I was working a spook one morning, and had one nail it so hard, it knocked the spook about 3 feet up in the air. As soon as the bait came back down, he nailed it again, sending it up in the air again. As it came back down, he went for a 3rd strike, came completely out of the water and caught it about a foot and a half above the surface. I just stood there and watched the show until it was time to reel. THE best strike or series of strikes I've ever experienced.

Dude I've had that happen too. I was throwing a spook at Hords Creek back in high school and had a small fish completely breach the water and land mouth first on the lure. I had actually forgot about that. Awesome memory.

Was fishing a T on Rayburn once throwing a chug bug. Kept getting blowups but couldn't hook up, changed colors sizes and it kept happening. Then I watched closer and the bass were actually jumping beside the lure and coming down on top of it, much like when a great white or killer whale plays with a seal. I bent the hooks out and caught several on the outside of the gill plate. Turned out to be the difference in a third place check and no check.
Only time I can remember that happening, but I still bend the hooks out slightly on all my topwater baits and it has increased my hook-up ratio.

Throwing a shakeyhead on lake worthless I had one come out of the water and swallow it before it ever hit the water.

Had a bass jump up and over one side of a log and hit a spinnerbait as I was retrieving the spinnerbait down the opposite side of the log.

I started laughing when I read this, my co-worker as me if I was ok.... I said "you wouldn't understand". He don't fish

One time. I was on a small private lake and threw a lizard. Bass jumped up at it before it hit the water, and that was the only lizard fish that day.

I was fishing Winsborrow(so??) a few years back with a black and blue jig. I recall casting it near a retaining wall and before it landed the fish hit the jig so hard it actually bounced up out of the water. Luckily when the jig landed the bass swollowed it whole. Ive never seen anything like that before or since.

I had a nice 7+ jump over a large lily pad to hit my frog on another lily pad. Hit it mouth open on the way down. Never gonna forget that fish. I had no idea they would do such a thing. I landed it too.

I have had them seem to hit it just as it was touching down. Then I have had two jump out of the water when my bait was hanging over a limb. Last year on Fork in the backwaters, I had a good under come completely out of the water, nearly 2' to get my bait hanging on a limb. Unfortunately it missed the bait.

Yes. I had a three pounder catch an original floating Rapala on Lake Morena in San Diego one time.

i was throwing a fluke... not a c rig, and you LANDED THE DAD GUM WEIGHT RIGHT ON TOP OF ME! Then he IMMEDIATELY sets the hook. I'm looking at him in shock angry cause in my head he just stole my fish, then my line starts running around and sure enough, he set the hook on my fish too... wild deal


As for catching, I've had lots of fish "fair catch" it right as it touched the water, and chase one a few inches when way over a limb, but never seen one catch it like a receiver in the air...

while standing on top of a dam was trying to hook a snake with some lure(can't remember what) had a bass come out of the water and hit the lure which was still 6 inches from the water