Worst Kind Of Good Luck...

[Al Agnew]

Our 12 year old niece was helping Mary can tomatoes in the kitchen while I worked on a painting today. In mid-afternoon she came in to tell me that she and Mary had decided to go down to the local resort development swimming pool to cool off in the heat, and did I want to go?

Well, there's a little creek below the lakes that holds some bass, so I told her I'd go and wade the creek and fish while they swam. I grabbed a rod and two topwater lures and we drove the few minutes to the pool.

When I first set foot in the creek it was a shock. The water comes off the top of a big lake, and it was HOT. Had to be pushing 90 degrees. I even thought that if the fish were active at all, it might not really be a good idea to stress them any more by hooking them. Perhaps I should have listened to that voice in my head.

On the second cast, I caught a 12 inch smallmouth. Smallies aren't all that common in this stretch of creek due to the influence of the murky lake water. This one, though, was a very energetic fish that hit the topwater with wild abandon. Well, I thought, I guess they are acclimated to the hot water, anyway, because that certainly looked and acted like a healthy fish.

I was only going to wade down a quarter mile or so, because Mary had told me they wouldn't be in the pool all that long. In that quarter mile I caught 6 or 7 largemouth up to 14 inches and a 14 inch spotted bass. I was just getting ready to turn around and head back when I made one more cast.

A big fish. A very big fish for this very small creek. It cleared the water in a nice leap, and showed itself to be a largemouth that was incredibly fat and at least 18-19 inches. Had to weigh five pounds, as chunky as it was. I was counting my chickens before they hatched, thinking I should have brought the camera...and then the line broke. Must have been a weak spot in the line. I should have taken the time to retie the snap before I started fishing, but I just didn't worry about there being a fish big enough to break off in this little creek.

Now I absolutely HATE leaving a two treble hook lure in a fish. Especially in what was probably the biggest fish in this whole stretch of creek. I didn't even bother to tie on the other topwater lure I'd brought, just trudged back to the car. Nice little interlude in the day, but thinking about the lure stuck in that fish's face just about ruined it for me.

Lesson learned long ago, but reinforced today...prepare for the biggest fish you might catch, which includes checking your line and your knots!

[eric1978]

Sounds more like the best kind of bad luck to me, but I'm a glass is half empty kind of guy...unfortunately. You're not making my transition to copoly very easy.

[Smalliefreak]

Al, that is so true!!! You don't expect to catch much and you hammer some nice fish but leaving the hooks in fish's face well thats kind of a bummer.I think that Largemouth will shake that plug though.It's funny those lessons in fishing you think you would learn but some times we never do.I had the same sort of thing happen to me when we were in Buffalo NY visiting friends and was using one of their rod and reels and tried fishing a small creek off of a much larger trib with a famous water fall.The borrowed rod and reel was less than ideal and was an ultra lite combo with what seemed to be very heavy line and the creek was very small so my expectations were not that great.Well lesson learned as you said always check your line!!!! I immediately started catching very nice smallies on a topwater like you were and the excitement of catching all the decent smallies got to me and I wasn't paying attention.I was bringing fish in thru big boulders and fraying the line.I waded a little further up the creek, when on a cast to the ajacent shore a massive black figure charged the plug and didn't hit my blood was pulsing just looking at this huge creature staring down my lure.With one little twitch of the plug she smashed it and I had the biggest smallie of my life on the line it was a friggin giant.I was like you astonished that a creek like this could hold a fish of this size, it was on for about three jumps and was one of the fattest and longest smallies I have ever seen.Well you guessed it the fish broke me off due a fray in the line because I wasn't paying attention to the condition of my line.I still had the awsome experience of having such a beast on the end of an ultra lite combo and I will remember it forever, if I could just remember to check my line all the time that would be nice too.

[Stoneroller]

chances are the bass will be able to dislodge the lure, as topwater lures are typically in the lip of the fish as opposed to deeper in, so don't feel too bad. consider how easy it is for a fish to throw a lure if there is slack in your line. he'll rub that thing against a rock or root and pop it out in no time.

[Flyflinger]

Three weeks ago I was fishing the Meramac at Cardiac Hill. The fishing was pretty slow, I got into only 4-5 trout all day. After a wade up to the Piles and back to the trail that leads back up the hill, I was fishing in that first set of riffles at the trail end. I was in the process of changing flies...I had let my fly line drift down behind me while I pulled up my next fly selection. I pinched the new fly in between my lips and began reeling in the line for the change up.

Wouldn't you know it I snaged a rock, and was going to loose my nice brand new wooly bugger.....well not really a snag..my wooly bugger was lodged in the upper lip of a 4lb small mouth. He jumped exactly once and spit that fly right back at me.....shortly after I threw up.

Biggest smallie of my life...never even seen one that big before...

I guess the moral of the story is: ALWAYS WATCH MY LINE!

[Trav]

Al

Life moves on like a tide. You have to roll with the flow and hope you can have an influence.

You are an influence to many of us.

[flytyer57]

Debarbing hooks, even on top waters and crankbaits is still a good idea.

If those hooks were debarbed, that fish should shake that lure free in no time.

[Mitch f]

The only thing worse than injuring a fish, is losing a $15 Gunfish

[Al Agnew]

Yep...except this one was a Sammy 85...not only a $15 lure, but one I had to modify, so my time was in it as well!

[Mitch f]

I always modify my baits as well, but never a Sammy. That's the thing I like about those Japanese high dollar baits, they are tuned right out of the box. I used to buy 4 or 5 Husky jerks or Rogues before I found one that was worth modifying. Since my time is worth much more to me than anything (I'm sure yours is too)I would rather spend the money for

a Lucky Craft than a Husky Jerk. Having said that, how in the heck do you modify a Sammy? Feathered treble maybe?