So here I am mid october taking some fish in the low to mid 20lb class, wasn't fishing much this year but for some reason got into a grove, (perhaps just a lil more time to devote). Standing on a rock I dont usualy get to perch on and bang , takes the eel, set up , set up twice to make sure, good stick!! Weird lil bits of drag not once but, once ,twice ,three times, possible a forth, lil blurred( didnt realize till later the fish was backing up because when i stuck it it didnt have the room to turn around). Then it turns and starts swimming, I know I have a big fish but cant get a read on it because i am around a rock, and then 2, as it keeps swimming away. No worries I have never dropped a fish over 40 lbs from the surf on an eel. Still swimming, I look down 2/3'ds into my vs 300 with 60# fireline XDS, (ya I still have some), had to change my stance on the rock earlier becase if it did snap I would have been on my back in the water, the 132 1m bent over as much as it possibly could be, I know I have a huge fish here as soon as i checked my spool the fish stopped behind a 3'd rock as near as I could tell. Can't get a feel for the weight because of the rocks but saying to myself this fish is done. Through the head shakes, and gill rakes i felt confident but now can feel the leader, 80# fluro, being rubbed on the rock, I know the fish is done and if I let off it should come rite up to the surface, gotta do it , too long scraping that leadre on the rock, let off enough to get it up, and ya it worked reeling fast feeling enough pressure to say the fish is now swimming twards me, I friggen did it this fish is going to be huge, bigger than i can imagine I know it, ah but no, the tension dosen't change, sick feeling , I know its just the eel with about 400 yds out, dropped it, omg I dropped it, I just cant believe I dropped it. Reeling in forever to get the line back in , just about there and pulling it over a huge rock, just about over, lil tug to pop it over , what, nothing, WTH, reel the last 40 to 60 yds , see the leader frayed like all the way to the top with the half of it that came back. Just standing there looking at it in disbelief, dropped a fish of a life time, nothing I can do, absloutly nothing I can do, one more cast after i reset, 12 lb fish skimming across the water, still sick. released it dozen more casts, nothing, nothing. Slid down into the water off the rock, beside myself, still beside myself.

Getting beat by a fish makes fishing all that much better.

That's stuff nightmares are made of

Feel sick again actually spelling it out, that fish beat me, it earned its freedom, good possiblility I will never stick another fish from the surf like that again. Had I been putting my usual amount of time in it could have turned out differently. I think i fought that fish as well as I could have though under that set of circumstances. Could have taken the line off the roller but decided not to for several reasons, concious decision, never thought my set be could be beat like that, lil too much confidence is the biggest mistake i made.

My heart physically hurt reading that... Happened to me 18 years ago and I can still replay it in my mind like it was last night.

I posted this last year, not anywhere near record fish, but I would have been DONE with the hunt. I never was able to get the right conditions for that area this year, and there were no boating reports nearby that supported giant fish were right up on the rocks. Maybe 2011. Heres the story from 2009 anyway:

This year I gambled, changing things up, trying to key in on areas and conditions that would have a chance of giving up a true giant. Here's what ending up happening.

Was fishing a rocky point on an island with a real bad swell. Hooked a real heavy fish on a giant dead eel. Def. a bass as it did multiple head shakes, did the whole bull dog thing, would not get off the bottom. After 12 minutes (which is rediculously long to have a bass on, but I always look at my watch when I hook a good fish) I had the fish beat, up on its side, saw the thing, then a massive swell washed the fish from left to right about 20 feet cutting the mainline on a large boulder. Nothing I could do. It felt like someone ripped my heart out. Absolute mean and ugly pig that was lost. I would have been able to hand up all my gear and move on to another sport after landing that fish. This same thing happened again a few weeks after.

Weeks later, fished the same spot, opposite tide and opposite wind. My father hooked a fish that weighed 38# on my boga, which he landed in minutes. The same time he hooked that fish I hooked another behemoth, completely owned me, hugging the bottom. Tried picking its head up, no success, backed off the drag to let it run higher in the water column, no success. Fish ended up getting tied up in rocks and breaking the swivel as it must have gotten jammed between 2 rocks. After landing other numerous nice fish my father hooked another tank that once it figured out it was hooked never turned back and broke his line.

Given that I hardly ever break large fish off, this has been continually haunting me. Hopefully I can get keyed in on that same window again next year, and get those fish to run a different direction when hooked. Nights like those keep you heading back!

I have a "if the fish only swam left" recurring dream (nightmare) too. Ten years later with more experience would I land that fish? I dunno.

What do they say?

It is better to have loved and lost, than to never have loved at all?

Kinda like fishing pig girls.

I posted before about my 4th of July dead low tide fish at BP about 6 years ago. I still remember every detail. Biggest fish I ever hooked. I can still feel every scrape of the leader and plug on the submerged reef. Plug can back with the hooks straightened and the metal lip bent into an "S".

She knew what she was doing and I, clearly, did not.

I've lost countless "records." I've also landed countless "records" that didn't break the 30# mark. Catch them first, weigh them after.

Like many guys, I've lost several fish that I presume were very large, but I really don't know for sure how big(or small) they were.

I want to cry.
http://bestsmileys.com/crying/2.gif

You gave it your all though and there is not much else you can do.
Happened to me once. Spooled. Took me weeks to get over it.
Still hurts.

I've lost countless "records." I've also landed countless "records" that didn't break the 30# mark. Catch them first, weigh them after.

Like many guys, I've lost several fish that I presume were very large, but I really don't know for sure how big(or small) they were.

This is very true - but when you actually see the fish right at your feet! :crying:

anybody that spends enough time on the water will eventually have one to "think about" for a long time...I can think of two...one from the surf, one from the boat....

the boat one on that bright September night haunts me to this day...on a night, when only high teen sized bass roamed the beach.. .. I put on the biggest plug i had with me.. a giant jointed Pikie and moved north and south trying to evade the "little guys" that had infested that section of beach... about an hour into my search, a fish grabbed the plug in the white wash on the end of the northern bar... after a long battle and several "death" circles around the boat the fish lay on the surface about 25-30' from the boat....in the moon light, it appeared larger than any bass i had ever landed ( my largest is 61lbs) , a gentle breeze was blowing off the beach,pushing the boat seaward.... as I tried to pump the fish in I walked to the bow to get the net, as I have done perhaps a thousand times before, the noise made by the aluminum handle hitting the boat caused the fish to make one last surge.... you can guess the rest... I sat on the bait tank rubbing my fingers over the leader looking for an answer... a clean cut leaves me thinking the 5/0 hooks on that big jointed came in contact with the leader when the big fish was laying on the surface... it was a long cold ride back to the dock... I'd like to have that one back...

sounds like that fish had been boated once before
and Knew the sound well

Sorry ya lost that one Joe....

so? the barb point cut the Line?

and if you had been running barbless
this wouldn't have happened?

FROM THE READ I THINK THE FISH BLEW YOUR DOORS OFF.it won,t b your last.

sounds like that fish had been boated once before
and Knew the sound well

Sorry ya lost that one Joe....

so? the barb point cut the Line?

and if you had been running barbless
this wouldn't have happened?

No loss at all ... I got her best and she won... .. barbless might have helped, but it also could have cut on her gill plate or on the lip...I'm after the thrill of the hunt.. not the kill.. so in reality.. it's win win.. well except I'd like to have that plug back!

It is true I don't know how big the fish was. But I do have 8 fish over 40lbs fron the surf,20 over 40lbs fron the boat and 2 over 50. Not bragging, this is a small accomplishment compared to some of the guys out there. I do know what a 47 lb fish feels like on my surf set up. I do know how much they will run, somtimes a 30 or 35lb fish can fool you. This was the biggest striper I ever stuck with out a doubt in my mind, the way it ran with the line around at least 2 rocks, coupled with the drag setting, and the pressure I was appling makes me sick to have dropped it.................................But you never really know. What reallly makes my chest hurt is I never dropped a big fish on an eel b4, I do fish eels 95%; of the time. I have been in some dificult situations too with some of the fish over 40lbs I did land and weigh. I am recommitted though, and can't wait for spring!!

Thought this might help too but I still feel like puking rite at the moment.

Bobby,
I'm thinking of floating eels under a baloon on a 50W after reading that!

We've all been owned. Part of fishing that sucks and drives us!

I've been in those shoes.TonyO was a witness to one incident where I turned on my headlamp during the run and we watched line peel off for eternity.Awesome to feel that kind of power.

I had a striper spool me and break off on July 4th, 2002. It's still the biggest striper I've ever had on.
Oct. 31, a couple of weeks ago and the last day of trout season in Vermont, my son, 18, was dragging a white wooly bugger on his fly line through a deep hole under a waterfall. He hooked up with a HUGE trout. About 20 seconds later it snapped his 4 lb. leader. He was pretty upset. I told him that's a fish he will never forget and it will inspire him to get back out there (and maybe a stronger tippet wouldn't hurt at the end of the season when the big boys are active).

I've been in those shoes.TonyO was a witness to one incident where I turned on my headlamp during the run and we watched line peel off for eternity.Awesome to feel that kind of power.

I heard you snagged a 5 gallon bucket full of croissant batter that was floating by.

I hooked a 30 gallon trash bag half full of sand and sea water at NR one night. I swore I had the world record as I fought that bag for 20 minutes. Finally got the upper hand and......:wall:

When we were kids we would tie 2 x 4 s to the line and toss them into blacks creek in Quincy full current and pretend we were dialed into fish.
Used to stop traffic at times, wonder if anyone use to fly home get their stuff and come back to fish . . . . oops.

When we were kids we would tie 2 x 4 s to the line and toss them into blacks creek in Quincy full current and pretend we were dialed into fish.
Used to stop traffic at times, wonder if anyone use to fly home get their stuff and come back to fish . . . . oops.

Couple weeks ago on the beach a guy steped on his plug acting like he was hooked up, at least a dozen guys came flying down the beach and started casting. The look on there faces was price less when they found out it wasn't a fish. Funniest thing I ever saw after a night of fishing.
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Funny you say that, a long time ago my brother wanted to see my " addiction " first hand. So we are out on the backside at 2am slow pick foggy nite. He starts yelling " I got one , I got one "
I walk to him and he is leaning into it pretty good except the plug is in his boot.
I take the rod away, tell him he is shut off and to crawl into my truck and get some crib. :buds:

Looks like I'm in good company,although the nightmares still haunt me.:jump1:

You never know what is on the end of your line until you see it....I watched a buddy battle something huge in the canal - turned out to be a small row boat that was bouncing along the bottom.

I battled what I thought was a huge bass for 45 minutes - turned out to be a 200+ lb mola - on the tube and worm.

it's part of the gig.

Yeah I had something similar happen.9ft rod Daiwa Saltist 30 levelwind.Loaded with 50lb PP and a 60lb mono leader.Had something small on was surfing it in from a good distance when I felt thump then zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.Finally stopped it and fought with it for at least 20 mins.I was done and not getting another inch.The drag wasn't buttoned but I was using thumb and drag to work it.The guy fishing with me that invited me and brought me came over and I told him to have a whack at it.My arms were dead.He buttoned down the drag and attempted an old fashion horsing.Pop something snapped he was pissed then the plug got hit again by a schoolie on the way back.Had no rear hook on it.I had just pinched a siwash on the back of that plug an hour before.I think it may have been a shark or a seal.

SHARK perhaps

Consider the seal.

The stick I got was all bass as far as all I know tells me. The hit,set up, run, head shakes, gill rakes, and how it ran and felt, all bass as far as I could tell. The hole I picked it up in too , just not a place a shark would hang, as far as I know they have to swim to breath? Definatly not a seal run

I don't think it was a shark, or seal because those smaller fish would have disappeared I think.
You lost a cow.

definitely goes with the territory~~

of finding where the BIG gurls swim.

been owned 5 times in the last 4 yrs.
and each ONE taught me sumthing different.

2 of which were, without question, in the 50/60#'er Class.
all the classic big fish moves, saw one at my feet. were they World Records??

hard tellin', not knowin',,,,,,,,,,,,only time and tides will tell, as i endeavor to find them again!!

i prefer to name my Lost COWS. for my nightmares have deeper conviction,
when they be bred from familiarity.
:cool: :cool: :cool:

Och! I feel your pain. I really do. Just think, she is still out there. You may have another chance.