Fished LBL this Sunday (getting to be a pattern). Overall a good day. Put in at Austin HS around 6 am (have to get there early to get a parking spot by the boat ramp). Since the sun wouldn't be up for another hour decided to head down the lake, I've never fished the boardwalk. Fished the brush and branches in the water and bridge pilings. Caught 3 LMB (all under 3 lbs) and about a dozen blue gill and sunfish, all on a small ( 9/32 oz ) crankbait, including a Bluegill that measured 9 1/4" . Would have been a great day...except.

Fishing the south bank behind some apartments something BIG hit my crank . I was fishing with a light action rod and 8 lb test mono. I knew I couldn't just horse this fish in. The first time it jumped I realized how big it was. My PB large mouth is 7 lb, 14 oz. Caught it in 2005 in Kansas. This fish was bigger. I don't know if it was 10, I've never seen a 10lb bass in person, but it was big. Was just concentrating on keeping the line tight, his head up, and letting him take line when he ran so I didn't break him off. Of course, I'm also thinking...is this a Sharelunker? How do I keep him alive until a game warden shows up? Maybe I just release him and take enough pictures to have a mount made .

Got him to within six feet of the kayak, he saw the boat, decided oh hell no, and ran again. Kept his head up, he's jumping, two Austin Bike Cops are on the jogging trail watching, all is right with the world. Get him close to the kayak again. I realize I can't boat flip him, I think he weighs more than my line can hold. Decide I'm going to net him. The net is behind my seat. As I reach behind the seat...he goes under the kayak. No problem as long as he doesn't.........wrap himself around the Yak Blade Transducer mount. So of course...he does. I reach in, hoping to slip the line off the transducer arm...and snap.

I yelled something like.... oh fudge. One of the bike cops at the same time yelled something like... oh fudge. We looked at each other. He said, "Brother if you're not going to cry, I'm gonna cry for ya."

I learned a couple important lessons. I'm not going to change the way I fish. Except during the spring and fall I'm fishing for big bluegill,not bass, so I'm going to keep using light line and tackle. That didn't keep my from landing this fish. Two things did keep me from landing him.
1. I didn't have the net where I could get it without taking my eyes off the fish. From now on the net goes between the seat and the hull.
2. I gave him the perfect apparatus to break the line. Since I started kayak fishing I've never caught hooked a fish that I couldn't keep away from my anchor line or my transducer arm. Until now. From now on if I catch something I know is big the transducer gets pivoted out of the water and if I'm anchored (which is almost never) I yank the quick release on my anchor line and let the boat drift.

I won't say this ruined a day of fishing...any day I can get out and fish is a gift, but I did catch the big blue gill half an hour after I lost this bass. It was probably among the five biggest I've ever caught. I wasn't excited enough to take pictures.

Dang. I've felt that pain several times. Once was out of padre island national seashore with a sailfish. I must have sat there pouting for 2 hours. Still have the mangled busted leader. Most of the time there is a second chance.

OP keep swinging! You'll have that chance again.

Christian I think I'd still be crying over a sailfish. I was sick over losing a big king a few weeks ago.

The memory still haunts me.

Ugh. Losing a trophy fish is a sick feeling for sure.

Many people fish half thier life without hooking up a doubt digit bass... I am one of them

Great report John! Reminded me of lots of almost catches.

Hung this one (you can see dorsal fin if you enlarge) just before dark in Flamingo Florida years ago. Was throwing topwater for trout when I spotted its fin. Thought it was a tarpon and cast at it. Thought it didn't take the bait and tried to reel in fast to recast. Looking directly into sun I couldn't really see what was going on and then realized I'd snagged its dorsal fin. It was so big it didn't realize it was hooked. It didn't jump as most tarpon do and I was hooked up to it with a 100 size baitcaster with only a 100 yards of 10 lb test and 30 lb leader. I didn't know it at the time but it was an 8 foot sawfish. To make a long story short, the only way I was going to get a good picture of it was to sneak up on it as it would stop in the shallow flats whenever I quit reeling. Drifted up right beside it, had leader in rod tip and had camera almost focused when kayak drifted on top of it and it exploded leaving two rooster tails. The picture I took had no fish in it as I was almost thrown out of kayak. Almost spooled me before I thumbed the reel and immediately popped it off.

It happens and it will happen again. Keeps you going back. Awesome thread!