Legendary fish tales

What are some of the best tales you have heard that could be true? I always heard about the 17 pound floater in Lake Fork in 1988 and just now seen the pic. Any other large bass tales?

I remember that fish Tony found very well.

I don't have a pic but there was a bass that floated up dead that went 20 lbs 8 oz.

https://tulsaworld.com/archive/20-1...fa8fd6e-5dad-5abc-abfc-f4f02be7d64e.html

Heard many tales of GIANT bass caught in Mill Creek....sometimes mistaken for Canton City lake.

14s and 15s

I kind of felt like some were caught at Fork and claimed as a record for Mill Creek.

Not bass, but....

Disclaimer, this was 30 years ago, so the details might be off a bit.

Growing up, a friend's dad was always telling us whoppers. He was a prankster and a known liar, so we never believed anything he told us.

One day he tells us this story about him and two buddies checking trot lines on the Brazos in Waco. They were in a little jon boat making their rounds. Guy reaches into the water and pulls up the line with an 11ft gar attached. A fight ensued and they had to break out a revolver to put some rounds in its head.

They load it into the boat and head back to the ramp. Now this thing is as long as the boat and they are way overloaded. Halfway back, this thing starts flopping around again, and these three guys are worried he'll capitalize the boat. Well, one guy pulls out the revolver and unloads into it's head. Unfortunately, the rounds go through the fish and into the boat. Now they're taking on water and sinking fast.

They are within sight of the ramp when the boat goes under. They figure since they already risked it all for the fish, they might as well save it, so they all three swim it to shore.





We asked him where the fish was and he said they sold it to a guy at the ramp. We figured he was lying again so we blew his story off.

About ten years later, I walk into an archery shop and see this giant stuffed gar. I ask the guy behind the counter about it, and he says...

"This guy was at the boat ramp on the Brazos and these three dumbasses swam up with this thing in their arms."

Now that's a good story.

If you fish a body of water enough you may get to witness this if you are in the right area. These two World Class Bass were encountered on Lake Amistad and the third Bass was hooked in Mexico on Lake Oviachic.
Amistad:
Both of these Bass on Amistad were estimated to be very close to the World Record. They had knocked out or stunned a bait fish that was quivering on the surface. Both were very close to the boat; so I could observe their reaction and process for eating their pray. Casting to the dying bait fish will not work. Concentrate on hooking that bait fish with a large topwater bait then just sit and wait for the huge Bass to ingulf it's pray if this ever happens to you.
- First Bass knocked out a 1.5 lb. small Bass. I saw the explosion just a few yards from the boat in very calm water. There was 100 ft. deep water right next to a shallow water pocket that she was feeding in. I make the mistake of trying to get her to take the Spook by casting around and next to the dying fish. She payed no attention to the Spook. She circled the pray a couple of times just like a shark then turned on her side to take it by the head. In a few seconds she had swallowed it and was gone. After thanking about what I should have done; if this ever happened again I would try to hook the dying fish and just wait for the strike. I fished this area on ever trip to Amistad for a year. Then began to look for similar spots next to deep water.
- Second Bass was 2 miles away one year later in a pocket on the other side of the lake right next to very deep water. Again I hear and see the explosion. I kicked the trolling motor on high to get to the spot. This was a huge Gizzard Shad that was close to 2 lbs., stunned on the surface and swimming on it's side in a circle. Wind was blowing a little and I made a bad cast missing the hook up with the Shad. The same reaction of the Big Fish took place; by circling it's pray and turning on it's side to suck in the Shad. She pounds herself across the surface like a surfboard to get the Shad swallowed, then disappears.

Lake Oviachic:
Last day of our trip and the last hour of the day with the wind blowing 20+ miles per hour. We were working a deep water basin as far back as we could get around a set of deep water islands. All of the big fish were positioning on the down wind side of any points or protrusions sticking out off the islands. We would slip just around the corner out of the waves to the calmer areas. This one point was farthest out into the wind and had a stand alone tree just around the corner out of the waves. I cast the big Brush Hog to the tree and saw the 25 lb. Floro. jump and move away from the tree. I truly thought this fish was a huge Blue Cat as they spawn in early April. With no spot lock TM., I am now out in the waves and moving pretty fast just following the fish to play her out. She comes up beside the boat and jumps for us to get a good look at her. What a mouth on a Big Bass. We are talking Volley Ball size and well over 22 lbs.. The first trip to the Frabill Net, she would not fit in the net and fell out. The wind is blowing and I am dragging the fish on the surface. My partner tries to dip her from the tail to the head; but the fins would not allow her to get into the net. I tell my partner just to get her by hand; as I pull her to the boat for the third time. I cannot believe this fish had the energy to make one last jump beside the boat and the hook having ripped a large hole just comes out. She is gone.

what Ken A said and the writer for TPWD wrote a story on it

Great stories guys.

Donald, I ain’t never lost a giant at the boat, but I should have lost the two biggest bass I have ever caught. 13.20 and a 11.9. Both were unexpected and both had the upper hand right away. Both wrapped in my trolling motor. I let one trolling motor get semi destroyed catching the 13. I knew not to try and press the pedal or raise the troller.

A couple moths ago, I last an easy double digit fish at Richland Chambers. Again, with my trolling motor. I was alone and trying to assemble my net. Last look, before I messed with the net, she was on the starboard side about 35-40 ft from the boat and happy. After fooling with the nest, the line was in front of the boat, and she was around 30ft off the port side. I knew it was wrapped in the trolling motor. I gently tried to lift the trolling motor up and started unwrapping the line, then she went on another rant and was gone. Never know on that one. It was so fat it couldn’t even get out of the water on a jump.

Again. Nothing like the 14-15++++ size you’re talking about, but big for this part of Texas.

OMG CAN WE PLEASE KEEP THIS COMING!!

This is freaking bad [censored] to read <-- sorry. I am envisioning each story and could only imagine the adrenaline pumping of being a witness. Thanks for the shares guys!! TFF never fails...

It's always the biggest ones that get away. Wonder why? My biggest ever that I feel like I had on was on Cooper Lake back in 2002. This fish ate a c-rig lizard in the spring time. I was throwing on a flat adjacent to a deep drop. There was only one bush in sight and I threw beside it. All of a sudden I felt a mean thump but no pulling yet. This fish engulfed the bait and just sat there until I set the hook. Then it swam about 10ft straight into the bush, came up in the middle of the bush and was causing all kinds of commotion and showed all of herself, went back down and outta the bush the opposite way. Then, she just came off when the line got real tight going the other way. I had her on for prolly 10 seconds. I was heartbroken to say the least. I'm not for sure how big she was, but it was definitely bigger than my PB, and that is an 11.81 from Falcon.

I've got several stories on Fork...

It was in October and I was fishing a point back in Little Caney. Casting a blk/blu jig up into 4' of water and slowly bringing back, suddenly line went tight and then slack. I quickly starting reeling realizing the fish was swimming toward me. The fish got to the bow and just kept on trucking and literally pulling me to my knees as it freight trained under the boat. Seconds later, the line snapped and it was gone. I have never felt a bass pull that hard in my life and I've got several dd's under my belt. That was about 20 years ago and the memory ingrained in my brain is just like it was the day it happened. I will tell ya that my equipment and line was of quality and set to handle big fish too. Just a heartbreaking deal.

Another time I was back in Little Mustang. LM had a lot of grass back then and was a favorite spot of mine. This was back in the mid 90's. It was a late March morning and I was slow rolling a spinnerbait over the top of the grass. I had been doing this for about 45 minutes with not much to show. Actually was losing interest and just about to call it a morning when BOOM I got a massive hit seconds before pulling my bait out. Stuck it hard and it swam of to the right, came up to the top, shook her head, did a roll and poof, gone.
I got a good look at this fish and it was massive. Again, heartbreaking. My hands shook for about 10 minutes after that.

For those who've struck a true pig, you know the power of those fish. Just a totally different class.

I knew a guy from Ellis county that fished canton city lake religiously he caught big fish. Pretty much just fishing hump for hours. He caught a lot of big fish from there .

Other way around. I know of at least 2 fish that were Top 50 bass for years that were caught on Mill Creek and driven to LFM to be weighed in. The guy was trying to protect his 300 acre fishin hole. He fished from a Water Buster with live water dogs. Name to be withheld to protect the innocent.

Last year early spring I was fishing our lake at the ranch. The big fish bite was on. I earlier had caught a 9.5 and missed another good one. I was fishing a frog and was reeling it in to cast at a swirl I saw. 10ft from the bank had the famous "toliet bowl" strike. Fish started ripping drag and I knew it was a biggun. I waded out a little to land her and when I went to lip her she made on last run and that was it. So close to my 13+ but then agai so far away. This spring I will get her

Fishing in a little cut on north side of Caney Creek on Conroe back in 2009 with the old man. Fishing a spinner bait and just burning it back in to make another cast and a GIANT eats it right at the boat….dad and I both saw her. Mouth wide open and was the biggest bass either of us had ever seen. Chomps down on it and immediately goes under the boat and breaks off……WOW. 10 seconds later we hear a fish crash on the surface behind us on the other side of the cut and low and behold my spinner bait is just a jingling away still in her mouth……dad cranks trolling motor on high to get over there while I am re-tying……never saw her again.

October 2018 , I was fishing a local lake , walking the bank ( I only could fish the last 2 hours of that day after work ) . I was throwing weightless TRigged Senko's . Clear water , 4+ feet of visibility , no wind . I am fishing a deep edge next to a flat , hook a bass that was about 14" long --- as I am reeling it in and it's close enough to see it swimming , out of nowhere , all I see is a giant mouth come from the deep and inhale my 14" bass . My rod doubles down , I pull back -- and immediately this giant bass spits out the 14" bass , shakes it's head , flex's it's mouth then swims off . I was in shock on how big this bass was . I have caught over a dozen DD's , including my PB at 12.5lbs . This bass was way bigger . It was right next to shore when it struck , I would estimate at about 30-32 inches long , giant head , average belly size . Possibly 13-15 lbs .
If I hadn't seen it happen , I would have never known this Giant attacked my little 14" bass . Made me wonder how many times that it has happened in deeper water and just thought my bass was snagged on a limb or something .
Those giants are out there , they are just much smarter than average fish and they don't feed the same way . Sure made me think about those big swimbaits .

Fun topic. First, a story about my biggest black bass. Just 10lb 5 oz. Ive had bad luck with big fish! They're hard to land. 2007/2008, 4th of july morning, new rod, new real. Birch creek, briar branch, 50-60 feet into the creek past what i called the y shaped tree. It finally fell in the last year. Yes, i still go back there at least one time every time i go to fork. 1st thing that morning, got struck, set the hook, on hookset i spooled out what seemed like10 foot of line that wrapped around every eye of my rod and some how around the handle of my reel! my wife is with me. i had to put glasses on unwrap my line from handle, then eyes of rod. I reeled the line in assuming there was no way a fish was on. when i got the slack out of line the fish had swam right to the boat. i lifted up one time and got the fish on top or just under the water. karen, get the net. the fish swam right into it. dumb luck i got it in, but i was really excited. there was a guide about 120-150 ft away in a bumblebee bass boat that weighed it for me, and we let it go on the spot.
Big fish are smart. they will hang you up, and break you off, with you looking at them.
in 1990, still fishing out of my dads old boat, at the old pond dam that they blew up years ago just north of the power lines in birch creek, i hung the fish on a buzz bait in april. the fish chased my bait down like jaws, with its back and dorsal fin out of the water. i am convinced to this day that fish weighed 20#. the reason im so convinced it was in that range is the fish came completely out of the water when it slung the buzzbait/hook over my shoulder, 10/15 feet in front of me. the fish was bigger than the 19#er they kept in the aquarium back in the day @ lake fork marina. ill never forget it, but alas, just another one that got away!

I saw a guy stuff a lead weight in a fish at a "big bass tourney" and even if he would not have got caught red handed, he would not have won.

He was not just a scumbag cheater he was also an underachiever, #RR

DAMN THIS ONE HAD ME GLUED +1 THANKS FOR SHARING!

I have one but will keep it to myself.....

I knew this man well, I saw him there many times while fishing there. There have been many large fish caught there that were never reported and few ever knew about. We kinda had a secret society there, don't ask, don't tell. Lol. Once the secret got out thanks to some that couldn't keep it a secret, it was never the same.

Those fish are still there, just at a new different spot. Only 3 people know where it is.
If it ever gets out 2 will die.