well i just watched a halibut well over 50 lbs swim away after some questionable gaff work by my buddy...the hook didnt even come out she broke the bottom hook right off the rig...anyways just wondering if you guys had any big fish that got away stories...just to make me feel better lol
The One That Got Away...
- Thread starter lingbling
- Start date
tubber
Well-Known Member
Yes, multiple times, but one was about 80 lbs and the boat had 2 harpoons, yet we could only find one tip and one handle in the time it took to get it up and they didn't match. Those things make for better stories and laughs in the long run. The new plan is to have all the landing gear ready, pass my rod off and take responsibility for the gaff, harpoon, shark hook etc... Then when I knock it off the hook it will be all my fault.
directmule
Member
Funny how it usually only takes once and the next time you're more prepared, sorta like: Good judgment comes from experience and a lot of that comes from bad judgment.
Been there and done that
salmonkiller01
Well-Known Member
A few years ago fishing out in Nootka, buddy has a 30lb + spring on, I go to net it, the net catches on the downrigger pully, I get half the fish in the net because it got caught on the pulley in mid swipe and it bounced out breaking the leader line. Ouch!!Not another bite for 3 more hours, that nite we went and got 4 springs all over 20lbs in 40 minutes(buddy was happy again)
scott craven
Well-Known Member
Couple years ago my buddy hooked a large halibut,after 20 mins of winding
he got it close enough to see it was well over 100 lbs.
With shaky hands I drove the harpoon in missing the gut sack
and hitting the bony area behind the head.
It didn't go through and the fish thrashed hard enough to bend the harpoon shaft
into a pretzel before it broke off.
Boy did i feel like an A-hole.
he got it close enough to see it was well over 100 lbs.
With shaky hands I drove the harpoon in missing the gut sack
and hitting the bony area behind the head.
It didn't go through and the fish thrashed hard enough to bend the harpoon shaft
into a pretzel before it broke off.
Boy did i feel like an A-hole.
spring fever
Well-Known Member
Last year Striper Sniper and I had just boated a 30 lb plus fish at bajo- I was fishing 3 lines in the boat and because of a real Snafu we had tangled lines and a fouled net and fish. Gave him a big pilchard spoon to get something in the water while we sorted stuff out. Just get sorted and the boat beside us yells-you got a fish on!! So we did-we laughed and he fought it Pretty good size-I started to net it but it just wouldn't behave-managed to flip-itself around and get the head out of the net-I couldn't understand why I had to keep reaching and pursuing this fish-I knew I was going to lose it and I would never hear the end of it. I made one last lunge and got the net closed over him and vertical by the boat. Looked around to get some slack line and SS was paying no attention. He was looking glum and I noticed there was the Pilchard spoon hanging limp. He couldn't believe it when I asked for a hand. Apparently the spoon had pulled just as I started to net the fish-I hadn't seen it go. That's why I had so much trouble controlling the head. We didn`t lose it -but we should have!!!
Deewar25
Well-Known Member
grr...thanks for reminding me of my story! 3 years ago Beecher Bay with my 7 year old at the time in a tinny. Hit a big one right at the entrance to the bay (was too rough to get out) - after waving off one other boat, it was me and the fish, no seals, no boats, perfect setup. Battled for a good 40 minutes and my son wasn't able to crank up the downrigger and lift it in, so just had to stick with it down. Same deal - get it to the boat and its sideways as I knew my only shot was exhaust it...6'+ leader and no gaff did me in - son couldn't hold onto the rod, son didn't want to net and risk losing it, so on my own trying to get the guy in - 1/2 in 1/2 out and if twists just enough to get me tangled on the downrigger - spent 20 seconds trying to manhandle it in and it just rolls out and is gone...was a 30+ and would have been my biggest spring. Caught a 28.5 the day before (or week before, can't remember) so it didn't sting as much as it could have, but still - thats definitely my 'one that got away', and sadly only one young witness to it!
spring fever
Well-Known Member
A long time ago in New Brunswick I was jigging Gasperaux on the French creek bridge-I was 10-had a Zebco spin-cast reel with 12 lb test. Got a gasperaux -put a large hook thru its back and released it into the Creek. That creek flows into Grand Lake and the StJohn river to the bay of Fundy. Sure enough hooked a very large Striped bass fresh from the Ocean-I ran down the creek and out along the Lake shore for a couple of miles. The inevitable happened-I was spooled-the reel was toast and even 55 years later I still wonder -how big that fish was!!
Degree of Freedom
Active Member
I had a nice fish pushin 30 on at Swale a couple years ago...my old man got too excited with the net and leaned way out rather than letting me guide it in. He managed to get the net under it, but was leaning so far out he couldn't lift it up without tipping himself over the gunnel...fish jumps right out of the net and swims away. Not sure how, but in his eyes somehow it was my fault!
Sharphooks
Well-Known Member
Kenai River, mid-80's---I had a spring on for a good 45 minutes. It went upstream as soon as it felt the point; just swimming slow and steady like it had all day--- that for me was the clue I had a big buck. Most of the fight was untangling gear from boats coming downstream on top of me (7 knt current) . All the guides were totally cool--they knew I had a major fish on and they were instructing their clients to just cut the line so me and my fish could go on upstream on our merry way.
I was in a 12 foot Avon inflatable with a 15 Hp--very nimble craft---I was able to get my line back and eventually got in along side the fish. Got it up to the top of the water column so it was laying along side my raft ----it was seventy +, no doubt. The head was as big as a watermelon. And it was chrome--rare for that river when they got that big.
I'd scooped one or two 50+ Kenai fish up in the net we were using so I thought my partner would at least be able to get most of it in the bag. But when he saw the fish, he froze. Just like the wicked witch of the West laid a bad wand on him. He just stood there mumbling over and over ---"my God, that's the biggest fish I've ever seen in my life..." I was calmly suggesting that maybe he stop the audio clip and get a freaking net over the fish while we had the chance but he was just literally frozen at the switch, a useless thing to have in a boat under any circumstances
I finally grabbed the net out of his hands and handing him the rod, told him just to keep the slack out of the line. So what does he do? He reels in the slack and then lifts the rod up into the air with both hands, like he's trying to set the hook all over again--I see the Spin n Glow and the 5/0 hook pop out the the spring's mouth and the fish just gently drifted down under the boat and disappeared---it was basically spent and never twitched a fin after the hook pulled free.
It was a long quiet ride back to the ramp. My useless co-pilot offered me the 40 pounder he'd caught earlier that day (the one I netted for him)---I said thanks but no thanks...
Ever since that day I started using 6 ft rods in my boat, and now pretty much net all my own fish.
I was in a 12 foot Avon inflatable with a 15 Hp--very nimble craft---I was able to get my line back and eventually got in along side the fish. Got it up to the top of the water column so it was laying along side my raft ----it was seventy +, no doubt. The head was as big as a watermelon. And it was chrome--rare for that river when they got that big.
I'd scooped one or two 50+ Kenai fish up in the net we were using so I thought my partner would at least be able to get most of it in the bag. But when he saw the fish, he froze. Just like the wicked witch of the West laid a bad wand on him. He just stood there mumbling over and over ---"my God, that's the biggest fish I've ever seen in my life..." I was calmly suggesting that maybe he stop the audio clip and get a freaking net over the fish while we had the chance but he was just literally frozen at the switch, a useless thing to have in a boat under any circumstances
I finally grabbed the net out of his hands and handing him the rod, told him just to keep the slack out of the line. So what does he do? He reels in the slack and then lifts the rod up into the air with both hands, like he's trying to set the hook all over again--I see the Spin n Glow and the 5/0 hook pop out the the spring's mouth and the fish just gently drifted down under the boat and disappeared---it was basically spent and never twitched a fin after the hook pulled free.
It was a long quiet ride back to the ramp. My useless co-pilot offered me the 40 pounder he'd caught earlier that day (the one I netted for him)---I said thanks but no thanks...
Ever since that day I started using 6 ft rods in my boat, and now pretty much net all my own fish.
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Biakabatuka
Member
Last summer fishing with my 10 year old who is just starting to get hooked. He is learning to cast and is throwing a lure near the weeds at Quenell lake looking for bass or panfish. I am trolling a fly in the canoe looking for anything that might be fun. He snags the weeds, AGAIN, but that is part of learning so I say hold on and I will turn the canoe around and we will go back and unhook.
The only good thing about him catching the weeds so often was that he had the drag set loose with the 4lb test. Well I slow down but his reel doesn't! Now he says it's going that way!! Funny thing for a weed to do! Few minutes later we get the Rainbow up close and it takes one look at us and says no thanks. 5 minutes later it's back and tired. Looking good but the net we have is pretty small and I'm not sure if I can keep half of it in the net but will try. He however is not yet used to bringing the fish to a net and ends up trying to bullrush it into the net.
Snap! Look on his face is priceless! Somewhere between Tears and Pure Joy!
I think that may be the moment that he was really hooked. Has caught a couple bigger than 22" trout since then but never as big, in his eyes, as the one that got away. I look at it as the one that reeled me in a fishing partner!
The only good thing about him catching the weeds so often was that he had the drag set loose with the 4lb test. Well I slow down but his reel doesn't! Now he says it's going that way!! Funny thing for a weed to do! Few minutes later we get the Rainbow up close and it takes one look at us and says no thanks. 5 minutes later it's back and tired. Looking good but the net we have is pretty small and I'm not sure if I can keep half of it in the net but will try. He however is not yet used to bringing the fish to a net and ends up trying to bullrush it into the net.
Snap! Look on his face is priceless! Somewhere between Tears and Pure Joy!
I think that may be the moment that he was really hooked. Has caught a couple bigger than 22" trout since then but never as big, in his eyes, as the one that got away. I look at it as the one that reeled me in a fishing partner!
Charter Tofino
Well-Known Member
Port salmon derby last year we lost a money fish around 35 lbs at the net. Won't go into details as it still hurts. Long story short we hit a fish on a big herring. I was on the rod and it felt small with only a few short runs. I guessed it was a 10-15 lber so we let the one guy on the boat who doesn't fish much try and net it. Well it surfaces at the boat and to all of our suprise the things a slab. Nobody thinks to grab the net from our buddys dad. He tried to net it to early and the fish freaked out as it was going in the lip. It flipped out and one of the trebles grabbed the mesh. Bye bye fish and money. I think he was more upset than I was though haha.
Up at Telegraph a couple years ago, got lost in the fog so we just decided to throw our lines down for Halibut, well I basically just hit bottom and BANG, about 20-25 mins just to get it to the boat, Dad spears it and it gets pissed right off, dives down, snaps the rope attached to the spear and my line, dropped lines down again 10 mins dad got a little chicken, wish i knew where the heck we ended up would love to find that spot again.
Karma-Kazi
Active Member
It was 1999, first year my Dad invited me as his partner for the Bite Me derby. We had trolled late into the morning until our first and only hit. The reel starts smoking and my dad knows hes into a nice one. Im only 10 years old and driving the boat keeping the fish a short distance from the boat. After a what seemed like an hour(only 25 mins) we see this monster fish. I grab the net and my dad looks me in the eyes and says do you want to net it or take the rod. I diden't want to take the rod as I was worried if I lost the fish with it on the rod my dad would be cursing in Italien the rest of the day. I grabbed the net and looked at my dad as he slowly lifted the rod tip and eased it towards the net. I reached with all my arms length and the fish began to roll and gets the only remaining hook of the treble right in the mesh. As you all know its just a simple Pop and Roll and away she swims off into the depths. To my amazment there was no cursing in Italien just a silence that lasted a few minutes. Then he looked over at me and said it dident matter there's always the next one. I will always remember that one! High thirtys was the guess. But in all the excitment it may have been low thirtys 
-Steve
-Steve
Charlie415
Crew Member
Fishing in Rivers Inlet years ago and see a "Catch Clean & Release" We were at the end of the day and the Captains were cleaning the fish and the first mates were getting the grub started. It had been a slow day with only three fish caught, one per boat. Decent fish if I remember all in the mid forties. We were tied up to the old forestry float so no cleaning station. I was just getting ready to dunk my cleaded fish to rinse off the blood and the captain next to me gets down on one knee and starts vigourously rinsing the fish. One time two times and a final dunk just for good measure. Next came a loud series of curse words as we watched the fish difting down to the depths never to been seen again. When he stopped cursing we started to giggle. The joke was on the first mate of his boat as it was his fish.... his only fish was nothing more than a fish tale. Couple of days later we are in a Dawson's getting fuel and the dock attendant is saying to my buddy "Did you hear about the "Catch Clean Release guy? His response was Ya and there is the F&^king idiot right there. LOL Great times and many memories, can't wait to get back there.....SOON
