Your Best/Worst Bass Fishin Heartbreak Story

I know this is will be a sore subject with atleast a few but hopefully some will share!
Mine happened 8 years ago when I was fishin the first day of the mcdonalds tournament at Rayburn. Me and my partner were on a few fish about mid afternoon on redeye s shads. I got my redeye shad hung in some grass for the hundredth time and I was popping it and carrying on when all of a sudden a huge bass started sloshing around on the surface about 30 yards out from the boat. I told my partner, "oh my god, I think that fish has got my lure in his mouth!" Sure enough, the "please stay on, oh my god!" After what seemed like an eternity, the fish tired out and was laying on her side coming on in. My partner was ready with the net. I didn't realize just how big it was until it got about 20 from the boat. I was frantically hollering, "it's atleast 10, please get him in the net!" All of a sudden about 10 feet from the boat the gold redeye shad just casually came out of the fishes mouth but she was still on her side gliding toward the net. My partner reached out as far as he could but he came up about a foot short. Talk about an emotional crash and burn. I didn't know how to act. I started to go Ike on my rod but decided against it. It is something that weighs on my mind every time I go fishin.

Oddly enough, my most memorable heartbreak happened at Rayburn during the McDonalds too. Two years ago, final day, hadn't even hooked a fish worth taking to the scales. I ended up getting a quality bite a little before noon. I was throwing a c-rig and I remember thinking, "Man, that was a long cast." Well, long story short, I got her about 20 feet from the boat and she jumped and spit my worm out like it was nothing. When I reeled my worm back in, I saw that the hook had only come about a quarter-inch through the worm. I figured I wasn't using a long enough or heavy enough rod or didn't set the hook hard enough. To-date, that is one of the only Sealy tourneys I've fished and not cashed a check.

But this story has a good ending. That heartbreak haunted me for a year, and I was fully motivated to give it 110% when I went back last year. And I was very blessed to get a good one during last year's tournament.

My best happened back when I was just getting into fishing. We had an inflatable boat. I was using a 4ft 11inch ultra light ugly stick spinning rod with 8lb test. It was in mid March on a small lake. All I knew about the spring fishing at that time was the fish get shallow. I was using a wacky rig just beating the banks in a cove when I see a swirl where my worm landed near the bank. I still to this day don't really know why I had the bright idea of using an ultra light. Other than it is fun it was a stupid idea. I handt ever caught a real big bass at that point so I guess I just didn't know any better. So I see a swirl and THUMP I set the hook into what I think is a log. The drag starts screaming. The fish almost gets beached on the bank before it swims back out. After it swims back out I somehow manage to get it to the side of the boat and lip it. It weighed a little over 8lbs this was all on ultra light.

My worst happened last summer. Short story. Not much to tell. I was on my favorite little lake. Hooked a 10+ on a T-Rig. Didn't get a great hook set. Came off close to the boat. Thats all she wrote.

Pulling my jig over a log at Fork and it got stuck, not hung, just stuck. Gave it a quick little jerk and let it fall. Giant bass comes from under the log and eats my jig. 3 of us watched it happen. I set and have the fish on for a few seconds, line pops. Then the fish comes up and wallows around on the surface trying to throw my jig. Oldfield thinks mid teener. He has seen a few teeners in his life.

Lost what my partner and I think was a 12-15 pound bass last year at 7 am in a tournament on Ray Roberts. Haunts me to this day.

Saw a huge bass swallow anouther bass the size of a thermos
on Roberts.

My buddy and I were fishing lake Casitas in California with friends in another boat. We were fishing a long point with a single bush sticking up out of the water at the tip. Our friends were fishing towards the bush from the other side of the point. It was the only cover on the point and I knew it probably had a bass in it. I was using spinning gear with too much line on the spool. The line became tangled as we got closer to the bush. We were an ultra long cast from the bush, and I wanted to reach it before we got close and spooked the fish. I picked up an ultra light crappie rig from my rod locker with 2 lb. test on it. I found an old Salted Bengal Tiger Roboworm on the floor of the boat. The head was worn out from previous use, so I bit it in two and put the tail end on my small hook. With that 2 lb test, I was able to reach the bush easily. The worm never made it to the bottom. I set the hook on what I could tell was a pretty good fish. As I started to turn the boat towords the fish, I hollered Fish of the day ! My buddy saw it jump, and hollered, Fish of a lifetime! I began to try to chase the fish with the trolling motor. My drag was set way loose, but just the line going through the guides rapidly creates more drag on the line. After chasing that fish for what seemed like a block, the line popped. My buddy and I had caught several fish over 10 pounds together, and he said that fish was well over 15. Our friends in the other boat said I should have known better than to use 2 lb test. I didn't feel too bad, I never could have made that long cast with heavier line. The water war gin clear. The fish might not have even bit the same worm on heavier line. Although Casitas is a proven big bass factory, We were having a tough day, I just wasn't thinking big fish when I picked up that crappie rig.

I wouldn't use anything lighter than 20lb in Cali!!

My scumbag cell phone lost all of the pics of the 3 biggest fish I've caught, all last March-April, plus 100s of other really good fish pics. I'm still sick about it.

Was prefishing for TTT on Amistad several years ago, and was up the Devils River and it was SSSLLLLOOOOOOWWWWWW! to say the least. I got up in a secondary creek off the main river and noticed that I wasnt seeing any timber along the bank, up this this point I was using 17-20lb line, so I got the bright idea to get out my fairy wand with 6lb test and throw a finesse shakey head. About my 3rd cast I felt that not right feeling of weight and set the hook. Well this fish decided it wanted to go deep so I just held on with a smile on my face knowing there was nothing to get hung in. Fish went under the boat, and I eased my rod around the trolling motor and the fish just kept going. I finally got her turned and headed back toward the boat and under she goes again, and I just follow her and back around the trolling motor I go, and as I start to turn around I see the submerged tree just off the bank, you guessed it right in there she went with me doing everything I could to keep it from happening. Now on this exact rig I have caught fish up to 7 pounds and never has a fish just abused it and me like this one did. So back to the tree, she went in, and in less that 30 seconds my 6 pound test gave up the ghost, and I never even got a look at the fish. Now this fish could have been a 6 pounder, but I really think by the way it acted that it was much bigger, oh well I will never know!
JR

I threw a blue fleck Power Worm beside a boat dock on Lake Nacogdoches in April of 1995. I felt a tap and set the hook...against a piano. The fish immediately swam as fast as she could within five feet of my boat and out toward deeper water. When she got to the end of my 20 lb line she never slowed down. It sounded like a .22 firing when she broke it.

Just to add insult to injury, she came to the surface a couple of times 15 feet off the back of my boat, trying to throw the hook and worm.

My partner and I both got a good look at her and she was easily a Sharelunker.

This past Wednesday at Monticello.

Best





I caught my longest bass, over 24 inches.

Worst

Same fish on scale.

2 fish on Falcon, one took me under the boat (snap), the other bent 2 of the three hooks on my DD22 completely backwards and came off at the boat! Heartbreaking, I've never landed a fish in the teens to this day!

My passion all started when my dad got me into fishing for the first time, but my sickness began when I lost my first big one. I was 12 in a 12 foot aluminum boat with a 2 horse motor, fishing at my camp on Wyman Lake in Massachusetts, Short spinning rod, 6-8 pound mono and a t-rig u-tail worm, mid morning on a summer day, threw my worm out and my line went sideways, set the hook and fought the fish for 10 minutes, I was all alone, fish started comin to the boat and then when close took a dive instantly breaking my rod in 3 pieces! Still had the fish on the line, yes Berkley trilene :), started bringing her in by hand, got her close and me being very inexperienced tried to pick her up by the line and SNAP, there she goes, I fell back in the boat and cried, slowly went back to camp and told the story, I am sure people believed me, but it was confirmed, there was an old lady on he shore that saw it happen and told my parents about it. I am guessing the fish went about 6# which is very good for Massachusetts and that Lake.

Some 18 years later, a move to Texas and redemption is served

2 DD's and boom .

I was on Ray Hubbard early spring and took the wife to catch some sand bass. My 520 has a hole where you slide the net into and it lays flat on the floor. We had a school of sandies nearby and I was directing my wife to throw her trap in the vicinity. I was working a drop shop on an 8' ledge and felt a slight tick. I reeled into it and thought I was stuck on a rock. Line kept moving slowly out to deep water, no head shake, no nothing, just swimming like it didn't know I had a hook it it. So I am thinking its a turtle or catfish and lock down the drag with 25' of line which causes the yet unidentified creature to pendulum up. As it rises from the depth I see its a fish, a big fish - holy &^%$ its a really big bass! Honey! Get the net! get the net! I have never seen a bass this big on my line - ever. It almost scared me it was that big. Now it is on the top and headed back towards the boat. It still doesn't know its hook. Honey GET THE NET! Get the NET! I can't she says, its stuck. &&%^^&*%$%^#$@%$%^. I don't know exactly what I said to her (I claimed to have blacked out). I kept the line tight as this huge bass slowly disappeared under by boat, I could see the hook in the corner of its mouth - then with one huge surge - the line snapped! It could have been a new lake record.

Mine is very simple and probably happened to a lot of us. Had a fish on that my pardner and I both guessed at 9-10. Was fishing out of a little bass buster with no net in the boat. Got her up to the boat and my pardner started to lip her. She must have seen his hand because when he was about 6" away, she shook one more time, threw the hook and said bye-bye. (Numerous expletives deleted)!!!!! LOL

I don't want to say I'm fishing retarded, but only after losing 3 fish I've estimated all to be 9+, with no net in the bass buster, I now have one (and now I'm catching dinks)!!!!!

IT IS MAY 1ST 2012. MY WIFE AND I ARE FISHING BURCH CREEK ON FORK.MY WIFE HAS A OLD POP R ON AND ME A TRAP.I THOUGHT A TREE HAD FALLEN IN THE WATER I TURNED AND SEE A BIG BOW IN WIFES ROD. LOOK INTO THE LAKE AND UP THIS BASS COMES. IT WEIGHED AROUND 15 TO 16 POUNDS. LOOK AND THE POP R IS OUT OF SIGHT IN THE FISHES MOUTH. THE POP R HAS BRAND NEW OWNERS TREBLE HOOKS AND THE LINE IS NWE 15 LB BIG CAME.IAM READY WITH THE NET, AND THINKING THIS IS THE DAY AFTER S.A.L. AND ABOUT THEN LINE PARTED. THAT WHOLE SPOOL OF BIG GAME WAS BAD.

I took 2nd in a 2007 BASS Open on Texoma years back when Brian Clark won. I was on the fish to win. Had a kicker on day 3 and was leading. Came in one fish shy and had lost a 3lber on the final day. Saw the fish's back way up shallow and cast my senko up to her. Saw the fish turn and hit by bait but was facing me. Wouldnt turn so I set hook and she swam fast right at me and came off just a few feet in front of the boat. The fish coming off cost me 40k+. Put that in your pipe and smoke it for the last 7 yrs. 2nd is better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick I guess.

Caught an 11 half at falcon on a deep crank back in 2011. Well same day I hooked another giant on same crank that I absolutely never had a chance with. Buddy and I had found a ditch with hardwood trees in the bottom in 20' with brush all over the sides in 10-12' and it had a huge school in it. We had already caught probably 25 over 4# out of this ditch when I hooked what I figured was a alligator gar until it came up and jumped. She jumped 4 times on the end of a LONG cast and ended up throwing the crank. My PB is a 12.54 and then thAt 11 I had caught that same day and this fish was bigger than both of those. My buddy saw it all happen and he actually set down in the boat for a minute to collect himself also. He told me that was the biggest bass he has ever laid his eyes on be it in an aquarium or alive. I don't wanna guess how big because I honestly don't have a clue. Just absolute giant. To this day that crankbait is hanging on a mount in my living room having never been tied on another rod after that trip. Our best 5 fish that day weighed 47.5# roughly, sure would've been nice to break 50!

5 years ago on O.H. Ivie I was throwing a 7inch hollow bellow swim bait in and around the grass probably 4ft deep. My rod loaded up and then it just felt like a log I tried to turn her and get her out of the grass but she striker some drag and buried her sled in grass. Shortly after that she broke off. All I know is this fish felt like a tank and never have me a shot to land her

Mine was just a month or so ago at Fork with my dad. It was one of those nasty weather days where you might only catch a fish or two, but they're likely to be big. We decided to call it a day with no bites and were passing under a bridge on the way back to the ramp. Giguring the main lake bite might be better than the creek channel bite we'd been chasing all day, we decided to toss some jigs up on the end of the bridge. I had 50# braid on my Dobyns DX745 jig rod and felt the thump, set the hook and the fish almost completely pulled the rod out of my hands. About 4-5 seconds into the fight, he broke my braid off. I've had a number of 6-8 pound fish at Fork (my PB was a 9-12 on Ray Roberts) and this fish was much more powerful than anything I'd ever had on the line. Mystified and upset, I tied another jig on and proceeded to flip it to the corner of the bridge, only to have the line snap during the cast. This is 50# braid, mind you, and we haven't had a bite. I was mad as all get out and my dad was cracking up laughing. After some investigation, I saw one of my guide inserts was cracked and I can only assume that my line was getting caught in there and getting cut.

It's just unfortunate that the biggest bass I ever had on got cut on the guide of a the most expensive rod that I've ever owned and probably only used a couple dozen times. $10 later, I had the guide fixed, but that fish will haunt me forever. A Fork bridge fish in the winter that almost took the rod out of my hands. Could've been 8. Could've been 15. We'll never know, unless someone catches one with a pb&j jig and 20 feet of braid still in his mouth and weighs him for me.

Mine was in the early 90's on lake Belton during a 3 fish tournament. I had a 6-7 pound small mouth to the boat. (my biggest to date is 4 lbs) My partners net had blown out of the boat 2 days prior, he was trying to lip the fish for what seemed like an eternity. Somehow the hook came out and we watcher her slowly swim away. Had we known he could have just put his hand under her belly and lifted. To make thing worse I lost a 6 lb largemouth an hour later. At that point we though a 3lber back in the lake and went home. Worst day of fishing ever.

Caught my old PB on a cold February day last year of 7.71.... Once she was landed I did a victory dance on the front deck.... But the dance ended fast when I did a spin move and my partners keys went flying into the lake. Best and worst moment of my life.

I was fishing the 2013 Berkley Big Bass event on Fork and i hooked a fish on a sebile bull crank and i thought it was a nice slot until it jumped. She was easily an over and DD. Fought her until she wrapped me on a stump right next to the boat. Me and my partner saw her flashing around the stump as we tried to un wrap her. All of a sudden the flashing stopped. I untangled the line and the crank only to find 2 prongs on the back treble had ben straightened out. If i would have landed her im 100% sure i would have won a new boat and a had a new PB. Also during the 2013 Skeeter Owner's Tournament on Fork i caught a fish that was 16 and less that 1/8 of an inch. just a hair over 16. The fish weighed 3.57lbs. That would have a been a boat if she was just a tad shorter.

On Fork a couple years ago, hooked up a good fish but she broke me off under a dock. Backed off and retied, when I pulled back in between the dock this huge fish came up in front of the trolling motor and slowly swam down along side of the boat and then just backed off and looked at me and the boat, I thought she was daring me to get the water so she could kick my butt for sore mouthing her. Was only a couple of docks down from mine, the wife came out and asked how I was doing, so I trolled up to our dock and had her get in, went back to where the big girl was and as soon as we pulled in, she came back up swam up and down the boat and just hung around close enough that we could have almost netted her, threw lures at her but she wouldn't even glance at them. My PB is 11.8, this ole girl was much bigger. Think maybe she might have been a share lunker that was released, she certainly wasn't afraid of us or the boat. Went out the next morning before daylight to try and get her to bite one more time, but never saw her again.

keep them coming….

Yea Bisset, Cause of the big fish huh. But you know I fished those clear water lakes with hardly any grass or brush in them for years. Theres nothin to hide your line. Also, your baits have a different action with lighter line. I don't know if those are good reasons or not, but I always caught more fish with light line.

Man, you guys have some giants in Texas! I live in Ks and a big one here is a 6 pounder. I was fishing in the fall 2 years ago with my cousin. We were throwing square bills to rip rap catching everything. White bass, wipers and some largemouth. I was throwing a char/black KVD 1.5. I got bit, swept the rod and the fish started bull dogging and I saw it flash. I could see that it had a green tint like a largemouth. I knew it was a good one too. The fish rolled on the surface and broke me off. I was using 12lb floro but we have zebra muscles here and you have to retie a lot when cranking rocks. I estimated this fish to be around 5 pounds. This happened on a sunday. I went back out thursday and was fishing the same corner of a rock jetty. This time I was throwing a bone/orange colored 3/8 oz chug bug. I saw a silhouette come up and smoke my bait. I set the hook and it pulled some drag. I got it's head turned towards the boat and she came out of the water like a rocket. She jumped about 2 feet out of the water. When she came out of the water, the chug bug went flying out of her mouth and I could see a bright chartreuse/black square bill in the side of her face that she took from me a few days before. I got a better look at her and she was around 7lbs or so. I caught a 5.5 the day before and she wasn't nearly as big as the one that kicked my butt TWICE!

Probably have to be that time I lost that hawg up in Birch a few years back. Would have been a state record easy. Broke me off right at the boat. I seen some big fish and I swear she had to be at least 20 pounds!

Mine was @ Birch Creek on Fork. Deep cranked up what was possibly my first DD fish in about 25 feet of water, when it hit it immediately ran to the surface and did a water clearing leap . There was a tree half way between me and the fish and I had to beat the fish to it. I was on the trolling motor going as fast as it would go and cranking for all I had and she still beat me to the tree and almost immediately broke me off.....It was by far the biggest LMB I had ever connected with.......to this day I still let that eat on me when I think about it and really I don't think there was a thing I could have done to change the outcome.....

had just learned to bed fish about 10 yrs ago on fork..spent about 4 hours on a huge female I found in dobrow(sp?) pond ,little caney

had this female pissed and just couldn't get her to bite...finally gave up...

a guide had a customer cancel, so he was out scouting...saw me leave the fish and 3 flips later I had to help him by taking the picture of him holding it...... 10#6oz

I threw jig, lizard, craw, ring fry, brush hog....he caught it on a tube

ouch

I caught a big fat one in the dodge tournament last year that was 16 1/32nd. That is very hard on a fisherman!

Man those stories ARE ouch...

Fishing Lake Raven when "Vanish" first came out. My fish did "vanish". First one was about 5, 2nd was bigger, 3rd was surely DD. Three nice fish lost in a row, three lost Ratl-Traps, one lost mind. I let out a hoop on the third one (fortunately it wasn't profane) that had all the people around the boat house area wondering what was wrong with me. Even worse, every so often, the DD one would jump and I could hear the trap shaking in its mouth.

I do not use fluro to this day.

I had forgotten one. . .me and my cousin were catfishing on Spring Creek around some huge rocks. We were actually posted up on a small rock island that was about 10' in diameter, small. My catfish rod is a 6' ugly stick with a Penn saltwater reel and 50lb braid. It was cast out maybe 15 feet and started sliding, my cousin grabbed it. He set the hook and almost went in the water. He was pulling up with all his strength, the fish was so big/strong his feet started slipping on the rocks, the fish was literally dragging him in the water, and he's not small. I dove down on my stomach and started reaching for whatever was on the other end. About the time his feet got to the edge of the rock, I remember looking at his face and I could see fear in it, and this is a guy thats caught multiple 10lb bass. The line just went slack, it pulled off. I had the drag locked down because of the area we were fishing and since I had that ridiculous braid on, the hook had some fish lip on it, enough to tell it was a yellow cat. Ive seen guys catch 40 and 50ln yellows on the Rio and in the current . . .I never saw anything pull this hard.

My best...there are a couple....1st....one Easter morning...I was bank fishing with an ultra-light spinning rod...casting a tiny Bomber crankbait and catching 8-10" bass...suddenly I hooked what I thought was a good fish..it pulled harder than the others...about 3 minutes later I saw how "good" it was....HUGE...it was stripping drag...I'd loosen the drag..let it make a run..then tighten the drag...reel it in..repeated numerous times...one run by the bass stripped out about 50'...she started tail walking...I thought it would either, throw the lure or break the 6lb line..it didn't....finally, I was able to land it...9.5lbs...2nd...last summer my 15yo son and I were fishing with my 77yo father at the same lake...we started fishing spinnerbaits and started catching HUGE bass....a total of about 10....the smallest bass weighed about 4.5lbs...the largest caught by my dad...9.7 lbs..just one of those "perfect" storms you hear about, but, never experience....great to share that with my son and dad.....

Red, I don't think I could think of anything better in life than having that type of day on the fish with 3 generations there doing it together. Just being there was great enough and then to catch those hogs is priceless.

I certainly haven't seen the fish that some of you have but I know a 10 when I see it and my dad and I spent the weekends in my middle school and high school years fishing together in NE Texas and the biggest loss we ever had was during the spawn on Sandlin in 92'. My dad hooked it with a spinnerbait and he never wasted anytime getting a fish in the boat so I had no time to mess around with getting the net, it had to be done quickly. The fish came up to the rear of the boat but I had already made it to the front deck with the net and this damn thing slammed into the side of the boat and turned so that we could see the entire side profile and to this day the only bigger fish I've seen were on display at BPS or some other place like that. Right when she hit the boat my dad lost her and almost fell backwards out of the boat. I don't recall any other times I've had a larg fish slam right into the boat and I remember feeling the hit from the front of the boat, 19' fiberglass so it hit the boat pretty hard. Sandlin was not known for big fish back then and not now either but I still wonder if that fish would have set the lake record because I really don't think it was just a 10. They always look bigger in the water when they get away and although I've lost a few big fish there hasn't been one that size or really even close. We had a 6# that day and I'm not sure that fish was even half the size of the one we lost.

I hate to tell this story.. it brings up a bad feeling I just cant get over.. fishing a private lake off the bank with 10 lb. test.. i was walkin the dog with a spook....

casted it way out after working it just a bit bam... world war 3 on my line... i wanted to play it easy as i knew she'd break me off so i was going to let the drag be my friend.. it was stripping line like crazy and after about 100 yards or so... it swam into a big brushpile... we tried to pull it out...the brushpile came up with the fish.. but we only saw a giant tail... slowly all the brush and the tail went out of site...

couldnt say the size but my biggest was around 10 lbs. and this bass was way stronger than that...

I was fishing at Grapevine in the heat of summer last year and there was a college girl sunning in a bikini 200 yards away, I had forgot my binoculars. Kicking myself to this day.

Mine was last year, my son was here visiting and he was my NET MAN, when I caught my SAL, I have several mishaps in fishing and losing BIG fish, but this one will stand out in my mind until the end, as the GREATEST day in my life except when he was born

It was just after daylight and I had launched my boat at Falcon and traveled around 7 miles to a place I knew there were some monsters suspended in a submerged tree top. On my first cast I was working my giant Fluke through the first branches and then it happened... I suddenly realized that I had forgot and left my STRIPES egg with bacon and cheese breakfast burritos in the truck!

My son and won our first tournament together in May 2011 on Bob Sandlin. We had spent two hard days of prefishing and found some good fish all over the lake. We decided to commit to two spots. We get started and my son gets a 5# on a buzzbait. We continue to catch a couple more keepers. 2.75# and a small keeper. Then I loose a 5#+ on a Yellow Magic in the same area. I shook a fish off on a stump the day before and I pitch a jig in there. Bamm! A 4#+ comes unbuttoned. I go around the dock and pitch to same stump and catch a 2#. We finish out a limit in the first stop. The big thing was TWO big cold fronts came in on Friday and Saturday with winds blowing about 30 mph. We made a run to our 2nd spot and immediately I pitch a Rattlesnake next to a tree and set the hook and doubles the rod over and just comes off. I am really depressed now. I have lost over 15# of fish in about an hour. We go down that bank and cull up with a 2.5#. Fish to the point and catch a dink. It was so windy that we motored back up to come down that strip of bank again. All the way down and no bites. We get to the point and I stick a 3.75#. While we are culling my son says, put the Power Pole down. I put it down, we get culled and I cast the Rattlesnake back across the point and catch another 4# on the next cast. The wind dies some and we go back down this stretch of bank and get back to the tree that I lost a good fish on. I make a cast at it and catch a 6#. This was all in less than 30 minutes. My son called it my "Power Hour". We make a decision to go on to weigh in 30 minutes early. We wound up with 21.60#

This actually went from a Heartbreak to Greatness!