I've been humbled.....again

[Rappin Mikey]

Big striper, couldn't even slow her down in the current. Same thing, same time, same place happenned last year. All year I've been thinking about the big one I lost last year and what I would do different if I was lucky enough to hook into another this year. I've decided that losing a reelly big fish is one of the worst feelings in the world that always will haunt you from then on.

[zimmy]

[JohnR]

You get goosebumps when you think about it, your stomach tightens up, pulse quickens, face flushes a little, and your eyes squint. Yeh, know what you mean - coming up on my 6th anniversary of biggest fish lost

[Flaptail]

I have been spooled once. Alot of guys say it's impossible if you know what you are doing but in 1978 at Monomoy I hooked up and fought the bitch for 15 minutes plus, had her in the curl twice, but when i saw her she was a monster and she just flicked that tail and took off. First cast right at dusk after dropping the boat on the beach. 7 inch Super Wind Cheater in Blue/Silver. She hit the current just of the beach and kept going with me running and praying but could not keep up and each time I tightened down the line would start to wail in the breeze.

That fish should have been almost dead but she just kept going.

I wish it had been dark and I had never saw her. Seeing her f*cked my mind and that f*cked the whole deal. Very, very big.

[striprman]

Huge fish hooked and lost, everyone has their stories.

[clambelly]

i felt violated

[The Iceman 6]

It just plays in your head and dont' go away. What if? What if? What if? Sorry to hear that Mikey, 2X no less....3rd time's the charm kid....

Ice

[Raven]

does that mean theres absolutely nothing you can do differently
to affect the outcome of the biggest fish lost??

no gear upgrades ie-> stronger line, bigger rod.....better reel

it happened to me too.... it was like snagging a passing motorcycle.

so much power....nothing would slow her down...

it leaves you speechless afterwards as you stand there staring at the sea...

well after you finish cursing....

[Slipknot]

get her next time Mikey

use heavier gear for sure

[Moses]

sucks to hear

but hopefully next time you'll be more ready/prepared (maybe even a little lucky)....

[The Dad Fisherman]

Man That Sux....I bet you already have it written in your calendar where you're going to be this time next year.....3rd's the Charm

[RickBomba]

I would've been there with you if I hadn't been so sick yesterday.
Rick

[BrianS]

Happened to me July of last year... Full moon, I remeber the time, date, everything...

Still gives me that hollow feeling...

I got a 30lber in the boat(which was and still is my personal best), my uncle got a 28lber in the boat, and the next one I hooked onto moments later was a fish in a wholly different class.. It was like I hooked onto a truck.. It just kept going... Kept him on for a good 20 mins, bent the hook straight.

Funny thing is, where I got it, I HATE going. Its my uncles favorite spot, but I HATE it.. but Ill be going back... Got to!

[Rappin Mikey]

Luckily for me, I live a 2 minute walk from where I fish on the river this time of year. The current coming off the dam is pretty intense. I was about down to my backing so I decided to tighten down on her. Felt one big head shake, then slack. She shook the hook.

[hooked]

She'll be bigger next year.

[Slingah]

Ive lost afew large.....bothered the piss out of me for a while, but you got to let it go....

[ProfessorM]

Better to have fought and lost than never to have fought at all.

[Mike P]

Sometimes there's nothing you can do except pray. There are some times you can shade the odds in your favor.

Most important, use the right gear. Even from the beach. It get tiring using a heavy reel like a Penn 704, or a 8500. But having close to 300 yards of 20# mono shades the odds in your favor. It's nice to use a light, balanced outfit, but you run a bigger risk of getting spooled when you're running less than 200 yards of line. There's a huge strength difference between 15# mono and 20#. In most brands, it's at least .003" in diameter and up to 10 lbs in pure break strength. If you prefer braid, don't use anything lighter than 50#. And use a reel that holds close to 300 yards of it. Bigger reels also have more drag surface. Less likely to have your drag get chattery and sticky.

From the beach, where there's nothing to hang on, use your head. It's hard when you're pumping adrenaline like a fire hose. Use the beach--walk or run with the fish, keeping tension on her. Use the power curve of the rod. You put more pressure on a fish when you bring the butt section into the equation. Rods that bend into the butt section can put more pressure on a fish, and tire it more quickly, than a rod with a fast tip. Even when you use a rod that bends deep into the butt, there's a tremendous temptation to "high stick" and lean back into the fish. You're robbing yourself of the power in the butt when you're only fighting the fish with the top 1/3rd of the rod. Patience is the key.

It's basic, but we all forget when a big fish is right in the first wave---never ever tighten the drag and haul back, going for broke. I lost a fish in the high 40s over on MV by trying to wrestle her out of the first wave before she was ready. Pulled the hook right out. At a point in my life when I knew better. But buck fever can strike anyone. It happens. The only time I ever touch my drag is when a fish is right in the first wave, and it's only to loosen it. During the fight, the fish might have smoked it a little and loosening it is insurance against that last little surge they all seem to make right at the end.

At night, don't ever shine a light on a fish when you get them in close. Even on the darkest night, you'll know from the angle of the line where the fish is, and when she's high and dry, you'll know it.

Now, in the Canal, or other junkyards, sometimes there isn't a damn thing you can do except hold on and pray. But still, there are some things that can put a thumb on the scale for you. Everyone loves the light graphite rods that almost cast themselves, and everyone likes being able to reach breaking fish in the middle with 20# or 25# mono line. When I know big fish are in, I use different gear. My old S-glass rod or a heavy graphite like an Arra 126 1MH, and 30# mono. And a reel that holds as much 30# as I can get on it. Like a Newell 235 or even one of my Squidders. Maybe I won't be able to put a plug on a fish out in the middle, but I have a better shot at landing the ones I can reach. If you can scramble up the rocks and fight the fish from the road, so much the better. Now that the Corps has cut down a lot of the trees and brush, it's a lot easier to play a fish from upstairs. The more vertical angle of the line to the fish also helps. I've noticed a huge difference in playing fish from places like the double rip-rap at Aptuxet, where you're standing 10' above the water, than at places where your're standing on a mussel bed at water level. Do whatever you can to keep the fish from bottoming out and hanging you on a mussel bed.. Even if you have to high stick, using a glass rod gets more of the butt section involved than using a graphite. Change the angle of the fight if you can, strum the line or whack the rod butt with your fist. The old timers swear that it works to get a bass to change direction. If she does bottom out on you, don't force the issue. Climb to the road and walk downcurrent to change the angle of the line--it can work. Sometimes it's the line a few feet ahead of the plug that's wrapped on the bottom, not right at the lure itself. The same things that work to free a stuck jig also work when there's 40 lbs of bass attached to that jig

[stiff tip]

please humble me ...i need it bad...

[basswipe]

Welcome to my world.

I seem to ALWAYS lose the big fish of the year.My belief in that I'm cursed more than likely contributes to this.

Tonight could be a perfect example.Calm,raining...big fish conditions.

At least I finally have the time to fish.

[libassboy]

I droped my personal best last weekend. Live eels...rcoky area..got a glimpse, she flashed and took off, dropped her less than a minute later. She almost took the rod outa my hands when she hit, i didnt feed the eel to her well enuf im sure. I fished annother 15 mins and left, i just cudnt deal. been killing me all week, shuda seen the tail on this fish..OMG

[Skip N]

I battled a nice one on the fly rod last year that probably would have been my biggest fly caught fish. Suddenlly the lines goes flat and my fly floats to the surface. Nooooooooo!!

[numbskull]

I'll second what Mike P says. With big fish in current and rocks, you want a conventional rod (size 11-12 tip), a Newell 235, 30 lb mono, 4/0 or 5/0 hooks, 10 feet of 50lb shocker, and a Breakaway snap. Distance suffers, but the outfit weighs less and is less tiring to fish than a big spinner. The stretch of the mono is important to allow a heavy drag without ripping or straightening hooks, the main disadvantage of a big spinner with #50 braid.

[NIB]

I have landed some pretty good fish in current.
last friday a 35 lber in a 5 + kt moon tide.
This is what i do.first off i make my own jigs.
I use large premium hooks in my molds.
hooks like the 7/0 owner Jig hook,Gami makes a mean 7/0-8/0 o'shaunessy hook i incorporate with a sinker eylete.an oversized older mustads.I have some short shank 9/0's that they don't make anymore that are like a small gaff.these go into leadheads of 1-3 onces.U need to be able to trust ur hooks.then comes the gear.706 penns are the reel for me.in the ditch i use the big bird nautil's.I use a xra-132-2 to cast far an a 10' 542 harnell an a 1213m glass rod.all of em have the power to stop a frieght train.30 lb fireline an 40-80 lb leaders.the smaller diameter if I am fishing on the bottom with a chance of snagging I want to be able to break the leader not the mainline an leave a wad of briad in my jigholes.Trust ur knots learn the knot u tie well. I use palomars all around I tie my leaders in advance an I am sure all knots are good or I trash em.Bla bla bla.
Here is the scoop.Now when the fish hits never give her, her head.This the most important thing i can tell u.i don't neccesarily use a very tight drag maybe 8 lbs.i just hold the spool.I know this goes against everything u been told but big fish in current is a different animal.Its gonna pound some u will give some but never let her turn,never hold ur ground.This really wears em out as they strain more by not being able to turn down current an they poop out.Then its a drag em back upcurrent battle.U will pull the hooks on some fish but the way i see it if u don't have em hooked in the upper lip u basically have no chance anyways.If the fish get her head she will take off downtide like a frieght train.now u gotta drag her back up current even more.The longer she is in the water the bigger the hook hole gets an the greater the chance of something going wrong.it took me a long time to come up with this. fishing in the canal gave me alot of confidence with this technique that I now use in my own little canal at home.
To sum it up.
Big strong jig hooks,good line,10'+fishing poles that can lift 20 lb wieghts off the floor.an give em the steel.take no prisoners.it's the only way.trust me on this an u will get her.

[NIB]

The technique in my last post applys only to jig fishing in big current.

[fishaholic18]

From my experiance in the rocks, tight drag, set hook hard when she hits and turn her right away. Never give her her head like NIB said. Get her in your hands as fast as possible. If you let her take drag..She'll get in the rocks and break u off. I use a Lami 1213M with 50# PP and a 10' shock leader of at least 40#'s. I tie leader to braid via albrite knot and use Gami 7/0 circle hook snelled to leader. Good luck..