Big One Got Away

[Bill Babler]

This is going to be way back there, before the fish kill on the rock, back in the early 90's.  We were catching big fish and I mean big LM up the  Kings River , it was post spawn and the big females were really munching.  Fish were biting a zoom Fish Dr. and we were catching 4-5-6 lb. LM like you catch perch.  Jaws were really rare up there and I had a guy off Twin Rivers catch a Huge Carp.  He swore it was a SM from the second he hooked it.  It was a magnificent fight and pulled like a freight train.  We had been catching these big bass and he swore it was 10 lb. Jaw.

I don't know if I ever really convinced him it was a Carp.  Back in those days of the bag phone we didn't have a camera.  He wanted to take it in and I finely let him.  Never heard from the guy again, but I'm sure he thought he had a lake record Jaw and his guide knew exactly SQUAT.

[Quillback]

Well I hope he tipped you well for getting him on that record "smallmouth".

[Haris122]

Any big fish works for me. I don't catch them good enough to get discouraged by species. Just needs to give a good fight, other than that, I'm fine with whatever as long as it's a fish.

[spaz1729]

We were down their labor day weekend. Almost same situation. throwing a jig on 2lb test. Felt like a rock for a while then the line went limp. After about 10 seconds a big brown came up where the line went limp. This is the thickest Brown ive personally seen in the lake(im sure there are more like this one) We threw at him for about 5 minutes or so but couldnt get him to bite before he went back under. This big one got away :(

[Mitch f]

This post brought me out of my posting retirement. I’m going to go right back into my posting retirement as soon as I’m done with this post. 

A guy from Taneyfest or Jigfest or what ever you call it catches an over 30” brown and loses it. 3 hours later the same fish is caught again with a 12” rainbow shoved down his throat. 

And you still fish 2 pound test??

 

 

 

[slothman]

On 12/20/2018 at 5:52 PM, Johnsfolly said:

Never more true than when bottom fishing in the ocean. 

I recall one trip when I had a great bite and hooked something heavy. I would pull up and reel down to take in line. Each time that I dropped the rod there would be one or more heavy rugs on the line. Everyone around me speculated as to the species. Got to be a big black grouper. No its an amberjack. Red grouper pull heavy like that... I said it felt like a rock. I ended up pulling in a sponge attached to a coconut sized rock😂. No I did not put that on my life list.

My dad will never live this one down. Back when I was a kid we would take a week long vacation to fish and play in the lake every year. My dad would always bass fish while my mom, brothers, and I would fish or play around in the boat. One evening my dad hooked someth8ng big and was going nuts because he was so excited. He kept yelling “get the dipnet, get the dipnet” he was sure he had a wall hanger bass. We all scrambled to get to the dipnet that was still in the storage box with the water skis. When we finally managed to get the net ready he had finally fought in the monster bass that turned out to be a large stick. Ever since then, any time we go fishing with mom in the boat she still hollers “get the dipnet” any time my dad even gets the idea that he is getting a decent bite. 

 

He’ll never live live it down. Lol

[Seth]

10 hours ago, Mitch f said:

This post brought me out of my posting retirement. I’m going to go right back into my posting retirement as soon as I’m done with this post. 

A guy from Taneyfest or Jigfest or what ever you call it catches an over 30” brown and loses it. 3 hours later the same fish is caught again with a 12” rainbow shoved down his throat. 

And you still fish 2 pound test??

Line size is dependent on lure choice. If I am throwing a 1/16-1/32oz jig then I will use 2# test. Sometimes I will fish a 1/8oz jig on the 2# test as well, but prefer 4#. For small jerkbaits, I use 4-6# and 8# for a bass sized jerkbait. My pb rainbow (27" 10#) was landed from a dock on 2# test.

[Mitch f]

1 hour ago, Seth said:

Line size is dependent on lure choice. If I am throwing a 1/16-1/32oz jig then I will use 2# test. Sometimes I will fish a 1/8oz jig on the 2# test as well, but prefer 4#. For small jerkbaits, I use 4-6# and 8# for a bass sized jerkbait. My pb rainbow (27" 10#) was landed from a dock on 2# test.

Seth......1

Phil, spaz1729.....0

Use bigger line and a heavier jig to produce the same fall rate. 

[JestersHK]

1 hour ago, Mitch f said:

Seth......1

Phil, spaz1729.....0

Use bigger line and a heavier jig to produce the same fall rate. 

Technically I had a hand on her tail and her head in my net lol. Just couldn't hold on to get her to shore...

And it was maybe a bit over 5 minutes later that brandon caught her again rainbow in the mouth and all...

We were both using 10lb braid though with the jerk baits.  I run 4lb on jigs at night and still feel that if I hook a big one jigging its got a good chance of breaking me off.

[MOPanfisher]

Crappie fishing with UL gear I can't count the number of time I have had a hit that I never came close to landing.  Most of them likely were carp or catfish, maybe a big drum on occasion.  I have been ravaged multiple time theowing crankbaits by muskie, pretty obvious when that happens.  Way back shortly after college when I lived in Forsyth I was out in my boat across from the Rockaway ramp, happily catching the occasional small trout on my UL and 2lb mono, got a tap and set the hook, had that BIG rainbow up to the boat two or three times, only net I had was a tiny one.  Even had a guy ull up and watch, finally up to the boat and it decided to run under the boat and I couldn't get my rod down quick enough, felt the line slide over one rivet hen popped on the second one and was gone.  The old guy watching said, "that was a big trout son" and left.  I have NEVER caught a rock, stick, tennis shoe, t shirt, ball cap, turtle she'll etc. and thought it was a fish.  That is my story and I am sticking to it.  Anybody who says otherwise, well the one of us is lying.