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Old 04-16-15, 10:55 PM   #1
Rebbasser
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Default The Ones that Got Away

If you are like me, you remember the good fish you catch but especially remember the ones you DON'T catch-the ones that get away or you miss. When I fish with someone that loses a good fish I tell them, "you are going to have bad dreams about that one" and on down the road they often tell me I was right. Anyway, here are a couple of mine in no particular order:

Number 1

I was fishing a lake called Choke Canyon about 75 miles south of San Antonio in March of '04 or 5. We were on the west side near a highway bridge in an area with tons of cover-hydrilla, coontail and flooded timber. I was throwing a watermelon swirl Tiki Stick on 12lb line. I spotted a great target where all three came together-always a good idea-and threw up next to it. Now, keep in mind I had the exact same rig on the deck next to me except it was spooled with braid. Literally as I made the cast I remember thinking "I need to switch rods".

Need I say more?

She was 10 or better easy. She came up, smiled at me, then proceeded to bury in the hydrilla and broke me off. That one still haunts me.

Number 2

Same lake a couple years later in January. This time we were in the east side in an area where 4 coves/creeks come together. Here there is a ton, and I mean a ton of flooded timber. I was throwing a jig and pig crawling/hopping it along the bottom. I raised it up and it felt "heavy". For those that have fished soft plastics or jigs for a while know what I mean. If you don't the best description I can think of is it is what it feels like when you throw a crankbait and pull in a bunch of grass. Anyway, I tugged and felt it but didn't set the hook and completed the cast. I can't prove it but after playing it over and over in my mind I am totally convinced a pretty good fish grabbed it and I flat missed it. That one bothers me too

Yours?
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Old 04-18-15, 09:22 AM   #2
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Nothing comes to mind about me losing a nice bass, but I took a guy bass fishing for the first time and we were using wild shiners. I explained that he would need a forceful hook set because his line was under a floating mat, hooked through the shiner, thus he had to take up almost all the slack in his line and then snap the rod back with everything he had to insure he hooked the bass. We both watched as his line started playing out -- he reeled in too much of the slack line, I saw the tip of the rod bend -- that gave me a bad feeling. He then jerked upward on the rod and fought the bass up to the side of the boat. Then that beauty spit the hook and swam off. I just looked at him and said, "Welcome to bass fishing."
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Old 04-18-15, 11:05 PM   #3
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I've lost many, and none of them stand out as special. But ...

I was fishing for bass with a friend when I set the hook on something huge. We were both convinced I had a personal best bass on when it started coming up. I don't mean up to the boat ... it was head for the surface for a jump. Just as I was lowering the rod tip when a 5 to 6 foot gar completely cleared the water.
My partner, two other boats in the area and me all whooped and yelled while it continued to fight for another 15 seconds or so, then it just came unhooked. To date, it's the largest Longnose Gar I've ever seen.
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Old 04-19-15, 12:11 PM   #4
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I lost a bass two years ago that haunts me to this day. I was
fishing the lake for the first time on a rocky shallow flat off the main lake that leads into a bay. Throwing a lipless crank, something hit it hard and started to fight like a bull. Coming airborne a few times, I could see it was the largest bass I'd ever hooked. As I worked it within grasping distance and reached for her lip, she simply pulled off and swam away. She would have gone 8-9 pounds EASY which is huge for Northern Indiana. I just about cried right then and there, but at least I had the pleasure of the fight and seeing her up close.
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Old 04-20-15, 07:40 AM   #5
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last year at dale hallow (zookerfest) i was throwing a 1/6 jig with a gulp minnow on light tackle spinning rod. hooked a 5/6 lb smallie. about ten min. into the fight i got her to boat for 3rd time. she went under boat and cut off on trolling motor
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Old 04-20-15, 08:24 AM   #6
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Once me and a buddy were fishing for bass when he hooked into a nice one. As he was reeling her in he said, "This one is big". So we're in his jon boat and he had a portable live well because he wants to take some fish home for food. He now has the bass lipped and I tell him to hold it up so I can take a photo. I shoot several shots with my camera and then my buddy opens the lid to his live well and as he's lowering the bass into the opening she does a body flip and dives overboard. I couldn't help but laugh at the expression on my buddy's face. I was laughing so hard my buddy started laughing at me laughing.
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Old 04-21-15, 01:13 AM   #7
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I wasn't bass fishing, but it haunts me to this day. I was on a big party boat off Dana Point, CA...and something just slammed my jig on heavy spinning tackle. I was using 30 lb braid so I had about 300 yards on my reel. I had to back off the drag, as I just couldn't stop it running. It nearly spooled me, then came off. I will regret my whole life not even knowing what it was.
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Old 04-21-15, 10:25 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nofearengineer View Post
I will regret my whole life not even knowing what it was.
I never do this. Any fish I hook that gets away ... if I never see it, it was a gar.
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