17lber being caught on video...........

AMAZING video. Amazing fish.

Wow

What a bass!

WOW!Great video. It was almost the story of the one that got away.

I've been to a lake in SoCal where giants hang out at the marina dock by the ramp like that. We were looking at several fish in the 10-15 lb class just cruising around. They aren't dumb, they are living right next to where they come and stock the trout.

Of course he broke the jaw on the fish so you have that going on.

Nothing like a little negativity to ruin a good post.

Dang, I might quit fishing if I ever caught one that big, what are the chances you ever catch a bigger one.

Wow!!

Unbelievable, the fish under the dock are just as impressive.

HOLY [censored]!!!

WOW
We've got a Fish holding professional in the room.
Great fish and awesome video! Thanks for posting Mark.

That's one heck of a bass. Enjoyed the video and can say at least I saw a bass that big get caught and released. Thanks for posting it.

Amazing fish. And I didn't see anything wrong with the way it was held.

Looked to see what lake he caught that on but didn't find it. Most lakes in So Cal they do not allow fishing near the dock. That's why the giants hang out there. They didn't get to be giants being dumb.

It was at Otay near San Diego.

Enjoyed the video! Super fish!

Very cool

Good grief !!!! Congrats to the angler extrodinaire ....man, what a giant ....and to get it on film !!!


Fish of a lifetime for sure...
Thanks for posting Mark

God Bless
Lee

One huge HOG! Nice fish.

Lower otay is a fun lake to fish... but yes as I recall they had issues with people fishing around the docks. Yes the big bass would hang out there because the trout truck would back up and the water starts boiling in anticipation of dinner. I miss several of those lakes... hodges, otay, san V, el cap, Morena and southerland

Thanks Mark,..makes me remember to check my knots.

That's what dreams are made of right there. Thanks for sharing Mr. Perry.

Maybe someone else has already mentioned it . . . that the bass actually shakes off/comes off the lure just after he got the net on it. Close call!

One other general observation is that while it put up a pretty good fight, it always appears to me that videos of these really giant LMBs are a bit more lethargic than fighting a fish, say, in the 7 lbs. range. I guess it might be analogous to fighting a really large but old fighter and a somewhat smaller one in their prime years.

For those of you who have caught a broad range of bass from 5 to 10+, and assuming not pulling them out of obstacles, does there appear to be a pound range where you have noted the greatest "fight" in the fish?

Great video . . . I love how, as a fisherman, the first thing we do after catching a good fish (a great one here) is once the fish is secured, we start looking around for a witness to share our joy and surprise.

Brad

That was awesome man. Thx for sharing!

I wouldn't say I've caught a "broad range" between those weights but I've caught a decent amount in that range. I feel like the hardest fighting fish are around the 5-6 pound range in my experience. One of the easiest fish I ever caught was my 10. I didn't even know if my partner should get the net until she came to the surface. Anybody else have similar experiences?

Great video!

My 11.1 stayed down the entire time, knew it was big, she only came up when she got tired. My 10.1 and 10.12 thrashed like crazy, never made a 2nd run when I got them to the boat, netting them quick was key and 20# flouro.

I'd say the 7's and 8's I caught fought the most, made multiple quick and deep runs at the boat.

But then again, any 5-6 pounder at Fayetteville takes the cake for me as the hardest fighting fish I've caught.

Also keep in mind that he is using some pretty extreme gear.

Swimbait rod that is probably rated somewhere within the 20-50lb rating range.
Heavy line 25lb +
Round reel with a huge amount of torque.

Yes a 17lber isn't as quick as a 6 1/2lber, but he horsed that fish to the boat.

Mike Gilbert is a great trophy fisherman out in Cali and deserves a lot of respect. Congrats!

In my experience the 8-9lb class of fish have been my hardest fights.

Exactally,..It dont count unless someone see it,..!!!

I don't have to worry about that to much those dinks I catch don't do much damage to my line

NICE

The "right to remain silent...without the ability" !

WOW , fantastic bass !!

not sure you can generalize the fight by size ... i had a 12.7 that came completely out of the water 3 times and made 2 hard runs underneath the boat before we finally got her in the boat. sometimes 5-7 lbers simply roll over on their side and slip right into the net. IMO it has more to do with water temp than size, the colder the water the more lethargic. That's just an opinion based on personal observation though.

He was kidding Mark. This (kcb) is my fishing partner from long ago.

I netted a 13.61 for him in 1989 and we hauled that fish all over kingdom come showing it off then turned it over to SAL, who spawned her out and returned her to us a month later. We took her back to the exact spot where she was caught and watched her swim away. So you could say he is somewhat of a fish handling expert, I suppose.

That was awesome.

I also fished Otay a lot in my younger days and went there last year on a visit. I am guessing he got special permission to fish that area because there are no fishing signs all around the dock. Or he waited until all the employees were out of sight... Mike, is that how you remember it as well?

High quality production for a high quality fish!
I like the story and lure presentation- very specific to trigger that bite, something most people don't consider.
I'm sure boat position, time of day and week, etc all needed to be just right.
Looks like it fought pretty hard, and yes the jaw is just fine lol.
Almost makes me want to move to SoCal but then I think about the cost of living....

And thanks for (hopefully) clearing things up, Ken....seems like some make sure there is drama involved in all things

Wow is right. Great video

Thanks for sharing, Mark.

That was an OUTSTANDING video!

I don't stir up trouble on here. Been on Off Topic to much I guess. Couldn't resist one time. Truth is that is a freaking giant and the guy did a heck of a job convincing the fish to bite. Fish looked very healthy and glad it is still swimming.

That's awesome! You gotta be on the water to have a chance

This is an awesome video. I love trying to catch big fish, not a numbers guy myself. Thanks for sharing!

WOW

All I can say is, "Wow"!!!!

that same fish was caught 2 years later...

They don't fight as hard as a 7 lb. My 11.95 on Joe Pool in Jan. hit my swim jig and ran one real strong run toward deep water and then just "dogged" it with her head. She got under the boat and just stayed there dogging. I gained a little bit of line every few seconds till her head popped out by the boat. I had no idea how big it was until I started lifting her. Of course it was cold water (48deg) and that may have had something to do with it.

Wow

Beautiful fish. Beautiful video. And awesome dialogue.

The big fish have been caught a few times and know the drill, so they just swim to the boat...

Wow what a beast!
Thanks for posting that!

Today somebody posted this video on Facebook and I was talking about how people were saying trout are released there and the dock was off limits and the guy who caught the fish replied all mad that I said that. Then he started posting pictures of regulations for the lake. I live nowhere near California and don't care a bit, I was just saying what I've seen about the catch.

One of the hardest fighting fish I ever caught was the SAL i caught from Nacogdoches. Really just depends on body of water and time of year. Falcon fish are some of the hardest fighting bass I've ever caught.