The one that got away

[grassonfly]

I have officially entered the one that got away club. I was out fishing with a buddy and he pointed out what he thought was a Talapia. It ended up being a very large peacock bass. At first he wasn't interested but if you bounce a fly in its face for a long while they get pissed. He bit on i set the hook and the fight began. Not 5 seconds after the hook set my super high drag setting proved to be my demise. This peacock snapped 20 pound tippet like spiderweb. It was a serious adrenalin rush.

 

[Ard]

I feel ya,

You should get into the habit of fishing with a relatively light drag set and train yourself to increase the tension as needed to keep control. I was able to land quite a few very large fish last year in swift currents using a 15 pound leader, you'll get the hang of it

 

[mcnerney]

Well at least it was an interesting experience. I'm sure you have figured out to leave the drag a little loose and let the fish wear down before trying to bring him to the net. I do the same thing when chasing big trout, they are just too powerful to have the drag set too tight.

 

[littledavid123]

Fishing in Florida is like Forest Gumps box of chocolates. Hate to hear you lost a big one and there is no comfort knowing we all do but the good news is you now know where he hangs out. I too, set the drag low and adjust to the fish.

Dave

 

[raindogt]

'The one that got away' ???? Nope, not me-- I've never lost a good one. In fact, I land each and every fish I hook into.

:secret: (I'm not being entirely truthful.....)

Sorry to hear about the one that got away-- but set that drag light, and you will personally meet and release him soon enough.

 

[grassonfly]

The only problem is the last time i saw him and his buddies there was 6 months ago.

 

[jhammer]

I had the same thing happen to me while pitching flies to some catfish and carp. I set the hook and the line flew through my fingers and as soon as it hit the reel, the fish and my ONLY fly just like that one were gone. I caught a glimpse of this huge catfish fin and all that was running through my mind was the theme from Jaws.....

 

[gatortransplant]

Yep, definitely had one of those days! Sorry to hear about it Robert! Like Ard said, nothing wrong with starting with a light drag setting. I fish often with 5x tippet so I end up doing a lot of palming of the spool rather than relying on mechanical drag and worrying, can always tighten up if necessary. With other stuff, like in the salt or with carp, I'll definitely go heavier on the drag however.

 

[Guest1]

The way I do my drag is on a flat pull with a scale. A good scale. I set it so it can never break unless it hangs on submerged junk, and then NEVER mess with it again till I put it away. Then I back the drag off completely so I don't get a flat spot in the drag.

 

[wjc]

I've only lost one truly enormous fish for its specie that I've hooked. But I can't say that I've ever hooked any other truly enormous fish for its specie. That was a LM bass I hooked two or three years ago on a huge popper with pinched down barb. I had it on long enough for my nephew to grab his camera and point it toward the direction of the fish. Then it jumped, and my nephew was so startled and awed by its size, he never pushed the camera button, just stared at it slack-jawed. Then it was off.

It was one of those fish that a picture of it would have had the fishing magazines fighting over - a real freak.

That canal is now closed to the public for at least two years while the govt. spends our money trying to clean up the poisoned water faster than agri-business can continue poisoning it.

 

[Rip Tide]

I never lost a little fish
yes it's safe to say
It always was the biggest fish
I caught that got away

~ author unknown

 

[Ard]

Hi Robert,

I've read through the replies and have another comment to give. I believe that about 99.9% of the really big fish I've hooked have gotten away. That fact has something to do with why I never lost the desire to get up and go again the next day. Many things (game related) that I became enamored with lost their shine with time but not fishing.

Here are a few examples; I grew up where hunting white tailed deer was almost considered a birthright, a path to adulthood. By the time I was in my mid 20's I did my hunting from tent camps that I established in the heart of the state forests and found that killing a nice buck was not a thing of chance but actually fairly easy. That spelled the end for my love of deer hunting. Turkeys were pretty much the same game, once you knew about the birds and could call well it was more like an execution that even deer. I raised and trained pointing dogs until I finally created good grouse dogs. Once I had the dog and knew how to shoot, killing grouse was no longer hard to do.

But fish! I have fished for over 45 years and can safely say that the really big trout, bass, salmon, and pike that I hook seem to get away. I get some nice fish but what I have seen come off the hook is enough to boggle the mind. I keep going back, I keep buying rods & reels, I keep tying flies, they keep coming off the hook. It seems that no matter how good a person gets at having fish grab the fly what happens next is never etched in stone.

That's what keeps me going, there is no way to tell what's going to happen when I cast out a fly.

Ard

 

[cattech89]

Great post Ard!

 

[wjc]

I agree, great post, Ard.

I, too, hunted extensively into my 40's, partridge, deer, elk, rabbits, pheasant, ducks, sage hen, stags and pigs. But the only thing I really miss about it is the food value - so much better tasting and healthier than domestic meat.

But one more thing fishing does for me that hunting never did was to get me to focus entirely on the fishing - no other thoughts (worries) ever got or get to my consciousness. Only the fishing.

So it's not just the lure of catching or hooking or casting to that next fish for me, but also being in a perfectly peaceful place without stress balls bouncing around inside my skull.

I also eat a whole lot of really good tasting fish too.

 

[grassonfly]

Big bass are truly mind boggling. They have super massive heads that shake hooks like nothing else.

 

[rapid eddy]

Arp, your last line pretty well sums it up. Well put.
I've lost fish i've never seen. I can only speculate what it was. Maybe a big rainbow or even a big wallye. The one that really stands out came via ahook set. I was on a #2 6' TFO. On the drag issue. I always fish on the lower setting.
Eddy

 

[cattech89]

But one more thing fishing does for me that hunting never did was to get me to focus entirely on the fishing - no other thoughts (worries) ever got or get to my consciousness. Only the fishing.



So it's not just the lure of catching or hooking or casting to that next fish for me, but also being in a perfectly peaceful place without stress balls bouncing around inside my skull.

My thoughts exactly. Thus my signature line.....

 

[Ard]

I also eat a whole lot of really good tasting fish too

I hear that Jim,

I made a Salmon Bisque last night that was to die for :worthy:

 

[cattech89]

I made a Salmon Bisque last night that was to die for :worthy:

Uh...er...um.......would you, by any chance, mind sharing that recipe Ard?
Sounds really good!

 

[txshane]

Hi Robert,

I've read through the replies and have another comment to give. I believe that about 99.9% of the really big fish I've hooked have gotten away. That fact has something to do with why I never lost the desire to get up and go again the next day. Many things (game related) that I became enamored with lost their shine with time but not fishing.

Here are a few examples; I grew up where hunting white tailed deer was almost considered a birthright, a path to adulthood. By the time I was in my mid 20's I did my hunting from tent camps that I established in the heart of the state forests and found that killing a nice buck was not a thing of chance but actually fairly easy. That spelled the end for my love of deer hunting. Turkeys were pretty much the same game, once you knew about the birds and could call well it was more like an execution that even deer. I raised and trained pointing dogs until I finally created good grouse dogs. Once I had the dog and knew how to shoot, killing grouse was no longer hard to do.

But fish! I have fished for over 45 years and can safely say that the really big trout, bass, salmon, and pike that I hook seem to get away. I get some nice fish but what I have seen come off the hook is enough to boggle the mind. I keep going back, I keep buying rods & reels, I keep tying flies, they keep coming off the hook. It seems that no matter how good a person gets at having fish grab the fly what happens next is never etched in stone.

That's what keeps me going, there is no way to tell what's going to happen when I cast out a fly.

Ard

That is a great post and an excellent account of the thrill of fishing. I'm still an avid hunter, because I enjoy any kind of time outdoors with my dad and son. But fishing is special.

I recently did this drawing for an avid fisherman that is passing on the thrill to his sons (one of whom is in the picture).