Big fish, bad luck

[Al Agnew]

So I came home from Montana for 10 or so days, planning on fishing every day I could while here.  Got here last Wednesday night, floated Big River by myself Thursday as I reported, with no really good fish even seen, let alone caught.  Then it rained.  And rained some more.  Didn't get to go again until Tuesday.  Hog Wally and I floated a very clear stream (one of the few very clear ones these days) in my canoe, after all the times I've fished out of his River Pro.  He caught an 18-19 incher, didn't measure it.  I don't think I had any strikes from really big fish but had a couple horses follow my lure for a while and caught a couple 16 inchers.

Wednesday I floated another section of upper Big River with my brother.  I didn't hook any really big ones, but he hooked one that would have been close to 20 inches, if not over.  We got a very good look at it, before it escaped by tearing up his spinnerbait, leaving him with only the blade arm!  And I guess that was the start of the bad luck.

Yesterday afternoon I floated another very clear stream with cwc, and he paddled me all afternoon, much appreciated!  Not far below the put-in I hooked a big one, at least 18 inches and probably bigger, on topwater, but after a short tussle it got off.  Then, a half mile downstream, I hooked the fish of the trip, a certain 20 incher, that jumped all over the creek until I was just sure I had it under control, and then it made one more lunge and got off.  I thought the hooks had just pulled out, but no, when I looked at my topwater lure the front treble had broken off!  A bit later I did catch one finally that went between 18 and 19 inches.

So that brings us to this morning.  I was staying at my cabin on the Meramec overnight, so when I got up this morning I decided to float around the bend at the cabin in the canoe before heading back to the house.  I was fishing another topwater when I got a terrific strike.  I knew it was big, but when it jumped the first time I saw it was an absolute beast.  It jumped again, and then one more time close to the canoe, then swam alongside the canoe giving me a very good look.  There's a difference that you can see between those 19 to 20 inches and the really, really big ones, and this fish fell into the really, really big category.  At least 21 inches, maybe bigger.  And then it suddenly drove for the bottom in one last lunge, and somehow got entangled in something on the bottom and broke off.

I can usually get over losing big fish--I've lost enough of them over the years--but this one still bothers me.  It was approaching some of the biggest I've ever caught, and besides that I really hate leaving a lure in a fish, and just hope it was able to pull off the lure once it snagged.

[netboy]

Momma said there would be days like this...

That is what makes you wanna go back.