what's worse? 2024
Jermination reply :
losing a big fish on a jump and spit, break off, or lose them and never see them?
lost a smallie that was easily 7+ yesterday and still sick to my stomach over it. jumped and spat my ned right at me. my god what a whale ????
A-Jay reply :
While I'm playing a 'big one', first I'm hoping it's actually a bass, then I always say, "Just let me see you".
But once I do, if I lose her, regardless of how, I'm usually just a little more bummed out.
Mostly because I had visual verification of what it was and it's approximate size.
So Jumping off's a bummer and a hook pull is not the greatest.
But when line breaks- THAT'S the worse, because I'll always feel like that's something I have control over.
So when it fails, I either; was using gear insufficient for the task, Tied a bad knot, did not re-tie in a timely manner, did not check for frays or nicks, applied too much pressure / or had drag set incorrectly, did not present the bait & set up my rig in a position to fight the fish away from anything that could part my line or perhaps the biggest mistake of all - Purchased Bad Line to start with.
So there's that.
A-Jay
MN Fisher reply :
Losing it after you've seen it.
Had that happen to me last season. Got it near the boat, looked to be a bit over 2#...wanted to put it in the cooler. Just before I had it netted, it shook the hook and took off.
J Francho reply :
I love how our scales become more accurate when we don't land them. Reminds me of one I lost - a brown trout. My PB brown is 22 lbs. I was fishing a pod of browns making a push upstream to spawn. There was one HUGE hen in the mix. On a drift, I got bit and that monster rolled. I panicked, locked down on the centrepin reel (your fingers are the drag, look it up) and with one flick of it's tail, my leader was toast. This fish was bigger than my PB by a noticeable amount.
Jermination reply :
On 1/14/2020 at 12:19 AM, A-Jay said:While I'm playing a 'big one', first I'm hoping it's actually a bass, then I always say, "Just let me see you".
But once I do, if I lose her, regardless of how, I'm usually just a little more bummed out.
Mostly because I had visual verification of what it was and it's approximate size.
So Jumping off's a bummer and a hook pull is not the greatest.
But when line breaks- THAT'S the worse, because I'll always feel like that's something I have control over.
So when it fails, I either; was using gear insufficient for the task, Tied a bad knot, did not re-tie in a timely manner, did not check for frays or nicks, applied too much pressure / or had drag set incorrectly, did not present the bait & set up my rig in a position to fight the fish away for anything that could part my line or perhaps the biggest mistake of all - Purchased Bad Line to start with.
So there's that.
A-Jay
I knew it was a big smallie as soon as i set the hook, couldnt even budge her and once i did i was on her time. fought her for a good 3-4 minutes half way in on a 35 yard hookset..she jumped and spit it. quite the traumatic experience. Especially when i've caught well over 100 3+lb smallies the last 3 months up there then this hog shows up.
i guess the silver lining here is at least i know where her house is right?
On 1/14/2020 at 12:25 AM, J Francho said:I love how our scales become more accurate when we don't land them. Reminds me of one I lost - a brown trout. My PB brown is 22 lbs. I was fishing a pod of browns making a push upstream to spawn. There was one HUGE hen in the mix. On a drift, I got bit and that monster rolled. I panicked, locked down on the centrepin reel (your fingers are the drag, look it up) and with one flick of it's tail, my leader was toast. This fish was bigger than my PB by a noticeable amount.
i've caught many a giant smallies over the years. ive caught two over 7 throughout my life, this one trumped my most recent 7.1 with ease. ughhh the agony!!!
A-Jay reply :
On 1/14/2020 at 12:25 AM, Jermination said:I knew it was a big smallie as soon as i set the hook, couldnt even budge her and once i did i was on her time. fought her for a good 3-4 minutes half way in on a 35 yard hookset..she jumped and spit it. quite the traumatic experience. Especially when i've caught well over 100 3+lb smallies the last 3 months up there then this hog shows up.
i guess the silver lining here is at least i know where her house is right?
No Doubt ~
Similar deal happened to me the season before I caught my PB Smallie - right in the same area.
So you never know . . . .
However, there's plenty of non-bass mutants up here to make it a big time guessing game until I see it.
(all caught while bass fishing)
#spoolplentyofbacking
A-Jay
Jermination reply :
On 1/14/2020 at 12:35 AM, A-Jay said:No Doubt ~
Similar deal happened to me the season before I caught my PB Smallie - right in the same area.
So you never know . . . .
However, there's plenty of non-bass mutants up here to make it a big time guessing game until I see it.
(all caught while bass fishing)
#spoolplentyofbacking
A-Jay
mutants indeed LOL i've caught some big cats and a drum or 2 nedding around up there but can usually tell pretty quickly what's what
scaleface reply :
i think its worse when you dont see them . When they jump and show themselves at least i get a good look at it and know I almost had a big one .
Bass_Fishing_Socal reply :
I think I might agree with this ^^^ if I saw the bass and lost it somehow at least I know it is a bass and can at least guesstimate the weight. I would think about it but not for long until I catch the next one.
Didnt see them but feel them, this is worse. Almost a week back I got a fish hit me hard on Huddleston 68 weedless, almost pull the rod out of my hand. Everything went wrong, I did set the hook but my hand wasn’t holding the rod/reel as usual, then the drag slip since I didn’t set it properly. Im still thinking about that one every single day. BTW, I switched back to top hook hudds since that day.
GreenPig reply :
About 10 years ago I fought and lost a very large (PB++) LM on a long cast on wakebait. She just wallowed on the surface until my lure dislodged. I had her on for probably 30 seconds and got a good view of just how large she was. That scarred me. Break offs are so rare nowadays I just retie and keep fishing. I've had so many ok fish under and around or through grass that I thought were good fish I don't get excited til I see them.
J._Bricker reply :
On 1/14/2020 at 12:07 AM, Jermination said:losing a big fish on a jump and spit, break off, or lose them and never see them?
I’m gonna say losing a big fish on the jump. You saw her, a denizen of the deep breaking water like a Polaris (Trident) missile as that big ole gaping mouth opens and your bait goes flying right back at you. The whole time your mind is screaming “don’t jump, don’t jump”....
Break em off, I’ll raise my ???? to being guilty of the “ahh, that nick isn’t too bad, I’ll retry after the next one cause they’re small”. Then a little tick, the line starts to move and you set the hook and you know the rest. In this case, I’ve got only myself to blame when I see where the line broke ....
If you loose em and never see them, well THAT’S what makes a fishing story that can morph into legendary proportions over time ????....
Sorry @Jermination that you lost that big ole brown fish, but I think you will become a fixture in her living room until you meet again. Good luck sir!
Hook2Jaw reply :
Seeing them is horrible, breaking them off is traumatic.
When I first got into bassing as an adult, the stick worm was the only bait worth throwing for me. I caught bass everywhere with Yamamoto Senkos and then YUM Dingers. One day after work, I walked to a pond I had no business being at and caught two small ones in quick succession. The next hookup was in an open part in pads, and I'll never forget it.
When I set the hook on her, she did not move, I was entirely sure I was snagged. Then that zzzzzzt of sweet drag music started playing, and this behemoth made a move for deep water. She had her way with my 2/0 EWG, 10# fluorocarbon leader, and 20# braid.
I was entirely sure there was no way she was a bass -- I was hopeful, but my biggest bass before that was a seven pound Ogeechee river fish I had caught with my grandfather when I was eleven. I had no idea how powerful one of that magnitude could be. She finally tired, and a I started to regain line. I then saw a colossal white belly and the telltale lateral line and dark green.
This was no turtle, nor catfish, no. This was a bass, and this is a personal best on an epic scale on the end of my line. I became nervous and seconds turn into minutes. I got her to the line where the pads begin, but she had regained strength and gave me a second run.
I've got her this far, as long as she tires herself, she's my fish. I can land this fish. Her second run was considerably shorter and I've got her belly up, coming to me over the pads. Everything is going according to plan. I've already thrown my phone and wallet out of my jeans, you know, in case I need to wade in for her.
I had that fish so close I was reaching down to get my thumb around her massive jawbone and she does one last thrash, my hook comes out and she turns and swims away.
I'm glad my "lost fish" scale is deadly accurate, because I am the reason the bass world record of 32 pounds is still held by a Georgian.
TnRiver46 reply :
Landed an 8 lb class largemouth as a 13-14 year old. Took pictures and put it on a metal clamp stringer for taxidermy. The fish shook it's head hard and ripped the stringer out and swam off. Oh not to worry they can do replicas from a picture........ Pictures were double exposed ...... That's worse........
Jermination reply :
On 1/14/2020 at 4:03 AM, J._Bricker said:I’m gonna say losing a big fish on the jump. You saw her, a denizen of the deep breaking water like a Polaris (Trident) missile as that big ole gaping mouth opens and your bait goes flying right back at you. The whole time your mind is screaming “don’t jump, don’t jump”....
Sorry @Jermination that you lost that big ole brown fish, but I think you will become a fixture in her living room until you meet again. Good luck sir!
"stay down baby, stay down come on. free willy jumping out of the water....sh**!!!!!"
shortly followed by a request to my partner asking how he feels about assisted suicide hitting me with the paddle
roadwarrior reply :
Jermination reply :
On 1/14/2020 at 4:31 AM, roadwarrior said:
both of my 7+'s come out of fort loudon on the tennessee river. This was on cherokee, not technically the tennessee river--the holston is one of the headwater tributaries & runs down from it to merge with the french broad at forks of the river up above neyland stadium
great reference point, another heart breaking story
Bird reply :
If you've fished long enough, the horror stories add up....unfortunately.
Line breakage is definitely the worst feeling for me, especially due to ignorance.
Lost some giants not taking the time to retie and no doubt a 10lb + in SC after I tightened drag trying to net fish.
I do however get over it quickly and move on.
Sam reply :
Lose them and never see them is the worst.
Even if they get off after you see them at least you know what you hooked.
A-Jay reply :
The heart break of losing a Giant is one of the ties that binds all us Bassheads.
And there is nothing more sudden & final, than broken line.
A-Jay
Sweet Tater Pie reply :
I’ll be the first to say it, accidentally killing a big fish is one of the worst feelings. I gut hooked my biggest creek/river smallie of about 17 inches with a ned rig, and didn’t bring my pliers. I had to cut the line, and I was devastated the rest of the day.
Bird reply :
On 1/14/2020 at 9:25 AM, Sweet Tater Pie said:I’ll be the first to say it, accidentally killing a big fish is one of the worst feelings. I gut hooked my biggest creek/river smallie of about 17 inches with a ned rig, and didn’t bring my pliers. I had to cut the line, and I was devastated the rest of the day.
We think the same, my respect.
Bluebasser86 reply :
I hate it when I set the hook, have a heavy fish for a headshake or two, then it's gone. No telling what, or how big they are when that happens.
Bankbeater reply :
I’m bummed out no matter how the fish gets off.
geo g reply :
It doesn't happen often, but it doesn't affect me much. It's all part of the game. Sometimes you're the bug, sometimes you're the windshield! I know where she lives so I let it quiet down and then go back for more action.
JediAmoeba reply :
This is a very hard question. But I have 2 that really stick in my mind.
The first was when I was 12 years old. I wasnt a huge kid but I was pretty strong. We were fishing a large pond. I was using nightcrawlers on 10# test and hooked into a snag - I was using a zebco and a pistol grip ugly stick. This snag wouldn't budge but all of the sudden the drag started pulling and the rod, already bent from me tugging on it, completely arched. I started screaming as this fish was pulling me into the water even with the drag burning. My dad was running as fast as he could to get to me and he was yelling "trip the reel"...my mind didn't grasp that and just as my dad got to me the line made a horrific snap and the rod went limp. I would reckon it was a very large catfish but I never saw it and we never caught any catfish there in all the years of fishing.
The second would be the time I was Muskie fishing and got a the largest muskie i had ever seen right next to our little row boat. I was using a large daredevil spoon and hooked something that felt pretty small. I cranked this puppy into the boat at warp speed and there was almost no resistance. Right as the fish got to the boat it surfaced and sat right next to the boat - This thing was as long as the boat. My friend and I freaked out and before we could say boo, with one head shake and a turn snapped the 30# wire leader I was using and swam off. I have never seen a fish this big in person since.
Catt reply :
On 1/18/2020 at 9:47 AM, geo g said:It doesn't happen often, but it doesn't affect me much. It's all part of the game. Sometimes you're the bug, sometimes you're the windshield! I know where she lives so I let it quiet down and then go back for more action.
Doesn't bother me at all
At least I know I was in the right place at the right time using the right presentation.
It bothers me more getting shunked!
lo n slo reply :
it’s no secret that i’m a texas rig guy and losing fish, once hooked up, doesn’t happen all that much. but hook set break offs, especially with the fluoro, became a problem until i found the right combination of line size and knot, for me (emphasis on the “for me”). it was maddening!
now i don’t intend to turn this into a discussion on fluoro vs mono. they both have their positives and i caught plenty of fish on mono down through the years, but i love the fluoro for what i do. carry on
roadwarrior reply :
Well, the good news is whenever you lose a fish it's always 2 lbs heavier!
BassinCNY reply :
On 1/18/2020 at 1:54 PM, Catt said:
Doesn't bother me at all
At least I know I was in the right place at the right time using the right presentation.
It bothers me more getting shunked!
I agree. It doesn't bother me at all to lose a fish. I look at it as a learning experience. Especially from a dialling in the tackle perspective. The exception is if I'm in the running for a tournament win. Then it really bothers me. If I'm middle of the pack it doesn't bother me nearly as much.
stratoliner92 reply :
For me seeing a PB and then losing it can haunt you for a long time and I mean a looooong time????????
MickD reply :
I don't want to see it. Then it can be any size I want it to be. ????
PhishLI reply :
I had two legit tanks shake off in right front of me within a week in early July. I got over that quickly, but convinced myself at the time that it was an omen and that would be it for me getting big ones after that. But it wasn't as I did get a few more. Having a fish break off with a hook/lure stuck in it's mouth really takes the shine off the experience for me. Pretty much ruins that day. It's a close second to killing a fish. Our lakes are small, like 20-60 acres, so it somehow seems worse to me.
N Florida Mike reply :
It doesn’t bother me near as much if the fish jumps and throws the hook. I work hard to not let them jump in the first place though.
what bothers me the most is if I lose a big fish because of some stupid mistake, like the drag not being set just right, or knowing there’s a little Knick in the line and you should have retied.
flyfisher reply :
Seeing it and losing it is way worse to me. I was reaching down to grab a bass out of my kayak and it was big enough that I knew it was my PB. It had a mouth that was big enough that i could easily fit both my fists in his mouth. He had one treble hook in and a little shake and he swam away. What made it more painful was the next week I heard rumors from a guy who lives on the lake that they shocked the lake for fish study stuff and they pulled out a double digit largemouth in the area I had him on. I am 99% convinced it was the same fish I had on but I was never able to catch or see him again....
schplurg reply :
I think I prefer to see it before it gets away. Sometimes a small fish feels big. That's probably where a lot of the "it was a lunker" stories come from.
I lost a maybe 28 inch catfish right next to shore. Was going for stripers. He rolled over in 1 foot of water just before my buddy could reach him. Devastated. Would have been my biggest fish to date.
But I'm glad I got to see it. I KNOW how big it was, no mystery. It's a bummer but it's also motivating to me.
Spankey reply :
Great post. Like all of you I been handed the same scenarios. Takes me a while to get over it. I have to blame myself 7 ways to Sunday first. Have all the could-a, would-a, should-a’s play through my mind first. It’s what keeps you/me fishing.
PourMyOwn reply :
I lost a 6+ smallmouth when the belly hook came out of a torpedo. The screw that held the hook in was pulled out of the body of the lure, the threads were gone and everything. The bass slid out of my hand as I pulled her out of the water. That was particularly horrible...and it was a limited edition bait that is now useless.
billmac reply :
Break offs are the worst, because then you have left a fish with your lure stuck in it.
Columbia Craw reply :
SCORE
Doug 0 Fish 1
It happens
Dogface reply :
On 1/14/2020 at 12:07 AM, Jermination said:losing a big fish on a jump and spit, break off, or lose them and never see them?
Never seeing them!!!
I release just about everything so if I loose one at the boat after I got a decent look its no big deal. But I have had some big fish on that I never got a look at and they leave me wondering.
WRB reply :
Breaking a PB bass off after getting a good look at it is the worst experience and tends to stay with you a lifetime.
I broke off 2 potential record size LMB that were a few inches longer then my PB.
If they jump off that's fishing, breaking them off is on my nickle.
Tom
A-Jay reply :
On 1/22/2020 at 5:49 AM, WRB said:Breaking a PB bass off after getting a good look at it is the worst experience and tends to stay with you a lifetime.
I broke off 2 potential record size LMB that were a few inches longer then my PB.
If they jump off that's fishing, breaking them off is on my nickle.
Tom
Having read about what was happening at that time and in that area in bass fishing,
that must have been an amazing and inconceivably heartbreaking deal.
I can't even begin to imagine how that felt.
Thanks for sharing.
A-Jay
WRB reply :
The 1st giant bass was Lower Otay during it's heyday and wrapped a nearby anchor rope. I knew the angler and he treid to net the bass but it broke off.
The 2nd was at lake Castiac where I caught my PB and this bass managed to make it over a rock ridge after being within 5' of the boat and got a very good ook at the bass and it still haunts me.
Tom
Boomstick reply :
I honestly think it might be worse if you actually see them. I lost the biggest fish I ever hooked, I caught it right after a 30" pike and if I didn't see it, I would have thought it was a 40"+ pike, but I got a good look at the belly of the fish and it looked bass shaped. I have since to hook anything close to that, but on the other hand knowing I lost el mondo just makes me want to go back up there and try harder.
On 1/22/2020 at 5:35 AM, Dogface said:Never seeing them!!!
I release just about everything so if I loose one at the boat after I got a decent look its no big deal. But I have had some big fish on that I never got a look at and they leave me wondering.
Not like when you lose the biggest fish you ever hooked and didn't get to weigh or measure it!
Mr. Aquarium reply :
Losing it after seeing it. I’ve lost some heartbreakers mostly bass m, big browns and steelhead fishing. I’ve lost PBs after seeing them.
SC53 reply :
Breaking off probably bothers me more than anything because like Jay said, it’s probably on me.
But one fish comes to mind that got away and was a lure fail. I was fishing the Stick Marsh years ago throwing a golden eagle spinnerbait. Hooked a giant on it. Got to see her a couple times when she surfaced. She came up the last time and was gone. Didn’t know what happened until I reeled in the bait. The spinnerbait had broken in two and all I got back was the blades portion.
That one hurt.
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