Record perhaps?

[StriperWriter]

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.

[rizzo]

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!

[JohnR]

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.

[piemma]

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.

[Back Beach]

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.

[Plum Crazy]

I want to cry.


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.

[Rockfish9]

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...

[rizzo]

Originally Posted by Back Beach

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!