Share Your Heartbreak Stories! 2024

deep reply :

I went scouting a new lake (it's a pond, really) today, that was reported to have some nice bass in it. I didn't figure I'll be doing any serious fishing, so I just took a spinning rod, and a couple of 3/16 oz Baby Boo jigs and some Rage Craws.

Third cast with the jig, and I set the hook on what feels like a big fish. She comes up, jumps once- looks like a 7-8 pounder- and then she goes down into the submerged trees I pulled her up from. We play tug of war for 15-20 seconds, and then she gets lost in the jungle that is down there. Seriously, it looked like a #$%2%^ jungle underwater. For a couple of seconds, I contemplate whether I should get into the water (bank fishing), and try to get her out. And then of course, my 8 lb line breaks. It was turned into sewing thread by that time. Heartbroken! I only have only caught two 5# and a handful of 3# in the last month.

8 foot rods, 25 lb lines and open water fishing have spoiled me; big time. I have forgotten how to fight a big fish on light line. Not that I could/ would have done much good with all the stuff she hid into.

Anyway, I don't have a scale (YET!); so even if I landed her, I won't have known an 8# from a 10#. It's all good, I know where she lives, and next time, you bet I'll have some heavy artillery with me,

Bassn Blvd reply :

My saddest heartbreak story is about a girl who.........

11justin22 reply :

Too many story's to tell but my last tournament was a night mare. My partner had a 3 1/2-4lb smallmouth on and I had the net in the water, he brought it up to the boat and it literally jumped clean over the net and then through the jig. Later I hooked a big fish( not going to say the size because I never saw it, but big). Got it halfway to the boat which was apperently the spot it decided to wake up. He took off and I couldn't do anything but watch him strip the drag off on my baitcaster and throw my jig. And then twenty minutes before weigh in I broke off on another big fish. Wrapped me around a tree. After all that 11 lbs won. We had 8......any one of those fish would have won us the tournament.

Loop_Dad reply :

I think these things usually happen when you are not expecting.

Early this year, I went to a local lake and I met a fisherman. He just caught 5# and we got talking for a while. He was nice guy. He had lots of stuff for bank fisherman. He told me he went to this lake about 30 min from there prior week and caught the biggest bass he ever caught.

Next Saturday morning, I went there. There is no place to park. I had to park far back and walk for 15-20 minutes to the water. No fisherman at all. There were lots of garbage. I have never fished in the lake with so much garbage! I was skeptical about this place already. I started casting my 1/2 oz football jig which I have been having good luck at that time. I kept moving as I fish. No bites.

I've lost 2-3 jigs. I figured there are lots of garbage down there too. I run out of my good jigs, I tied a jig that I bought probably 20 years ago. It is bright purple color. I don't see this kind of color these days. I threw it and as it came close to me, probably within 10 ft from me, a fish ate it. I set the hook (at least I thought I did.). It is not moving. It felt very heavy, heavier than my PB of 5 #. Then she splashed the water and the jig came off. I saw just the tail.

I am blaming on my old jig having dull hook. Make sure your hook is good.

ww2farmer reply :

Just one from recent memory. A buddy and I fished a tournament last sunday, we took second with 18.5 lbs, winners had 19. Smallest fish in our bag was 2-11, I had a good one of unkown size run me into some heavy cover and break me off drop shotting. The next afternoon I went out after work, fished in the same vicinity where the break off happened, and caught the fish that broke me off.............a 4-9, with my hook still in it's face from the day before. Add that fish to our bag that day......we win.........oh well.

rockchalk06 reply :

On 7/15/2012 at 9:47 AM, 11justin22 said:

Too many story's to tell but my last tournament was a night mare. My partner had a 3 1/2-4lb smallmouth on and I had the net in the water, he brought it up to the boat and it literally jumped clean over the net and then through the jig. Later I hooked a big fish( not going to say the size because I never saw it, but big). Got it halfway to the boat which was apperently the spot it decided to wake up. He took off and I couldn't do anything but watch him strip the drag off on my baitcaster and throw my jig. And then twenty minutes before weigh in I broke off on another big fish. Wrapped me around a tree. After all that 11 lbs won. We had 8......any one of those fish would have won us the tournament.

Murphy's law sucks. I might have just found the deepest part of the lake and jumped in!

rockchalk06 reply :

My son and I were fishing in my old home town of Pratt Kansas around November of last year. I landed a huge 23 1/2" wiper. Took me a good 10 minutes to land it. Fishing an old medium 5' bait caster with 10 pound mono. It was more of a crappie rig. We were using a small crawfish colored bomber crank when the fish hit. Biggest wiper todate. Got her photoed, measured and released her. Had to replace the rear trebble hook as the previous one was bent to heck. Even re-tied.

About half hour later I got a hit that felt twice as big as before. After 15 minutes a guy on the next pear came over with a net to help. This fish would get 5 feet from the shore and just take off again. My reel started making some weird noises. My drag was about shot. I was able to get her within 3-4 feet of the bank and bam! My line snapped. Never could tell what it was.

More than likely not a LM or a walleye by the way it went deep and pulled. We were thinking maybe another wiper or possibly a carp. What ever it was it was fast.

About 3 seconds after the heartbreak and explaining to my son what son of a @#$%& meant, my crank just surfaced!! I still have it.

Bait caster was all but shot. Never worked right again. It was a gift from dad back in 97 so its now a wall hanger.

Broke bass fisherman reply :

Just recently lost my first Muskie after fighting with him for 20 minutes. I was using my UL rig and got him within 5 feet of the shore when I made the mistake of putting the concrete footing in between me and him. He kicked real good and dove dragging my 6# test across the concrete and was gone.

Sam reply :

Two heartbreaks.

The first happened on Saturday, July 14 on the Rappahannock River in Richmond.

The day was hot but there was a nice wind. We blasted off at 5:50AM and I headed up river to hit my favorite creek. Caught two at the creek and then decided to fish the main river for the rest of the day since the tide had gone out and you could not get into the creeks.

After catching 8, with four keepers, at 3:45 I hooked a beauty. She jumped and was at least 3 pounds. At the boat, the line snapped.

I was tired fighting the trolling motor, snags, hot temperatures and being on the water for almost 10 hours so I was not thinking straight.

Totally my fault. I should have used the net and also remembered that I was using one of my backup spinning rigs with old line.

I finished in 8th place. With the one I lost I would have been 5th.

The second nightmare was on Lake Chesdin last year. Once again, with three in the well I needed one more and I hooked a beauty on a KVD Sexy Shad crankbait. The other guy in the boat was eating a sandwhich and he just sat there as I was yelling to get the net.

This was his first tournament and he had no idea to get the net when the other guy is fighting a big one.

She broke off at the boat.

That's fishing!!!

Highhawk1948 reply :

Took my nephew fishing after a cold front, didn't catch a thing in the AM, about 1 o'clock I was throwing a real light lipless crankbait over ell grass. Set the hook on a 10 pounder, got it to the boat and my partner hesitated in lipping it, (I had left my net at home.) I brought it around again and he went to grab it and the tiny hooks came out!

Basswhippa reply :

This past Friday I was on Kentucky Lake and had a combination of a hook failure and Murphy's law. I was dragging a 1/2 ounce spinnerbait through some grass and we had been catching 2-3lbers. I threw to the right of a clump of grass and felt a hit on my 50 pound braid but didn't feel the fish. I kept reeling and began to feel the fish. It hit and was swimming right at me, apparently. I got a solid hookset and immediately a largemouth in the 8 pound range cleared the water. It was heading to another clump of grass and I leaned on it heavily with my 50lb power pro and my 7' loomis medium heavy action rod. It leaped again and went strait into the clump.

I am asking for advice at this point, as much as telling a story. I kept on leaning thinking the braid would cut the heavy hydrilla. It did not. Finally a clump came out and there was no fish. I probably should have run straight to the clump with the trolling motor. It happened so fast. What would you have done?

The hook failure was this. I noticed my pro model Strike King trailer hook was gone. It either broke (which I doubt) or the plastic that was holding it in place came undone, allowing the fish to twist and turn and pop it off the spinnerbait. Either way, I'm going back to my plastic aquarium tubing and I really believe the material Strike King used cost me one of the biggest fish of my life. That said, it was a freak thing and the fish was in really heavy cover and I was leaning hard on him.

I'll take any advice as to what I should have done. I think I should have went straight at him. Help. My teenaged son talked about it the rest of the day. That didn't help me, but hey, he's hooked for life.

Thanks for listening.

BassAssassin726 reply :

I love how people know exactly how much a fish weighs before they even get it close to the boat or in their hands on a scale.

Broke bass fisherman reply :

On 7/16/2012 at 12:20 AM, BassAssassin726 said:

I love how people know exactly how much a fish weighs before they even get it close to the boat or in their hands on a scale.

Remember as a fisherman this is always a 5lb beast until you get it in the boat.

NoBassPro reply :

Here's one. Was out with my dad trolling for lakers on L. Superior. Landed a monster of a lake trout, came in at 40" and fat, bottomed out our 30# scale. Well, we get back to the ramp and I am trying to figure out where the nearest certified scale is, I want the cool master angler patch and a chance to get on TV. By the time I find someone to ask my dad has the thing filleted, said he just could't take a chance on the meat going bad. So the end result is I never got an actual weight on it, I say 30 lbs, he claims the scale was broke and it was 25 lbs, didn't get the recognition I wanted for landing that one, and had to eat one of the worst tasting lake trout to ever swim. Truely heartbreaking.

rb56 reply :

i leave early all fired up, drive 80 miles and launch my canoe, tie on one of the new baits i bought, check all my gear and after a couple of hours i'm down to just my shorts with my hunting knife strapped on and i'm playing river pirate, early american injun and what not looking for treasure to buy supper with because i sure ain't gonna catch it. anyway it's fun and brings out the kid in me. also when i shoulder my rod and reel it makes one heck of a musket.

AK-Jax86 reply :

I caught a 5 to 6 pounder 2 days ago got it on shore and the hook poped out of its mouth and as I went to grab it my phone droped out of my pocket and into the water, iPhone 4s and on top of that I lost the fish too. It didn't fall into that deep of water so I was able to get it out and I ran inside threw it in a bag of rice and it started to work again yesterday.

I would have gone crazy if my phone broke. It's amazing because it's like I didn't even drop it in the water because everything works fine, I guess it was because of the case u had on it

slonezp reply :

The Cubs

My heartbreak stories always happen on tournament day and always involve money.

Traveler2586 reply :

My saddest heartbreak story is..... I got old... What a cruel world this is, you expend all your energy when your young and dumb; now that I'm in my golden years, if I were to chase after a good looking woman and caught her the only lip action I would get is when she gave me CPR.

shimmy reply :

The day i got the crap kicked out of me.

last day of my fishing trip and wanted to end with the nice fish. Been killin them all week and spanking everyone else in the boat, i was on fire. Last day in Minnesota, my brother brings his wife with us. So it was me, my brother, and brother in law. From the second that boat was launched, they started killing the bass left and right. Towards the end of the night, i had caught one at 13 inches and everyone else caught at least ten. I was third in the boat out of 4th and had every right to have at least ten. I was using the same stuff, working the same speed, same tackle, and working it the same way but getting the crap kicked out of me. And then, the last half hour turned on, i hear a "weeeeee...this is fun" from the back of the boat. My brothers wife was in the process of landing a 5.8 pounder. My brother landed a 5 pounder just shortly after, and brother in law a 4.6 a few minutes later. I only caught 3 fish, with my biggest slightly over a pound and 5 northern pike (added insult to everything) and they all had around 15 each with those 3 bigger fish. Never seen anything like it before and never seen anything like it since. At the prime time of fishing i was taking all of their pictures with beautiful fish and i was catching northern pike. Through retrospect, i was proud of them and wished i had a better attitude but man, that was painful. Nothing like seeing big fish in the boat and feeling incompetent. Fish long enough and you will get spanked big time. I guess it's these humbling moments that allow us to get better as fisherman and realize there is so much more to learn and that you can ALWAYS get beaten badly.

Get the net

brushhoggin reply :

snapped my LTA Helium yesterday, settin the hook on a fish that hit my frog right in the middle of some heavily matted grass. i think i had my line wrap around my rod tip right after casting. she hit right when the frog landed so i paid little to no attention to my rod tip, and more to the strike...setting the hook with all the leverage at a foot and a half from the tip. i wanted to stab myself in the face.

00 mod reply :

I've lost what I can assume were 10lbers 3 times in my life. All 3 times, I saw them and 2 times, know that in the same ponds were caught a 10lb 13 oz and a 12lb 2 oz. I am on a mission to join the DD club, one way or another.....maybe its just around the corner!

Jeff

Basswhippa reply :

On 7/16/2012 at 7:23 AM, 00 mod said:

I've lost what I can assume were 10lbers 3 times in my life. All 3 times, I saw them and 2 times, know that in the same ponds were caught a 10lb 13 oz and a 12lb 2 oz. I am on a mission to join the DD club, one way or another.....maybe its just around the corner!

Jeff

So how did you miss them? Or do you not want to relive it. LOL. I would understand. We love details man. Those were monsters. Sounds like private ponds, which are a great place to get one!

00 mod reply :

The first biggun was at an apartment pond, that I was not supposed to be fishing. More on that later. I had heard of a big fish or 2 in there, so I was throwing a big swimbait. One with only the top single hook. I had been there for a little over an hour with only one dink. I had made a really long cast, let it sink and started a retrieve slightly off the bottom, when a big strike and an immediate hook set. The fish was pulling drag on my baitcaster, so my first immediate thought was it was a catfish. I played it for what seemed like a while, maybe 30 seconds, and then it shot straight to the top. She was so big she couldn't even get all the way out of the water when she tried. I almost cried right after when she headed straight back down and my line snapped. I was tying on another when the security guy came over and asked what that was I had just lost. When I told him, he told me the story of the guy who lived around the corner who hung the 12lb 2 and released it then asked me where I lived. Told him where and he then informed me that it was a "private" lake for only the ones in the neighborhood, even though not marked and can see from a main road. I have been back once, and the same security remembered me and told me next time he would call the law..........

Second time happened when I was fishing with Kent (RW) at one of his honey holes. We were fishing the right time of the year for that big bite, and had been there for several hours with nothing to show for it. I was using a rage hawg t-rigged when I drug it though a drop off and about had my rod ripped out of my hands. I set the hook and instantly knew it was a good one. At this point the biggest fish I had heard about out of this pond was 6 lbs, little did I know Kent knew otherwise. This fish wouldn't budge and then all of the sudden we saw her., Kent comes running over, and although I had her hooked not 20 feet from the bank, she ran straight at me, as to say "not today" and got enough slack to not land her. This is the one I should have landed for sure, but you know how fishing goes. Kent then told me about 2 weeks later a guy landed one over 10 and KEPT IT........urggg.

The third time was in the same pond my PB came in and in the same 3 week period of a 7, 2 8's and then this fish were hooked out of this pond. All others were caught except this one. This pond was FULL of buck brush and you had to be very careful of what you threw and where. It was also spring fed and therefore on the clear side, so braid was out of the question. We were fishing the sweet spot of this pond, within 100yrds of the 2 8lbers, and I was throwing a t-rigged sweet beaver. I made a cast in about 6 foot of water, and as soon as the bait hit the water, the line took off. I found that weird and assumed it was a smaller fish because of this. I reeled down the slack and set the hook. Much to my surprise she was still just under the surface and started an aerial show only a smallie would do. As soon as this happened, so did pucker factor, My buddy in the boat drops his rod and gets ready to land her. Big mistake. He was on the trolling motor end, and she wrapped me in buck brush. Not that it would have made a difference as she was gone before we would have made it over there, but you never know.......

Bigguns don't get big by being smart or by getting caught!

Jeff

Basswhippa reply :

Awesome stories there man.

greyleg33 reply :

BassinBlvd

I know that girl

roadwarrior reply : http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/68635-huge-disappointment/

rockchalk06 reply :

I remembered another one. About 20 years ago, dad and I were fishing for small mouth at Wilson Lake in Kansas. That year the record for smallmouth had been broken twice. People were catching monster smallies all day.

Dad and I were drifting off a small cove on the east end of the lake. Both of us were using our ultra lights and chartruce beetle spins. We had been catching 1/2-2 pound SM for a few hours when dad got the hit of a lifetime.

Water was super clear and about 20 feet deep. All we could see was something brown like a SM and about 30-35 inches long. Me being about 12 or so, I was going nuts yelling etc. Everytime the fish got close to the boat, she would rocket back down.

This went on for a good 20 minutes give or take. Dad finally tightened the drag and put the boat in neutral to wear her out as landing her wasn't going to happen.

She drug us about 10 feet back into shallow water and finally started to come up. I did the best Bass Master net and scoop you've ever seen and landed her.

What dad had been swearing was the record smallie, was nothing but one big arse brown carp!!!! I hadn't seen him that heart broken in a long time. After a quick smoke, he said "it may not have been the record SM, but I'll take that fight any day"

Ratherbfishing reply :

My bittersweet heartbreak came when I was fishing the middle fork river for smallies. I was wading the river and had cast a Rebel crawdad into a falldown and hooked what I was sure was a giant smally. It pulled and took a lot of drag and I knew that if I caught it, I was going to be in the paper posing with a record-size smally. Turned out to be a 30 inch musky that must've washed over the Lake Mingo Dam and into the river. In retrospect, it was the perfect location to hold a musky but there are very few in the river (first I'd ever seen). I was both disappointed and elated.

Basswhippa reply :

15 years old. Long cast. Lost what appeared to be a 7 lb bass at Reelfoot Lake. Fished all day for that bite. Woulda been my PB

Summer in late 80's. Setting Okeechobee. Set hook and fight a moment and 30 pound line snaps. Will never forgive that guide. Didn't get a good look at fish but it was big.

89. Okeechobee. First cousin looses what guide determined "9 - 10 lb class fish" right at boat. Not sure I'll ever understand that one, but cousin just put rod down and quit for the day.

Pickwick Dam. Riprap. Long cast. Felt bite. Set hook. Nothing. Kept reeling fast as I could. Feel tension. Set hook on monster smallmouth that is now 30 yards on the other side of boat. Lose fish.

Pickwick. Lose monster smallmouth on a point in Dry Creek.

Joe Wheeler. Get 1 ounce SP almost all the way in. Get bite in Milfoil. Set hook. Fishin in the 9 pound class roles directly to the surface not 10' away. Eyes protroding like one of Big O's pictures. Fish opens mouth and lets spinnerbait with trailer hook just simple come out. He had bit the head of the lure and so the hookset was moot.

These are just some of the ones I remember and of course I mentioned the big one I lost just this past Friday.

jonathanevans1990 reply :

Well this is easy, Fishing last weekend in one of my good day spots. had a few nice fish but my little brother hooked into a lunker atleast 5 lbs. got him to the bank and he fell on some grass in the water shook the hook and bye bye

njbassx reply :

Well just yesterday a buddy and I were fishing in a pond on an old golf course 4 blocks from my house. The pond is about 3 acres and filled with amazing cover (fallen trees, concrete chunks, weedbeds). It was early in the morning and we were using 5in yamanoto senkos, the bass there love them, we need a two packs for every trip. I cast out to one of the weed beds while standing on and old drain and feel a heavy tug on my line. I set the hook and soon see a monster bass (well atleast for a small pond in north jersey) I get it right up to where I am standing and the bass shoots onder the drain I am standing on, which was all rough concrete. My line frayedand I was shocked to watch the fish swim away. We leave a short while later and go to sports authority to restock. I also upgrade from my 8lb line to 12lb, overkill but still I didnt want any repeats fromthat day.

That night we go fishing again. And in the same spot I cast and feel another heavy tug. I set the hook and jumb to the bank from the pipe, not wanting the fish to dive under. I eel it in after about 4min and it wasa monster, tipping the scales at almost 7lbs and seetting the record bass on the pond. (only me and three friends have ever fished there, and we keep our own records) I grab it by the lip and in its mouth is another hook, with blue line about 2ft long trailing it. It was clearly mine because iam the only one who uses blue line, the other two like white. Finally "the one that got away" is captured, and safely realesed with a good memory.

paul25 reply :

i was fishing a tournament with my bass club Sunday on the ohio river the fishing was very tough that day.on Wednesday of the week before me and my buddy pre fished it i caught 5 with 4 being keepers so my hopes where high going into sunday,but for some reason i couldn't get the one over 12inches to bite(thats the size limit on the river).about midday i missed one off a small tree i cast right back in there and its a solid 3 pounder and it gets off at the boat that was tough but i tried to forget about it and keep fishing two casts later i hook a good smallmouth and sure enough it gets off at the boat too. that just really hurt to hook two good fish when it had been tough anyway

thehooligan reply :

About a month ago i lost a 6+lb bass on a sammy. Casted to the bank and bam, fish hit it hard. Had him 10ft off the boat and he jumps and spits the hook, almost cried. It was definitely a topwater day and lost a couple more 3-5lb bass all due to spitting the hook on the jump.

Diggy reply :

I lost a 5+ fish in front of my lady the 1st time she went fishing with me, it broke my line and stole my red eyed shad. She was so excited when she noticed the fishing rod was bent into a J and then seeing the fish jump 3x. I have finally gotten over it.

Bigbarge50 reply :

Great thread fellas.....

My lady has been fishing with me a bunch in the last year and just two nights ago she was tossing a shakey head and lifted it out of the water and a "better" fish jumped at it. She cast right back out and a few hops later the line ran sideways for a few feet. She waited, felt the weight, set the hook, was reeling it in and poof..... got off.

She was none too happy and could not understand how this could possibly happen (we all know all too well it happens all too often). I told her this made her much more of a real fisherman than the ones she has caught...... she finally now has a "one that got away" story. We all remember those all too well.....

keep em coming.

Mad Fisherman reply :

I was using a Pen rod, trying to beat the previous record of the biggest fish ever caught with it, a carp around 18 lbs,(not anymore) at a place in penn state that was loaded with carp. Very soon, I hooked into a 10-13 pounder, but I was using 4lb mono, and being that I usually use ultra-light tackle, I was able to fight the fish. I fought it for over 3 hours, and it pulled me over 30-40 yds upstream. Two hours in, it swam under a rock and I fought it there for the rest of the fight. Sweat was pouring off of me, and half an hour later, I was able to get some line in, and I saw the line was actually fraying back on itself. I quickly reeled that in, but didnt think much of it, considering it was only an inch long, but in a little while, I saw it again, a few feet long this time, line just fraying back on itself. I played it as carefully as I could, but then, the line went slack, my rod straight, and I lost the fish. That was the last time I ever really used mono. I have lost several hefty fish due to mono.

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