Most Interesting Fight 2025
BaitMonkey1984 reply :
So I have been fishing for say 10+ years a few days a week. Really hard the past 3 years or so. I have caught fish that have tied themselves up around a dock leg or some brush. I have lost even more fish that have done that to me. However, yesterday was a first. I was fishing a dock where I lost a 4-5lb bass who snapped my line off in some thick weeds two weeks ago. it was one dock over from where I caught a 5lber on Sunday. With all of this heat here in the NE, I think the bass are stocked up here due to the oxygenated weed beds.
Anyhow, I cast my berkley crazy chigger craw right to the side of the dock. It lands barely under the dock. I let the lure sink, quick two pops and my drag starts to scream. The fish went on 2-3 good runs. Then it got interesting and went under the dock. It went under the dock leg and a crossbeam which was an area about the size of a basketball. I bring the boat close and realize I am likely to lose the fish. I feel the line rubbing on the dock and ready myself for the break. I am now holding onto the dock and the fish stops fighting. I can't see it. I figure at this point, the fish is gone and my line is simply tied around the dock tight.
I am unable to free my line for a minute, so I take my rod and push it underwater underneath the cross brace. I feel the fish fighting and can now see its a 4.5 lber. Its tied around one more dock leg and only about 5 feet from me. By this time the dock owner came out to investigate, I told her I was hooked up, and she is on the dock watching the show. I hand line the fish around the last dock leg and finally land the fish. It was prob 3-4 minutes to get the fish in. Take some photos, throw the fish back. High five my dad. Then I go to move spots forgetting I had thrown down the anchor during the fight. So I have to spend a minute undoing that. Without a doubt my most interesting fish fight. So curious, what is everyone else's craziest fights?
IndianaFinesse reply :
Its gota be the time I hooked a 38 pound carp on eight pound line from a tube. I could see she was up shallow spawning, so I threw my ned rig right in front of her. It picked it up as soon as it hit the bottom and took off running. It didn't get me rapped around anything (thank God) but I was in a tube without a net, so the carp towed me around for quit a while. I don't know how long it took before I finally grabbed her by the gills and lifted it into the float tube, but I would guess 20 minutes at least. It was more than enough time for several people on the shore line and half a dozen boats to stop and watch the fight.
OCdockskipper reply :
Not the craziest, but a memorable one was last year with 2 lb bass that was apparently trying out for Cirque du Soleil. His initial jump was a good 2-plus feet out of the water where he did a complete 360 degree somersault. Then after regaining his composure, he charged toward the boat, jumped again and landed in the boat, smacking me in the shin. Thank heavens I caught him on a Ned Rig and not something with multiple trebles, otherwise I would have had to have him arrested for battery.
Rick Howard reply :
I Had a pike grab a small bass while I fought it. We sat and watched the pike hold that bass sideways for a bit. It let go and I boated the bass. A keeper size bass that went from having a bad day-to the worste possible day- to freedom in short time.
Jtrout reply :
I was fishing a local river and throwing a sqaure bill got it almost back to me and a snakehead grabbed it and just started peeling line rod doubled over fought so hard thrashing all over the place like an explosion. Luckily my brother was there to get the net! It was 24 inches. I caught a 7ft bull shark off the coast of florida but thats a different story lol
N Florida Mike reply :
I was bream fishing when I was 19 or 20.Had caught 30 something bream on bread and got the last few scraps of bread together for a last cast.The result was a huge swirl and the bait disappeared.When I felt a heavy weight pulling hard I quikly popped the bail over and let it run with minimal pressure.( I only had 8 pound line with a light rod with the top guide broken off,and a small bream hook).The reel was old and had a worn out drag.
So it ran app.200 feet and went through a brush pile.I thought I'd lost it but It came loose and went into open water
I had no idea what was on the line.U would gain line and it would pull all if it back out.I had no net so I knew I would never get it in the boat.So I jumped out ( water was 4-5 feet deep).,and got out on the bank.The tug of war continued for awhile .I looked around and saw someone walking down the road.I hollered and he went and got a net.I fought it close and he went out and netted it for me.It was a big channel cat.When I went to unhook it, the hook literally fell off a whisker.It ended up weighing 22 pounds.The fight took about 20 minutes.
I call it the" last cast whisker fish".
portiabrat reply :
A nice smallie jumped horizontally out of the middle of a big wave that was about to crash over my bow, landed somewhere behind me, and I lost her. She flew a long way. Maybe not the most interesting thing, but that was probably the smartest thing I've seen a fish do to get unhooked.
Looking for the big one reply :
I was fishing with a weightless U-Tale when I threw it over the branches of a letdown. In a canoe with 8 lb fluorocarbon. As I reeled it in, I decided to leave it hanging and twitch the lure halfway in the water, not really thinking about what would happen if a bass took it. I turned around to put my paddle down, and as soon as I turned back, he took it. It was about a 2 pounder, but he dove into the laydown and wrapped me up. Also, this laydown happened to be covered in spiders. So I paddled the canoe very slowly towards the laydown, reeling in my line at the same time, and also trying to keep away from the spiders. I don't mind spiders, but I don't want six crawling on my hand as I push off of a branch! I finally anchored myself a foot away from where the fish was hiding down in a laydown, and I reached down into the water, following my line down to the fish.... And that son of a gun had thrown the hook.
Bassun reply :
One of the more unique catches was one of my nieces fish. Simple worm and bobber fishing for fish. Bobber drops, she sets the hook and the fight is on. About 30 seconds later we have a fish hanging out of the water, upside down. I thought she had somehow foul hooked him. But no... he had been caught before and swallowed the hook. Previous angler had cut it off and let it go. He'd passed part of the line and still had some inside of him. She SNAGGED THAT! So, the poor fish had literally been drug in by his butt. We trimmed off the line, and let the feller go.
Now, for one of the more entertaining fish catches - I was bank fishing for cat's with a couple buddies who did little fishing. I had brought my net just in case. Well, I hooked into a nice carp. Probably 20-25 lbs. He fought like a giant in the current, awesome time! But, when I got it near the bank, my buddy decided he would go net it. Ok, cool... except he had never netted or apparently seen anyone net a fish. He goes towards the bank, and then... just keeps going. I was trying to get him to stop, but had to keep moving around to keep the line off him --- and he apparently thinks I'm saying "GO! GO! GO!", not "NO! NO! NO!"... so he starts chasing the fish. I'm dying laughing, and trying to get him to stop - which doesn't work, and hes running up and down the river like a mad man trying to net this fish. I'll give him credit, he DID finally net the thing! I don't know how we managed to pull it off without breaking the line but luck was on our side. After I could quit laughing, I gave him a few "tips" on how to net a fish lol. It's the times like that, which make me love spending time on the water with friends. I've had more fun catching small fish, or missing fish even, with friends than I've ever had out by myself catching nice fish.
N Florida Mike reply :
That ^ reminds me of the time I was fishing off a friend's dock with shiners.Something big pulled the cork under.Im thinking 10 pound bass.The fight made me think"huge catfish".I fought it for 10-15 min.I couldn't get it in. By the dock there was a 40 gallon barrel full of small holes to keep fish alive in. I told my friend to untie it and pull it around so I could get it in there so it wouldn't break the line.My sorry friend wouldn't do it.He thought I could land it without help.I keep raising my voice telling him I can't land it.But he won't do it.When I got it up to the dock I knew it was going to break off so I just wanted to see it.I pulled it up and just barely saw the shape of a giant alligator snapping turtle before it broke the line.I yelled and tossed my rod,angry at my friend.Then I realized I didn't really care that much.
That turtle was like 3×3.ft
Further North reply :
On 7/28/2016 at 8:37 AM, Rick Howard said:I Had a pike grab a small bass while I fought it. We sat and watched the pike hold that bass sideways for a bit. It let go and I boated the bass. A keeper size bass that went from having a bad day-to the worste possible day- to freedom in short time.
October, 2014...I'm on a local lake targeting late smallies, pike and muskies...
On a sunken island, I'm letting my Terrova run me around the 16' contour while I'm firing a perch colored Doctor Spoon across the structure from every angle...I hook a 23" pike, have it about 15' from the boat when a 40-somthing musky t-bones the pike like a freight train. She moves the pike from half way down the boat to off the bow before I can say "Cheese and Rice!".
...and she won't let go. I work the two of them back to the side of the boat, expecting the musky to drop the pike at the side of the boat...but no way. I even reach towards her thinking that'll work...no dice. I have to reach across the back deck with my left foot to get my net, pick it up and stick it in her face before she let's go...then she does and "Submarine with eyes" deal,,,sinks about 3 ft. down and slowly cruises away.
Kyhokie reply :
These are great! I'm trying to remember one of mine...
Nice_Bass reply :
On 7/29/2016 at 12:28 PM, Kyhokie said:These are great! I'm trying to remember one of mine...
same...only thing I can ever really remember are the ones that got away.
DubyaDee reply :
I was on lake st Clair last year on a foggy morning during a kayak fishing tournament when I hooked into a 40 inch musky. I was throwing a smoke/red flake grub on 6 pound flouro. That musky made 5 runs and towed me around in circles for a few minutes.
The fight was exhilarating but it also took me out of my comfort zone. I lost track of the shore line and didn't know which was was east. Luckily I had my compass and paddled east and found the shore.
While paddling in some yahoo was in an aluminum boat on the tiller motor and couldn't see over his bow. I was swinging my orange paddle like crazy over my head and yelling. Luckily he heard/saw me and pulled away with about 10 yards to spare.
Thats the last time I was kayak fishing on LSC, and the main reason why I got a bass boat.
everythingthatswims reply :
When I was 11 or 12 years old, I was wading a river with my friend catching bluegills. We were throwing trout magnets on 4lb test. I hooked a bluegill, and then a 20" largemouth came out from under a laydown and ate it. The fish then somehow managed to hook itself on the #10 light wire trout magnet jighead, then peeled drag heading underneath a log facing upstream/downstream. The fish was still fighting and jumping on the other side of the log, somehow not breaking the 4lb test, so I waded out, took the whole rod underneath the log, and continued to fight and land the fish!
Bluebasser86 reply :
I had a 40+ pound flathead wrap my line around a stump during the fight. Didn't want to lose it so I gave the rod to a friend and swam out, following the line, untangled it from the roots and discovered the fish was holed up under the stump. Grabbed the fish by the jaw and went for a pretty good ride while it was thrashing around but managed to get my arm and legs around it's tail and drug it in. All that went down in the dark too. I doubt I'd do it again now that I'm not 17 anymore.
Turkey sandwich reply :
On 7/30/2016 at 2:19 PM, Bluebasser86 said:I had a 40+ pound flathead wrap my line around a stump during the fight. Didn't want to lose it so I gave the rod to a friend and swam out, following the line, untangled it from the roots and discovered the fish was holed up under the stump. Grabbed the fish by the jaw and went for a pretty good ride while it was thrashing around but managed to get my arm and legs around it's tail and drug it in. All that went down in the dark too. I doubt I'd do it again now that I'm not 17 anymore.
Now that sounds like a party.
I've had a few colorful fights, but not many that resulted in a swim, lol. Years ago, I hooked a musky somewhere in the 36-40" range.... With several treble hooks... In the tail... Without a net or cradle. I thought I had an absolute monster until it came up near the boat after a very weird, violent 10 minutes hoping my 8lb XL would hold up. I got the fish boat side and there was anger, teeth, and treble hooks everywhere. I still don't know how we released the fish without immediately leaving for the emergency room.
Another fowl hooking adventure was back in high school. I was wading the river and thought I hooked into a new state record smallmouth. The fish fought down and heavy like bigger smallmouth tend to. It got in the current and took me down stream. It got sideways in the current and ran me into rocks. I was sure this was a 7lb smallmouth pulling me chest deep down stream. As it got close, I was getting ready to celebrate what had to be a monster - and it absolutely was. I fowl hooked a nearly 25" quill back sucker straight across the back and fought it in on 6lb test. We laughed. A lot.
I also have some weird stories involving snapping turtles, treble hooks, knives, and swinging a tree branch like a baseball bat and of course the time a squirrel picked up a bread ball wrapping a size 6 treble hook while carp fishing, but I think I posted those.
Bankbeater reply :
Mine was probably when I got spooled. We were cat fishing one time and using cut bait. I got a bite, set the hook, and the fish took off for the deeper water. The boat was pulled up on the bank so we couldn't follow, and with the rig I was using I couldn't turn him.
My Dad kept telling me to wait until he stops running, but he never did. I finally started pulling, trying to horse him around and snapped the line. When I checked the reel, I had about 30 feet of line left on it.
Nice_Bass reply :
On 8/2/2016 at 6:46 PM, Bankbeater said:Mine was probably when I got spooled. We were cat fishing one time and using cut bait. I got a bite, set the hook, and the fish took off for the deeper water. The boat was pulled up on the bank so we couldn't follow, and with the rig I was using I couldn't turn him.
My Dad kept telling me to wait until he stops running, but he never did. I finally started pulling, trying to horse him around and snapped the line. When I checked the reel, I had about 30 feet of line left on it.
reminds me why I put foam balls on the anchor ropes when striper and catfishing. That way I can just untie and leave the rope in the water and come back to it.
To think of though....I have never had to do that when it really counted though....one of these days though it will pay off!
A-Jay reply :
A-Jay
Darren. reply :
Here's mine:
Bluebasser86 reply :
My most interesting fight from this year. 7' MH/F LTB with a 70XG Curado and 15lb Tatsu with a finesse jig. To say I was undergunned is a bit of an understatement.
BassB8Caster reply :
That's a monster flathead! Do u eat them?
Bluebasser86 reply :
On 8/3/2016 at 8:33 PM, BassB8Caster said:That's a monster flathead! Do u eat them?
No, I turn everything I catch lose for the most part, even walleye and crappie.
BassB8Caster reply :
On 8/3/2016 at 8:58 PM, Bluebasser86 said:No, I turn everything I catch lose for the most part, even walleye and crappie.
That's what I thought from watching other videos of yours. But in the video above at the end it seems like you are keeping that one.
Bluebasser86 reply :
On 8/4/2016 at 12:08 AM, BassB8Caster said:That's what I thought from watching other videos of yours. But in the video above at the end it seems like you are keeping that one.
My 50lb scale wasn't big enough to weigh her so we went to the boat house to see if they had a big scale, which they didn't. So I took a few pictures at the ramp and turned her loose, much to the chagrin of a couple locals.
UPSmallie reply :
My most interesting fight came icefishing earlier this year. One of the last days of ice because of the high temps. 60 degree sun and about 6 inches of slush ice over 4 FOW. One of the last days to catch pike/muskie/walleye before the season closed for them to spawn too. Inside my little pop-up I rigged a deadstick with a live minnow hooked behind the dorsal fin in one hole and a seperate hole for me to jig in. The day dragged on and the only action I had gotten was a missed walleye. I was chumming like crazy since I knew it would probably be my last time out. I had to have dropped 25 crushed up dead minnows down my holes that day. Sitting back in my chair jigging a blue and silver do-jigger tipped with a minnow head. Up and down, Up and down. Had to have been an hour or so of just doing this. BAM!! Something slams my do-jigger and my drag starts screaming! Like literally screaming! Battle this fish for probably about 5 minutes and it finally starts to tire. I look down and see that it's a decent sized pike. Keep in mine that I'm not using a steel leader. It takes off again, and out of the corner of my eye I see my deadstick start jerking up and down. You have got to be kidding me. He picked up the minnow on the deadstick as I was battling him with a do-jigger in his mouth! I can't gain any progress on him now because not only am I battling him, but also my other rod! I flip the bail on the deadstick and keep cranking with my 6 lb flouro. Finally I get him up to the hole thrashing, pick him up by his gills and throw him on the ice. Sure enough, both hooks are pinned in the corner of his mouth! Only 24 inches, but an incredible fish. As I went to get the hooks out of his mouth, I see that he had bitten through the line on my do-jigger! Pure luck that I was able to land him before he snapped the line. Later when I gutted him, he had at least 23 mostly digested shiners in his belly. Not mine either. Go figure. His head rests planked on a wooden head mount in my room to this day. (Self preserved using rock salt and after 2 months applying clear finish).
Yeajray231 reply :
When I was a young boy . Probably 10. My younger brother (7) was with us at a lake we had access too. Me n my buddy would troll jointed rapalas from a paddle boat and do ok. (It's what got me hooked on artificial) . Anyway we left my brother at the dock. And when we came back he was fighting a fish that seemed like a monster to us. We got over to the dock and thought it was the biggest bass we had ever seen (probably about 5 pounds) . He didn't know what he was doing , and neither did I. He tried to horse it with some old pole from the shed and the line broke with the bass right in front of us. I asked him how he hooked it. And he told me he didn't want to take off a small bluegill that he caught so he just kept casting it out hoping it would fly off. Ha-ha !
OCdockskipper reply :
Had a unusual catch this past Saturday.
I came upon a dock that was about 25 feet wide jutting out about 15 feet from the shore with a boat moored to the front. From the right side, I skipped a weightless wacky Senko a good 20 feet under the dock, so it was actually closer to the left side. After it settled down, I went to pop it up and found that it was hung up on something.
There was no way I could access it from the right side of the dock, so I stuck the rod about 3 feet into the water (to clear the boats propeller) and moved my boat to the left side of the dock. The idea was to give the lure a tug from the opposite direction in hopes of making it come loose, but as I was working around the dock, I realized there was a weed bed along the front of the boat. So now my line is sawing through & collecting weeds as I move left. I can feel the lure is still snagged, but there is about 1500 lbs of weeds (or so it felt) hanging on the line. I give the line a guitar strum and feel the lure pop free, only to then the pop,pop,pop of a fish struggling on the line. I start reeling in a bass, who ends up with this mess of weeds around his head and when I landed him, I found he had been foul hooked on the bottom of the jaw.
Apparently this poor guy was just minding his own business, watching this snagged senko on the bottom, when it suddenly came loose & hit him in the face. He then got dragged into a mess of weeds before being unhooked & released. He probably has an unusual story to tell his friends...
dwh4784 reply :
My most memorable was when fishing with my dad, we were about to line up with a dock in a great spot and I was in the back seat and tried to hole-shot him and failed nicely. He laughed as I went right over the corner of the dock with my slug-go, and just as he asked what my plan was if I got a bite there I hammered a ~2lber and hook set it over the dock and into the boat in front of my feet in a single motion. I said something smart like that was my plan the whole time. We still laugh about that one.
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