THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY

[ikeslayer]

B.A.S.S. ran some articles a few months ago about several different stories about pros and they talked about the one that got away. I found the stories quite entertaining. My favorite was Shaw Grigsbys, he said the one that got away has attributed to his lack of success the last few years - he says he never got over the sting of it. So what was your fish story about the 'one' that got away.Big or small it hurt the most?

[champion198elite]

The 5lber that my co-angler knocked off with the net at the BFL last year!!! and the whole 2nd day at the state tourney last year.

[Superduty]

My partner (not his fault) lost a 5 or 6 pounder right at the boat during a Big Bass Bonanza tourney a few years back. She just opened her mouth and the bait popped out. Pretty sure she clamped down hard and the spinnerbait didn't move when he set the hook. I'll never forget that big black eyeball disappearing in the green water! Easily a $1000 fish. We ended up taking second place, but sure would have been nice to win.

[Ray Esboldt]

I have hundreds of them. Dumped a 6+ last year in a club tournament that would have been fun to have in the livewell. I can think of numerous 4s and 5s that swam to see another day. Busted a giant off in a club event many years back trying to net him. He managed to catch a rivet with the line on my old Lund.

The one fish that sticks out for me was many years ago on a metro lake. I was pitching dead pads in the late fall and hooked a fish that I have never since seen the size of. The fish could not get out of the water when it came up. Then it went on a power run right by the boat (got an even better look at it), kind of a sideways swim like a big blugill. It turned back to the pads and my line parted ways with my jig. I had to sit down and think about what just happened. It still bothers me to this day.

[goblueM]

I honestly don't think I have a bass that got away story. Other than having the occasional large fish break me off without ever seeing it, but those can always be northerns or whatever.

Best I got is when I was flyfishing the AuSable River in Michigan and a 20+ inch trout rose, slurped my fly RIGHT next to the boat, then proceeded to go under the boat and break my 7x tippet.

[TurnUpTheFishing]

Im a bass guy for the most part but I was muskie fishing last fall, slow rolling a big spinnerbait around some shallow weed patches when a bass that dwarfed my personal best (6.4) hit the spinnerbait I set the hook and somehow I didnt hook up with it. This bass had me shaking just as much as a boatside muskie strike. I marked that spot and came back so many times with different lures but never saw her again.

[slopmaster]

i've been pretty lucky and most 5 lb. bass that i have hooked i've landed but one day me and my buddy were doing really good and got into alot of decent fish. At the end of the day we went back into a shallow bay and it was around 3 feet deep and the weeds were extremely thick. i was throwing a senko style lure and i seen two huge bass both over 6+ lbs and i pitched it past them and started working it towards them and the smaller of the too which was NOT small slammed the lure and i set the hook and started reeling instantly but she dug right down into the thick weeds and ended up pulling the hook. I had my drag set as tight as possible cause i knew this senerio would happen. Moral of the story it was one of my first years bass fishing and i used the same medium action rod for everything.. now i have a med hvy rod for things such as that and i wish i could go back and have that fish bit again.

[Deitz Dittrich]

My partner nocked a fish off with the next on a fish that would have won us a tournament.. that hurt..

But to be honest, the one that hurt the most was while ice fishing.. I was fishing gills and hooked a big fish, thought it was a smaller bass, so I kind horsed it in a bit goofing off, I broke the line just as I got the fish into the ice hole and watched the biggest sunfish I have ever seen swim away.. I pert near cried.

[Cecil]

Fishing the first Gander Mtn Pro AM tournament of the year in Wisconsin a few years ago and wasnt on many fish at all. Went over to a community spot to maybe get a fish or 2. In about 30 minutes I lost 3 fish and at the end of the day I weighed in 0. I went on that year to get a 2nd, a 5th and another 5th. Had I only caught one 14" fish that first tournament, I would of won angler of the year.

[TB Basser]

I was fun fishing with the wife and caught the the largest

largemouth I have ever seen in person. Was worm fishing and

fought the fish for what seemed at the time to be 20 minutes.

Only had 10 lb test XL and was taking my time. Fish came up

numerous times and finally got it along side the boat. Had forgotten my net in the truck so I had to try and lip it. Reached down with my right hand and held the rod with the left

to keep it tight. Just as I was reaching down she jumped oh so

slightly and out came the hook. Watched as she ever so slowly

swam away. She was well over 7 lbs. I caught a 6-15 later that

year but that fish was noticeably smaller.

[fishdale]

Had a very large small mouth on and I got it up to the boat. Fish saw the boat and made a run. Of course I had just switched reels and I did not check the drag and the line snapped making a nice twang the sound still haunts me.

It was one of those hard leasons but after that the first thing I do when I switch reels is always check the drag takes 2 seconds.

It has probably saved me many fish over the years but would really liked to have got a measurement on that one.

[RK]

Hiya -

The one that sticks out in my head wasn't even on my line, but I'll still never forget it...

Probably 1990 or 91, I was in the boundary waters with kids from Camp Fish. the other staff guy and I had portaged into a lake to fish smallies and lakers for the day and a lake that was a 'numbers' lake for both. We caught tons of small smallies and a few 3-5 pound lakers. We were in a back bay fishing a rock point when my partner hooked a little tiny smallie - probably a 6-incher. We were kind of laughing about how small it was, when another smallmouth shot out from under a fallen tree about 5' from the canoe and completely engulfed the little smallie.

I've fished pike and muskies long enough to have had several hooked fish get eaten next to the boat, but I've never seen a bass do it to anything, much less another bass. The fish didn't t-bone the little bass either - it completely woofed it down. My friend fought it for maybe 2-3 minutes before it let go, so we got a good look at it several times. I still can't really take a guess at how big it was. Since then I've caught smallies up to 22 inches and @ 6 lbs, and none of them were close to this fish's class. I'd give a lot to know how big that fish really was...

Cheers,

Rob Kimm

[OLY]

I was throwing a frog on East Rush last year when a fish absolutely exploded on it, I knew right away it wasnt a bass. I had my drag locked down and this fish just kept pulling line out, it was unreal. I fought it for about five minutes then it exploded out of the water and my jaw dropped as the biggest musky I have ever seen threw my frog 15 ft into the air and then swam away. If this fish wasnt 50 inches it was darn close.

[OutkastC]

BFL in Winneconnie a few years ago. Was on lake Winnebago fish some rip rap and proceeded to drop 5-6 fish ranging from 2 1/2 to 4 lbs. Switched wiggle warts 3 different times during this morning and it never made a difference. Co angler caught 2 that were both over 3 pounds behind me!! Only weighed 1 fish in that day and it only took 13 lbs to win! To boot I did this in front of a 100 plus boats waiting to take off for a walleye tournament.

[CaptZ21]

Couple years ago while fishing a Weds nighter on tonka I landed a 6'9" largie. On the very next cast I set the hook on a fish that was at least a 1/3 bigger than the 6'9". Had it up to the boat 3 times so I had a really good look at it. I was fishing with a gal who had only been fishing once before and she hit the line with the net and missed the fish. Needless to say I will wonder just what that fish woulda weighed. The 6'9" was the biggest fish caught for the year in Dennys 3Os and Weds nighters though.

[reddog]

Since this post has slowed a bit, heres one that got away on Sunday.

Not a fish, per se, but....

School brunch fundraiser , with several silent auction items on the block.

One basket contained a 202 Zebco rod and reel, a tackle box, 4 spools of fireline, several bags of Gulp and 2 Abu Garcia, Revo Skeet Reese signature baitcasters.

I didnt have time to stay, but it all went for $122.00.

That one hurt.

The Revo Skeets are $289 retail apiece.

[tweedlap]

Ouch !!

tweed

[TonkaBass]

NOOOoooooooo...... thats gotta sting!

[Cecil]

No way! Thats the worst ever!!!

[gspman]

Was casting a spinnerbait to some milfoil in about 3' of water. Got it about 6' from the weedline when WHAM. The fish hammered it, turned around, and went right to the milfoil and before I could react the line broke. I could see the milfoil moving as it went in. It just basically did what it wanted to and I could do nothing about it and I had a heavy rod and line. Never saw the fish but my guess is it was probably a pike but could have been a very large bass.

I still think about that fish.

[JPSavage]

I was fishing the Shell river ,cast a baby minus one next to some rushes...WHAM!.....Got the fish right by the boat and could easily have netted it, BUT, just had to lip it....BAD CHOICE....This Smallie looked exactly like a very fat football, and I touched it, only arms lenght away.....Couldn't get a lip hold, the fish dove to the bottom(about 3 feet), and up bobbed my lure.........I have nightmares about that beautiful Smallie!....Had to be a five?...AAAAAH!

[polarsusd81]

I lost a potential state record bass last June on a big rock pile on a metro lake. Using the wrong rod to throw a Red Eye Shad and she tossed the hook.

Another big fish was lost on Big Marine during an FBL event last year. I cast a wacky comida up in some shallow water, about a foot deep. The second it hits the water there is a giant splash, wake, swirl, and then my line went limp. I know it was a Pike, but this was a giant pike. One quick move and this fish left a swirl that was about 20' in diameter. Absolute tank.

[PLfisherman]

two years ago i was fishing a tournyment of champions at the end of the year and lost a 12 incher out of my hands while putting it in the weigh bag from my live well. it flipped into the water. i took second place by 4 ounces!

[ikeslayer]

i lost 2 last year that would have put me in contention for a win for a fun tourney. One hit my jig so hard i thought for sure it was a northern and it made a run so fast that the line was making sound as it was cutting through the water. I thought this for sure was a nothern and then as it came up to the top to show me herself and throw my jig at me i saw that it was a 5+. Then an hour later flipped into a log and felt the good thump and it came right to the top and threw my tube at me. and again another 5lber

we ended up weighing a

5-10 (which got beat for big bass by 3 ounces)

4+

2

1

1

____

14-02

20-09 won it (darn you fluker and champ)

you do the math.

That is the one that stings the most from last year anyway.

http://www.zumbrovalleybassmasters.com/2008_Results.htm#Lura Lake - Fun Tourney