Biggest I've seen and lost was a 12-13 class fish on the St Johns in Florida. What really makes it hurt is that it was in a BASS Superbass event.

All yall lost a catfish!

Fork, mid 90's I lost a 16+, her teeth cut 20lb Big Game like a piece of sewing tread. She was one of the ol bug eyed fish.

Was your Guesstimate made using a Boga Grip??

Are you fishing or watching the internet.

thats crazy! I lost one that would have went 18.20!

Dont know how big, but no doubt a double digit. I was fishing solo, just me and the dogs, and got her on a trap. She jumped 4 or 5 times, had her all the way to the boat and on her last run straight down I felt the hooks pull out before I could hit the thumb bar. I saw enough of the fish on those jumps to know it was the biggest fish I'd ever had on the end of my line... Still caught 7 overs that day on Grapevine, but that was overshadowed by the giant that I never got to touch.

lost what felt to be a BIGGUN in the trees of Falcon Lake. set the hook, drag peeled and I could never get it turned.. felt it wrap up in a big bush and BOOM went the 25lb seagaur.

Lost an over during a Skeeter Owner's tournament on Fork a few years ago, and another that would have been a 1 lb upgrade on the cull which would have bumped me from 6th to 2nd in BWS on Tyler

Was fishing a lake here in Oklahoma and lost one on a big swimbait that was 12+. Had caught a 9 pounder about 30 minutes before and it was dwarfed by the big fish.

I thaught it was boom goes the dynamite?

Fork, mid 90s, ridge by the boat lane going into Dale Creek. Had lost a giant there 2 months prior, rigged up a rod with 25 lb big game just for that spot. Tornado weather, in a flat bottom, buddy hooks and lands an 8-9 lber, I throw and hook up with a giant. It starts making a bee line for the one and only stump where we were, pulling drag. The fish has the advantage, I can't get it back, tightening the drag with one hand and I can't pull the rod back with the other. It's about 10' from the stump and I start to thumb the reel, can't slow it down. Knowing if it got to that stump it's over, I thumb hard and 25 lb big game goes off like a .22. I couldn't fish anymore, turned white and felt sick.
Same area next year, when Super Spooks were brand new, same buddy in the same area, same boat. We are killing them, and he hooks up as we're moving the boat, I hear the spash, turn around and it's on. The fish jumps again, EASY 12 lb class, comes down and starts running towards the boat, then to the side then slack line. I then get to return the favor of harrasing my buddy who now looks green, and left hand shaking, right hand steady.
Learned a big lesson after losing 2 more big ones on a Super Spook. Take the front hook off. When those big fish jump and shake, the line was getting tangled in the front hook and when they turned, the line would ride up on the hook until it hit the barb then it was game over. Notice this after looking at the line the 3rd time it happened, not a straight break, clean slice at an angle.

Easy Sharelunker, Lake Nacogdoches alongside a boat dock, April of 1997 or 1998. I threw a blue fleck Power Worm on what was obviously a bed. Thump...hookset...then she ran straight toward me, alongside the boat a foot or so under the surface.

I had just spooled up the night before with 20 lb. Trilene XT but it never had a prayer. As someone already said, it sounded like a .22 when it snapped. I never even fought her...when she hit the end of the line going 90 mph she just kept going and the line broke instantly.

Just as my buddy was saying, "Did you see the SIZE of that fish", she came to the surface about 10 feet off the back of the boat trying to throw my worm and hook.

Insult to injury...

The dumbest fish i ever "lost" I didn't really lose.

fayette county lake 1989 or 1990, fishing with my dad I caught one we weighed 13 and some change, don't remember exact weight. Weights written on the back of the photo over at my moms house somewhere.

I said dad this might be a lake record!! he said , no lake record is over 16lbs here, throw it back in the water.

Found out later that day record was 12 and some change at the time.

Worst part was fish had just spawned out and was skinny as a rail, would have loved to have caught her a week or so before!!.

OUCH.

Don't feel bad, had a friend who had a McDonald's BBC won on Fork, mid 90s. When the GW was checking the boat at weigh in, he asked for his fishing license. You guessed it, he forgot to sign it, it was invalid, fish was DQd, and, my buddy got a ticket if I remember right. He sold his boat over the deal. Last I knew he's back to fishing from a flat bottom, no more tourneys.