Got two....

In Canada, was walleye fishing the English River using a feather jig with a walleye eye. Just throwing it out and letting it drift with the current. Hooked a decent walleye about 2lbs and was reeling it in and CABOOM! There was a big boil and the line started screaming. A huge northern, probably 20-30lbs snatched that poor walleye. I fought that thing in current on 6lb test for about 30 minutes. Never moved him. Never saw him again. Did reel up a portion of the walleye. Not enough to fillet.

On Bastrop back in 1979-80, hooked a nice one on a crank in about 7 feet of water. It jumped once and headed for grass. Couldn't get her out but played with her for quite some time. Eventually, she broke from the grass and headed deep. POP! goes the rod and POP! goes the line. Dang fiberglass rods and 8lb test. Would have been my largest ever out of Bastrop and my current biggest is slightly over 8lbs. This one could've been double digit easy.

I was fishing Fork also, Feb of '03, with my brother TXGRINS. We were in 40' of water surrounded by 50' and 60' trees (based on the water depth). I was throwing a red rattle trap. Just as it came past an 8" trunk at about 2' below the surface my rod almost got jerked from my hands. The next few minutes included frantic drag adjustment, reelin' like a mad man as I hollered at my brother to get the camera, which he replied, "forget the #%$*&@% camera I'm gettin' the net!".

She cleared the water completely twice and was absolutely huge. Had to be well into the ##'s. On the third time she broke the surface she shook violently and tossed my lure back to me. My brother and I just looked at each other and said, "oh my gawd"!

That's my, "One that got away" story. Just glad my brother was in the boat with me, 'cause he would never have believed it.

Throwing a crank bait against a "rock pile" when Falcon was low several years back when I felt a little weight on the bait. Reeled faster to set the hook and didn't gain an inch. Thinking I was hung up I pulled straight back but couldn't budge it. A few seconds later my line started to move off slowly and I could feel the tail moving through the line, never could turn it or gain line. After about a minute, the line went slack and the crank floated to the surface with the hooks pulled straight on the rear hook. Never saw the fish, but I bet I threw another 100 casts trying to find its twin.

Well I have two stories, the first from when I was about 14. We lived outside of Beaumont and had 5 acres, two ponds and a creek were my backyard. Both ponds were very small, the big one was about 1/2 an acre. I put the Coleman canoe in and was throwing a white 1/4oz crappie jig with an uncle josh pork frog trailer on it (before I knew about bass jigs.) I cast up under an overhanging limb and immediately had the tap. I set the hook and the drag took off. The fish came up to the top and rolled. It was the biggest fish I had ever seen in person (5 LBS.) It rolled again and came unbuttoned. I remember lying in the bottom of the canoe for about an hour just looking up at the clouds wondering what could have been. I know that was not a giant fish but it was the one that really started my obsession.

Now last year fishing the Anglers Choice Championship at Lake Tyler, I had maneuvered the boat behind some docks and we were working the walkways out to the docks. I pitched a Dead Ringer up under the dock and worked it out as far as I wanted, and then started cranking it in. 15 feet from the boat I feel a tap (not looking at the bait) set the hook to only bring back the ringer without the tail. I look in the water and can hardly believe the swirl that was happening. For a split second I think to get out another bait, but then pitch the 3-inch bait I had left from the strike right into the boil. The bait reaches bottom (maybe 4 feet) I lift it once and get the tap. I rear back on this fish and the rod doubles over, the fish makes one move and my line breaks with the sound of a .22. Now I will never know the size of that fish but I am sure it was 18.19 LBS. Good Fishing to all! JR

At Ray Bob this last spring I was fishing a top water chugger in the middle of the day up Indian. It was so windy that it was about all I could fish around the grass and keep up with. Everything else was getting hung up or the wind was making it impossible to fish. Anyway I throw it back behind the grass between the bank and the grass line. Bam huge swirl and the lure disappears. I set the hook and a huge Mamma starts tail dancing across the grass running straight at the boat. Well I was fishing into the wind so the boat is drifting the same direction that the fish is making a run at me. She danced across about 5 feet of grass and then headed for the bottom. I was reeling as fast as I could but could never catch up with her. Just kept reeling all the way up to the reel. Line was snapped.. I guess she wrapped some timber and broke off. Never could figure out how she broke the line I never even felt a pull on the line. Easy 10 pound fish, I am guessing close to 12 from the look I got.

Absolutely great stories and they sure are comforting to read and know that my loss is equaled and probably trumped many times over.

One late spring on Lake Fork we were out by the dam pitching jigs in 38' of water. About 10 foot down my jig just stopped. Well, hooksets are free right, so I hammered back and was almost drug back into the lake as my rod tip was furiously hurled towards the water. I moved from the front of the 18.5 foot skeeter to the back deck with this fish steadily pulling. I might have gotten 3 cranks on this fish and after two ferocious runs she snapped my line -- brand new 20 lb big game. Undoubtedly she went around the tree or over a branch and ended the battle. It was the most excitement I have experienced fishing and made me sick at the same time.

In response to a comment above about trying to horse these fish and not play them out, I wish I could hook a double digit bass in an area I could play them out. Every place I have caught a "really nice" bass has been in heavy to moderately heavy cover and the potential for wrap ups is high. To my knowledge there is no "simple solution" for this. We just have to take them one at a time and do our best to get their heads turned and keep control. Buddies give me grief about catching these huge fish off shore on light tackle while I fish 20 - 25 lb test for bass in the lakes. Heck, if I had 20 miles of open ocean for the fish to run and tire then I wouldn't need all this tackle. I mean no offense, just giving my take on why we react the way we do on these big fish.

I hvae TOO many to remember, well, not THAT many. LOL. I remember the fish that got away more than the ones I caught. I have been EXTREMELY LUCKY in the last 10 years. I have 3 double digits, one 9 and eleven 8's. I also have twenty-six 7's. EACH is a GREAT MEMORY, but OH, OH, OH, what shoulda/coulda/woulda been.

The first 1 came at Palestin in Feb. 96. I saw a fish in Flat Creek follow my bait to within about 6 ft from the boat, she even flaired her gills once. I guessed her at 10 or better. Two years later, I had a partner, but he got cold and wet so I had to put him back in the truch. First year of the robo worm. On my first casts with it, I felt a fish hit it, but NOTHING else. So, I started reeling in and about a 3 lber swam up to the boat and let go. So, NOW I know like a mushy jig bite. Went back into Flat by myself and got the same bite, so I set the hook HARD at this time. The fish pulled the combo out of my hands. I jumped down in the bottom of the boat and broke on of my missing partners rods, but got mine back. Raised the whole set up over my head and tried to catch up. She tried to jump and I lost her then. 2 other boats and I estimated her at 12, but what do I know?

Lost a couple of BIG fish in 2000 and 2001. Fished the Honey Hole Top 6 in Oct. on PK. It was raining and cold. Back of a creek, lightening hit the top of a hill about 1/4 mile away and everything metal we were touching was shocked, including our flys. SO, we motored out aways. I had taken my hood off to motor out. Made a cast w/o my hood, reeled in REAL quick and put the rod underneath my arm to put my hood back on. Rod went ZIP into the lake. I almost caught it in the water, but just missed it. I saw a flash that was probably 26" long, thought it was a striper, but NO, fish came up and shook her head about 20 yards out and a couple of boats estimated her at 15. Brand new combo too. OH WELL.

2001, fishing Alan Henry over Thanksgiving. Saw a fish come away from a ledge and inhale the suspending rogue, going away from me. Weird on that. We estimated her about 12 to 14, but will never know. I can go on and on, about a big fish lost at Fork when I broke my wrists (long story) Fish didn't do it. But, like I say, the more I fish, the luckier I get.

Tight lines, keep safe and good luck.

Thad Rains

Last Summer I was fishing the bridge pillings at Joe Pool with a DD-22 when I felt a huge bump I set the hook and the fight was on. I could not bring the fish up at all and then the fish striped line 3 times. I started to work the fish around the boat when it started heading upward and I guess I let some slack in the line because when I caught up with the bait the fish was off. I never got to see the fish because my bait was 15-18 feet down but was by far the biggest thing I have ever had hooked. It made me sick at the time and still does thinking of it now. I tell everyone that I at least had the new Lake Record. I only fished for about 30 minutes more and I had to head home. You can bet I will never let slack in my line again. I will get her next year. I now where she likes to spend her summers.

Sounds like a few of ya'll may have just been hung.....LOL Just kiddin I had a simmilar experience at Fork. Never could get the fish turned around, went about 20 feet with drag set fairly tight with 17lb test wrapped and snapped. Never saw the fish, just sat there in awe for at least 5 minutes.

I'll Play

Fishing Cooper Lake in April 2002, back in a creek, I was throwing a redbug brushog to the side of ditch that was 8' deep that had 3' water on either side. On my second toss in there I caught about a 2lb. male, I figured maybe momma is still there so I keep pichin the hog in there, I hooked her up, fought her for what seemed like forever, There was a guy crappie fishing nearby heard the ruckus & was trolling over to help, We both saw the fish at the same time, at least 27 or 28" 13or 14 lbs. The fish rolls up on top & is just kinda paddleing towards me & the crappie guy, who has his net & slips it in the water to net the fish. Just as soon as he gets with in about 3' of her - one last surge, Berkley line breaks & she swims away. #1 reason I'll never have Trilene of any kind on my stuff again. I have relived that many many times. I know it was a bass & I have a witness, I've had other break-offs but I can't say for sure that they weren't cats or carp, But I know that was a Huge bass. Every time I go to Cooper I go there & see if If she's back- I'll get her on again someday.

2 stories... First one I was fishing a tff tourney on Fork a few years back and hooked into a fish that I couldnt even move. Then saw the wake from it and couldnt believe it. Second one is from a private lake in east texas I was sight fishing and already caught one over 7lbs and rolled up on a bed that had a fish well over the 10lb range (im thinking around 12lbs). After working this fish for about 15min I finnaly got her to bite and had it to the boat and she jumped and spit the bait right at me.. Talk about making me sick.. I droped to my knees and sat there for about 5 minutes. I went back the next day to see if she was there. She was no where to be seen.. I will never forget those two fish.. EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER!!!!!

About three weeks ago, on Fork, my partner and I were throwing traps on a grassy point. He had just released two 4.8 lb bass when I got this "thump" on my trap.

I set the hook and almost broke a 6.6 Falcon. This fish was so strong the rod would just "shake" violentjy when i would try to gain some line.

She showed herself three times then turned to me and let me look down her throat (dinner plate size) and I had the wonderful view of my trap comming out and flying by my head.

I don't know what she would have weighted, but she was the largest one I have ever seen including all those in the tanks around the lake including "Ethel" at Bass Pro Shop before she died.

If you see a red stratos with a guy frothing the water on a point it will probally be me, even though I know she is long gone by now.

Fork broke my heart 3 yrs ago as I had a 10+ hog wrap me! We stayed after I broke the line only to see her jump 10ft from the boat trying to spit my bait! I was sick then and still em!

I have to tell one more.

About ten years ago, I was managing a motel. My maintenance man invited me out to fish a pond near his house, out near Garrison, TX...probably three or four acres or so. It was extremely deep and had some of the clearest water I've ever seen. You could easily see the bottom in ten feet.

Oh, I forgot the best part. The maintenance man had been putting bass he had caught at Lake Murvaul in this pond for about twenty years...

I must have caught 100 twelve inch bass per day on average. The place was just chock full of small bass. Then, one afternoon I was wading in water about knee deep, and was reeling in one of those small bass. Just as the bass got about ten feet from me, BAM!!!! Something hit it so hard it almost ripped the rod out of my hands. To tell you the truth, it scared the daylights out of me. After a couple seconds of churning water (I wondered if maybe it was an alligator), my line went limp and I reeled in a crankbait with a hook straighted out...and no small bass.

As I continued to fish there, I had the same thing happen a couple more times...as did a friend I brought out there. To this day, he still talks about the "dinosaurs" in that pond.

One afternoon, I was throwing a Reflecto bucktail spoon. After ten casts and a couple small bass in the same spot, I hooked into something much bigger.

I knew it was big, but I had no idea how huge until I almost got it on the bank. This bass was MONSTROUS. In fact, I've never seen a bigger bass caught in person, on TV, anywhere. I got it within three feet of the bank, then it made a run, pulled my line over a log, and broke me off.

I got a very, very close look at the bass. So did the maintenance guy. We both estimated it at 13-15 pounds.

About a week later, the maintenance man brought a bass to work in a tub of water that he had caught the evening before in the pond. It weighed 11.9 pounds. Before I could even say anything, he told the other guys there that the bass I had lost the week before was a lot bigger.

I wish I could go back to that pond.

love the fish stories. here's mine.
lake fork two years ago in the middle of june was the setting. it was hot and and night. fishing behind rainswood in the old pond dam. we were have a good time catching 3&4#'ers and one 5 under the lighted docks. i was throwing a 7" culprit black worm. i pitched the worm into a shadow and wham i got hit. when i set the hook the fish went for deep water fast. there was no turning no head shake nothing. it was on a mission to get to the deep water. after about 5 seconds the worm came shooting out of the water at my head. i don't know what it was i want to think it was a bass. and i tell myself it was a bass. but that dosn't matter the i never saw the fish. it was big though.
it's alway's fun to hoook into big fish but to loose one just drives me crazy. that part of the reason i go and do it all over again every weekend. crazy sport it will take a person to the edge of insanity but not push them over the edge.