You know I wanted to chat about the one the got away. We all have them stories.
One Bright sunny warm day I went fishing w/ a good friend. We thought this might be the day we were gonna catch the big one! So we took the camcord and packed our gear and off to the land of fun...
Fished most of the day and was ready to turn in for the day. I kept telling my buddie, just one more cast. {I think we fishermen have all siad that too}... So I cast out to a point in the river, it`s what I call the pit. Because it drops off about 8 feet of water just by a hugh rock.
I cast my last cast. The sun is going down and the bugs are bitting me. Before I know it my line takes off, the real was smokeing hot, it was burnning so much line out. I pulled back and set the hook and the fight was on.
It took me about 10 min. to pull this hugh lg. mouth bass in. I`m working w/ 8 lb test line. So I`m affraid of breaking the line because this Mama is hugh. I work her to the bank and pull her up to take out the hook and weigh and measure her. I have her @ the bank and bend down to take out the hook. She flipped and the hook came out, and she flipped again and jumped into the river. I jumped in after her like the best diver you every laid eyes on. Did not matter, she slipped right out of my hands. AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW
As I walk out of the river w/mud all over me, I start to cry and cuss. Sitting in my muddy clothes, playing the whole thing over again in my mind. Thinking what I did wrong...
My buddie was tapeing me the whole time, as I looked up to him w/ mud all over me and tears just flowing down my face like a girl...He says "There`s no crying in fishing"
We laughed so hard...Even though I lost a fish of a life time. Just watching it on flim and laughing w/ a good friend, is what fishing is all about to me.
The fish that got away was a lg. mouth bass 10-12lbs {28" - 30" long} That is a fish of a life time in the cold waters of ohio.
Tell me about "The one that got away" I love to sit and watch the grass grow and talk fishing. So let`s chat, and watch the grass grow...
Best Wishes, Fish
P.S. Sorry for the bad spelling. I was never to good @ that. Please for give me.
I was working the deck (charter boat) on an overnight trip. We had stopped for the night in a shallow 450ft of water. I had a couple of young boys on the boat and I would have been a fishing god to them if I could hook up a shark.
While everyone else ate dinner and relaxed I chummed the water with Bonito. I chummed for two hrs before I ever dropped a bait. I was using a Penn 50 wide with a 450 lb SS cable for a leader. I hooked a whole 8 lb Bonito on for bait and set the reel in free spool. After about an hr the clicker started to slowly sound click...click...click. I walked over picked up the rod and waited. Click... click.clickclickclick.
Every muscle in my body tense and ready for the fight that was about to happen. I had my hand on the drag ready to tighten it up and jack his jaw. Just then the clicker slowed and stopped. Hes not ready I thought. Now its a waiting game. Whos going to make the next move. 30 min. goes by and nothing. I whined the rig up and its gone. The thing had bit through 450 lb SS cable without doing more than moving the clicker which was in freespool.
I thought to myself "I didnt really want to see that". I showed the capt. the leader. At first he accused me of cutting it with bolt cutters. He says Theres no way a shark bit through that cable.
After convincing him a shark did bite through it he says "You could have kept this to yourself. I dont want to be thinking about that all night".
It's scary to think of what can bite off 450lb cable! What's it like when one gets away on the ocean? Do you feel a great loss since the sea is so big-like you will probably never see that fish again? Or do you have hope that you will hook that fish again or an even bigger one? I know that some ocean fish travel a lot during a year and there's so much space. Do you think you have ever caught the same fish twice?
I have caught "the same fish" many times. Mostly red snappers when they're out of season. They may sit on a reef for several weeks before they move, so catching a 25lb fish more than once can happen.
When I lose a fish do to "its fishing" I dont get upset about it. That fish was fighting for his life, I was fighting for the fun of it. If the fish wins, thats ok.
"That fish was fighting for his life, I was fighting for the fun of it. If the fish wins, thats ok."
That's a great way of thinking ranger, I guess I've never looked at it that way. Maybe the ones that get away deserve more credit, and should be honored for winning the battle.
I've have seen both kids and adults on my charter boat get upset about losing a fish. Sometimes the adults are the ones who have to be calmed down. lol
JMO but I think that type of good sportsmanship is something that should be taught to kids. Sometimes we win the fight, if the fish wins dont be mad he won that round, smile wish him well and keep fishing.
I only get mad about technical failures with gear or if I as an experienced fisherman make a novice mistake which cost me a fish. Even then I'm mad at myself for my own poor performance not the fish. Yeah it happens...so what. haha
I was fishing a pond that was L shape and not very wide, one side was rowed by lilly pads ans the opposit side was a shallow flat going towards the pads. You could reach the pads with a good cast. Using a jitterbug, leopard frog pattern i would cast it to the pads and work the edges. After a few cast i seen some pads move about a foot in and then the strike. It was a big hungry bass which was now angry because he was hooked.It felt like i had a cinder block on the line. After getting the fish about 6 feet from where i was standing tragedy strikes , the line broke. The fish then swam closer to shore where i could see it, I would say somewhere around 5 to 7 lbs and around 20 or more inchs long , the jitterbug was hooked with both treble hooks in the upper and lower jaws no way the fish could have shaken the hooks. After inspecting the line i realized that the knot had come loose. Not only had I lost the largest bass i have caught but my jitterbug which was a discontiued pattern, I learned a valuable lesson that day always check your knots and leave alittle extra to alow for slippage.
Do you know if lg. mouth bass have teeth on there tough? I have heard that a few times this year, but the bass I catch do not have teeth on there tough. Is this ture or is someone pulling my leg?
Largemouth do have teeth, a lot of them, but the teeth are very small. Most bass fisherman just grab the fish by putting thier thumb in the mouth and pointer finger under the jaw, known as "lipping" the fish. The teeth are so small that it seems a lot like sandpaper and they are all pointed inwards to prevent prey from exiting the mouth. After a successfull day of bass fishing your thumb may get a little raw and if you look close at your skin you may see hundreds of little cuts. It's nothing to worry about and most of us bass fisherman look at a raw thumb as a sign of a good day of fishing.
Dan, I did have a great day fishing for lg. mouthbass and indeed my thumb was raw. Do fishermen have some kind of thumb protection? Like fishing gloves? If so where can one buy them? Best Wishes, Fish
Yes there are fishing gloves. Most sport stores have them and of course Wally does. When practicing catch and release dont forget to always wet your hands before you handle fish. Dry hands takes the antibiotic slime off and can hurt the fish.
Thanks for the in put on the gloves gul. You know this year where I live it`s been hard fishing. For some reason the bass don`t want to take the bait. Not sure why, or what I`m doing wrong. You fishing friends have any advise?
Hiya fishhmmaster, I have not stopped in here in a long time. Well, I was fishing.LOL Not catching bass in July. first off I would have to know what baits you're using, water depth and the "lay of the land". Then I would also say July...its hot...which means put away the rubber worms, grubs, spinners, buzzbaits and go with a good crankbait. You never go wrong with live bait (minnow/small fish) feed them what they have been eating.
Sorry the info came so late but maybe it can help next yr.
I will try that next year Gulfranger, thanks for the tip.
Most of the time I use 2 hooks and hook a sm. bluegil and recast him back out w/the two hooks I can hook the big bass trying to eat the bluegil. It works everytime.
How has the year been for you Gulfranger? It`s been picking up here now the fish are getting ready for winter and pigging out on bluegils.
Must use Buy It Now and PayPal.
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