All these giant bass threads got me thinking. I have caught my share of trophy bass but the near misses I often think about more. For instance I narrowly missed catching 4 sharelunkers-389 and 489 on AH, and 432 and 494 on Fork. In each instance I missed trolling upon the fish by minutes(some very close calls), basically other guys were there first ( and congrats to all those guys of course). One set of guys I talked to were having motor issues right before finding a 13. It was my first time on AH and those guys were really nice to me. Interesting too because 389 and 489 were the same fish caught different years.
I also could not catch a giant obviously 13 lb bass on Fork Easter Day 2001- missed work and tried for her for 3 days- she never would bite and I was too stubborn to use live bait. Also, had a likely 13 in May 2005 at AH on a day with literally only 2 other boats out there. She finally bit after 5 hours but pulled off quickly and never settled back to the nest-long drive home for me that night.

I went to AH with a guide known for big fish. We worked on one about 6 hours that inhaled the bait and was swimming away from me and I set the book and it came right out. No doubt it was a 13-15 pound bass. It was the biggest fish I had ever seen in person. Lost one on Amistad long lining a DD 22 that was probably 150 out and got it to about 15 feet of the boat and came off, it was at least a 10 pounder and lost one right at boat on Falcon that would have been real close to 10.

Maybe one day.

Same thing for me. How those hooks come loose I can't figure out.

I've broke off quite a few. Worst day ever was breaking off two EASY DD's on Pool last spring. Within 30 minutes of each other. I was cussing and screaming like a fool. Had to apologize to the folks in the swimming area. I was sure I had to have offended a few. Both fish did me the same way....swam at me faster than I could get line up to get em under control....then when they went under the boat....wham....and gone.

Conroe, late spring 2010. She was so big when I saw her I thought it was a different species than a LMB. Got her 6fr away (no net) she made 1 last run and broke off on a dock pillar. Still haunts me...

I've caught a 12 1/2 lbr and this fish was in an entire other size class. Would have made big news...

Every tournament at Fork by our members there are reports of straightened hooks, big fish jumping off at the boat, breaking braid. It is very discouraging. I mean we do catch our share of overs and real big unders every week but those really big bass you feel the weight and then they are gone do disturb.

But it just makes you want to go back and try again.

My biggest lost fish, according to the guide, was around 17. I saw that fish up close and personal but he missed it with the net and it broke off too. I have learned to thumb those bass now.

Probably the biggest fish I ever got to the boat was at Falcon. My partner was landing the male and I hooked the female. She ran around a patch of brush, I let the line go slack and eased her around the brush. Had her rolled over on her back waiting on the net when the wind shifted 90 degrees and blew the boat on top of her and the line got in the trolling motor. I wont guess the in the boat weight but she was alot bigger around than my head. Makes a sick feeling in your stomach don't it.

Fishing a roadbed about 12' water it's winter on the Pines. I'm dragging a crig when I felt what I thought was a rock not a rock it started swimming when I decided to set the hook. I first thought it was a huge cat and then it rolled about 20 yds from the boat I couldn't breathe BASS. I got it to the boat she rolled on her side and as I knelt to grab the net pop out came the hook. I guesstimate 14 lbs.

Doc told me the story over lunch one day of his 14.60 off the bed at AH a few years ago. I would pay money to hear it again. It is that good.

I knew where there was a big momma kept going there finally got her to bite my 9inch bait. I set the hook and the dang reel was acting like it was gonna pop off so I reached up and made sure it was tight and she ran straight into a brush pile. Line got tight I could see brish going crazy and line came loose. Reeled it up and it was broke. I cussed like never before. I got to thinking she didn't come up and try to throw the hook so I headed over there. And all the sudden she comes up splashing and throws my lure and does back down. Was a 70$ bait but id rather had the fish. She is over 15. I've seen her 4 times she bit again back in July but she missed the bait. This is a trout filled lake.

I lost a for sure 15 pounder twice! I hooked her the first time one evening throwing a Chatterbait in the pads at the mouth of Little Caney early May in 2010. She was utterly huge. I got her to the boat twice but with the wind howling and my older partner not hearing my screaming for the net she finally straighten out my how on her third surge. I was sick. I tied on a brand new Chatterbait and thought of everything I could have done different. I hardly slept a wink!
I went right back there first thing with my partner saying "You really don't expect her to bite again do you?". First cast into the pads she hit again. When she made a run for the trolling motor I thumbed the spool of my Spider Wire and tried to horse her away from the trolling motor. My line went "Pop!". I could believe it. It was then I noticed she broke the snap swivel on the front of the Chatterbait.

I sent them a long nasty email about their @#$!#$% lures. Don't know if it was because of that but they soon came out with the "Pro" Chatterbait with beefed up hooks and swivels.

I finally caught my DD a year ago pre-fishing for the Triton Owner's tournament. It was nearly 12 pounds and would have been worth a lot of money if it was caught one day later. Of well! Lake Fork Taxidermy did a heck of job on the replica mount!

Was fishing with Bill Kells (Rainswood Marina), tossed a jig to small isolated stick up, set the hook, she jumped SPIT out my jig. Bill says "if you hadn't put such a wooosey hookset you'd have got her" My buddy tells him I about knocked him out of the boat setting hook. Then ALL 3 of us said that fish's eyes looked as big as a 50 cent piece!!HUGE!! I wanted to cry!

In 1999 while on Fork I had a monster hit a power worm up next to a grass bed. She made a run and hung up on a limb next to a tree. She made a slow roll once and let me get a look at her. I could see the worm was hanging outside her mouth and did not go past the gill plate. I tried trolling to her as fast as I could but she sawed the line in half before I could get to her. My best estimate was 13-15 lbs. I sat on the front of the boat with my feet in the water for at least 20 minutes before I came to my senses. The worst part of the whole ordeal was I was fishing the McDonalds (back when it was still called that) tourney. Winning weight that year was 10.??

My personal best was a 12.2 caught on a crankbait in 2000 while fishing Metz lake at Ft. Stewart Ga. She didn't fight as hard as some 5-6 pounders I've caught.

I've had two on that I am sure were 13 or better. One was on a private lake that a guy had been stocking with big fish from Murvaul for 20 years. The second was in April of 1996 (I think) on Lake Nacogdoches. I threw a blue fleck Power Worm by a shallow dock and set the hook. The fish took off for deep water with me reeling as fast as I could. She went within three feet of the boat close enough to the surface for me and my buddy to get a good look at her.

I was using an old Ambassadeur 5000 for the first time that day. It used to belong to my wife's dad and I had spooled it up the night before with 20 lb Trilene XT. When the fish got to the end of the line she didn't even slow down. I can still hear it...sounded like a .22 when it broke. As my friend was looking at me with huge eyes and asking "Did you see the SIZE of that fish" she surfaced right off the back of the boat trying to throw the hook and worm. She was a true giant.

I went that night and bought some Spiderwire braid. Unfortunately I've never hooked another one that big.

Bob Sandlin. Was throwing a Foxy Momma one knocker around some stumps when I thought I got hung up on one. The line started to move so I set the hook and knew it was something big. First thought was a catfish. Told my partner to get the net, which was one of those KVD folding nets. Get the fish close to the boat and realize it's not a catfish but is the largest bass I have seen in person. My partner is trying to get the net unfolded when the bass gets right next to the boat and tail slaps it, and I swear the front end of the boat moved. As Razorback described above, the next thing I know it sounds like a .22 has gone off right next to me as the fish made a run under the boat. It was every bit of 12 pounds.

Found 2 fish off a dock on Ray Hubbard that I nicknamed the Torpedo and the Titanic. Was flipping toward the Titanic which was well over 10 when a gentleman walked past me and said I had no chance of catching her. Asked him how he knew and he said that fish had been coming to the area for at least 5 years and had never been caught there. I kept trying. On 2 separate occasions I enticed her enough to pick up my Zoom craw, but she was so subtle about it and never took the whole bait; she would just gently pick it up and move it off her bed.