitting out and ready!
UPSmallie reply :
Not a bass, but yesterday I had somewhat of a similar experience. Fishing for whitefish in 35 feet on little jigs and light line. Already got a solid keeper, but was waiting for a big one. Got some on/off bites and finally connected on what I know had to be the biggest whitefish I'd ever hooked. Set the hook and it barely budged. Rod tip was literally bent into the water. Reach for the net and feel the jig pull out. Was 100% a fish. Not fun. Hey just gives another excuse to hit the water again though. Keep grinding and you'll catch some
WRB reply :
The big one that got away is and always will be a part of fishing lore and they always get bigger with the passage of time.
Tom
Tennessee Boy reply :
I have a story to share on this topic........but it' just too painful.
Scott F reply :
If you were a tournament fisherman and losing a big fish cost you a lot of money or hurt your career, I can understand being pretty upset and possibly losing sleep over the big one that got away. As someone who does not place a lot of importance on the size of a fish, I never let losing a big fish bother me. I get more upset by losing an expensive lure.
LonnieP reply :
It happens. I lost 2 big fish this morning. Had them both close to the boat and could see them. Big bass.
N Florida Mike reply :
I've had several through the years.
The latest one was maybe 2 months ago, right at the end of the spawn in my home lake. I have several traditional bedding areas out there, and I was fishing the best one. Strangely enough, I'm not positive what bait I was using, but I think it was a yamamoto fluke.
I had skipped the bait out into the area, which is 4-5 feet deep and 15 feet or so off the bank. When I felt the tap, I spun the boat to a good angle, and set the hook. I immediately knew it was big, and thought " Here we go again " It jumped and looked huge. I began gaining line and had it about half way to the boat when it turned and began peeling line off. When I know I have a big fish, I sometimes "self feed " line out when they go on a run, instead of depending solely on the drag. I was doing that with this fish, and thought she was at the end of her run. She suddenly sped up and pulled extremely hard straight away from me. The drag was a notch too tight, and she broke the 8 pound test. For only the 3rd time in my life, I dropped the rod and went home. Didnt feel like fishing for nearly 3 weeks.Based on the fight, I'd say the fish was at least 8+. but easily could have been bigger.
Bankbeater reply :
Earlier this year I was fishing off the bank in pretty heavy rain. I was standing on the top of some rip rap maybe 10' above the water. I was wearing rubber boots that tend to get slick on hard surfaces, so I didn't want to try walking on loose rocks.
I hooked a nice largemouth, and got it to the edge of the rip rap before it really started fighting. I didn't have a net and I didn't want to lift it out of the water with the rod. While I'm standing there trying to figure out how I'm going to get down to the water without slipping, the bass threw the lure.
crypt reply :
you always remember the ones you lose.........................but forget about them as soon as you catch a big one. and you will catch a big one.............hopefully soon.
Jaderose reply :
and you just made the best argument of them all for using a fast reel when frogging. All my biggest bass have been caught frogging with my PB being 9.3 lbs. 3 years ago TODAY, I hooked one that was bigger. She took off against full drag like it wasn't even there but then turned and came at me. I couldn't reel fast enough. She jumped, gave me a little wink with a twinkle in her eye and spit the frog. Then I was using a 6:3. Now I use an 8:1. She still haunts my dreams. Call me Ishmael.
BassB8Caster reply :
On 6/15/2018 at 11:55 PM, Dirtyeggroll said:In Iowa, somewhere along I-29 on an oxbow lake, I broke off what for sure would have been my new PB. It was probably 8+ lbs. I was fishing a chatterbait in old lily pad stems with monofilament. My rod bent over and wouldn't budge and I thought I was hung on a lily stem. Then it slowly started moving, then started swimming, then became dead weight again. I knew it was big. I got it right up to the boat and it surfaced like a small whale. I thought for some reason it would be a smart idea to lip it even though the net was within my reach. I grabbed the line to move it a little close to me to grab it by the lip, I bumped the fish on the side of the boat and *plink* the line snapped. There went the monster with my chatterbait in its mouth. I still lose sleep over it.
Your story is eerily similar to mine in how the fish behaved. Much different than every other fish I have caught. I stopped in a small lake to call my wife after fishing and decided to walk along the small dam and look in the water while on the phone. I see a few trout swim by the wall. Keep looking around and see a couple bass. I go get my rod with a chatterbait on. Cast it out. One grabs it and I set the hook. Snap. Line explodes. Must have had a nick in the line. Go get my other rod with a square bill. Cast straight out. Slowly start reeling when I get that heavy feeling. Like I was caught on a branch or something. Never felt a bite. Keep reeling and it's slowly coming in. Then I see a head surface. Not the typical lm jump head shake. Like the fish just rose up above the surface to look at me. Now I know I have a good fish. Keep reeling as she is coming straight in. As she gets close to the wall she swims along the wall in front of me and I can see my square bill barely in her bottom lip. I start panicking....no. no. No. Easy. Easy. Then she just turns left and swims off to deeper water pulling my square bill free. Like she knew what she was doing. I got a real good look at her 3 feet away. It was all of 24" so around the 8lb mark. A GIANT for Maine. Needless to say, I'm fishing that lake this year looking for redemption.
My lesson learned, is to always give it a hard hookset. Nothing worse than doing everything right and giving it a half hearted hookset because it just felt like a log, a branch or the bottom. Seems as the big ones just open up and take it in. Not always the blow up like on youtube. You cannot get that bite back. I may never get a chance at her again.
Squarebill79 reply :
Im over it, been going out the last few nights and have been getting a nice mix of 14-17 inch fish. I think my main problem is I generally dont set the hook when Im using squarebills. When Im using Texas rigged worms or jigs I always reel down then set the hook but squarebills they usually just crush it so I assume its hooked well. Ive lost a few smaller fish on this lure also, its a Rapala Crankin Rap CR-3, Im wondering if my hooks are junk?
related Fishing Reports topic
previous topic
© 2025 - fishing.qciss.net. All Rights Reserved.