Share your story of the one that got away! We all have likely plenty of examples!
Wisconsin Fishing Discussion
The one that got away
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Ice fishing the Mississippi river backwaters set in about 4-5 fow with tip downs for perch using 4 lb test and a Rosie red so fishing solo my tip down goes like half down then l approach the tip down when I got about 10 ft from it rod went down hard and the reel was screaming a ht little jigger rod and reel combo so I get my hands on the rod and set the hook definitely not a perch so I slowly worked it back to the hole heart was racing it was a monster pike made the 10" hole look small had two shots at trying to turn it up the hole with 2 0" of ice both times it would take off about 50yards then on my last attempt the line broke it would of easily been my pb pike l would estimate it at 42"-45" and real fat it was last week of February. Now evertime I fish the spot I'm like how could I not have landed it but that fishing.
Here's another one from a couple of years ago. I was casting a 9.5" straight model crankbait when the lure disappeared (no weight) on the retrieve. I instantly set the hooks and could tell by the resistance it was a big fish. The musky stayed deep and had massive headshakes and several deep corkscrewing, drag pulling runs. I finally got it up to the surface and began guiding it towards the boat and the net. I could see the twisting/diving runs had bent the crap out of the front hook and the middle hook. It was a 35 lb class, low 50 inch northern WI musky. Once it got close to the boat, it began a violent thrashing head shake, pounding the lure on the side of the boat. Pop!!! The solid crankbait broke in 2 pieces (just behind the middle hook) and the fish threw the lure. It laid there at the side of the boat for a split second before taking off. Had we known that was going to happen, my fishing partner may have been able to scoop it up quick, but he had the net out of the way while it was going crazy at boatside.
Below are the "bent to crap" front hooks and a large tooth it left imbedded in the head of the crankbait. I saved these as evidence of "one that got away".
A number of years ago a good friend (inexperienced fisherman) from work and I were fishing the Wisconsin Dells past the Rivers Edge Resort. It was early fall and a Saturday. We were scheduled to pull the boat around 3:00pm as Steve needed to get home by 6:00pm as his wife was going out that evening for an annual “girls night” out.
We were doing one last drift over a deep hole and Steve (who had loaded up his jig with 3 minnows) said that I needed to back up as he was snagged. Turns out Steve wasn’t snagged but had a huge sturgeon on. We fought that fish for the next 2 hours, frequently calling his wife explaining we weren’t at a bar but her husband had a huge fish on. She was kind and said just catch the fish and take a picture!
As said earlier, Steve didn’t fish much. He would often reel his line and not actually turn the fish at all, but he put a lot of line twist into his fishing line. We chased that fishing up and down a good hundred yard stretch. When it started to run, it was like being hooked to the back bumper of a truck. Once we got it close to the boat and the water was churning from the front to the end of the (16 foot) boat on the side where Steve was trying to get the fish up. Eventually we started losing light and Steve’s fishing line started wrapping itself around the top tip of his rod and he couldn’t give the fish any line. I unwrapped it a few times but unfortunately I didn’t get there fast enough the last time and that huge fish snapped his line. It sounded like a gun shot. We never did get to see that fish....Steve, a former Marine Captain almost cried as he felt so bad not getting a glimpse of his big fish that got away!
His wife says Steve’s got the greatest “big fish that got away” story of his whole family!
13 years old in 1975 and my second season of deer hunting in my life. As I walked down a Oconto county fire lane close to our home kicking at stones and clumps of dirt as I walked ,the kinda of buck that only appears in your dreams while you are sleeping gets up right along side the fire lane and takes off and makes a turn to cross the fire lane oh about 20 yards in front of me. I get my 3 shots off with a 12 gauge that was pretty much bigger then I was. And never ever touch him. I still have dreams about that buck and I dont think I have ever seen a bigger buck again in my life. Alive or dead. I was one nerveous,scared,excited young teenager thats for sure.
I've always enjoyed scouting. When my boys were of age I got involved in a big way. I especially enjoyed the camp outs. One year our troop drove north to a place called Camp Demmer. It was the hard core camping....in tents. The other side of the lake was cabins and hot water. So I have a 12 year old in the boat and he's trying for his fishing merit badge. I have a 14' boat. I show the kid on my cave man electronics that line on the bottom of the lake was a big fish. Heck, I had to keep his attention somehow. I told him to keep that yellow jig bouncing off the bottom. Sure as heck if he doesn't get a bite 2 minutes later. His rod tip was nearly in the water for the next 10 minutes. He says that the fish is coming up. Ok I reach for the net. Crap, no net. It's still in the car. Well this fish comes up and it's the biggest northern I've ever seen. She stretched from the middle seat to the back of the rear seat. It's tuckered out and just lying there so I grab under the gill plate with one hand and put the other around the neck. It was so thick I couldn't get a decent grip. So I decided to give the heave ho and flop it into the boat. The fish had her own idea and gave a swoosh of the tail just as I was lifting. It zoomed forward and literally flew out of my hands. I nearly went to tears. Not just for loosing the biggest northern I've ever seen, but the the look on the scouts face went from jubilation to horror. I felt so bad for him. And must have apologized a dozen times. He went from being the hero of the troop to "Ya ya ya . We've heard that one before"
This one is about my casual fisherman brother. We were out trout fishing most of the day, and my bro was having a tough time catching them on the rod I had set up for him with 6 lb test. So on the way back, I stopped at a small river I knew had good bass fishing, and we waded out there still in our trout fishing gear. Well, a half hour in, I hear him whooping it up that he had a giant fish on. Looked like a mid size carp to me from a distance, but I waded over there. I had his drag set so the line would not break.
I saw the fish, and hoolie crap! At the end of his line was the biggest largemouth ihad ever seen. I had once caught a 23.5 inch largemouth full of spawn that had a 10 inch bass in its stomach, weighing 7.5 lbs. This fish was longer and maybe 8 lbs! I got a real good look at it, because he played it out and then grabbed the line and lifted it out of the water before I could stop him. So of course the 6lb line snapped. I almost managed to grab it, but it slipped thru my hands and swam away. Needless to say, it was a devastating lesson for my brother to learn.
Our last night in Canada ( Eagle Lake ) two summers ago and we're on the way back to the lodge. Friends grandson asks to make one more stop at a gravel bar we had not fished all week. Only 2 minnows left so we let the kid use them. I tie on a jig with an amber colored fake minnow. After a few casts with no fish I decide it needs help, so I also thread on a yellow twister tail. The rig looks foolish, but hey, we're done for the week. In 25 fow I rip the jig up about 3 feet and let it fall with a tight line. I hook and land a 26" walleye....what ?......make another drift and BAM, another just about rips the rod out of my hand. This one I can't get off the bottom. I've landed a few in the 28-30" range, so it's not my first rodeo with big eyes. Only use 6 lb line so I let it tug for a while then lift the rod up about 4 feet, but it heads right back to the bottom. Try again, same result. Decide I need to show this fish who the boss is, so I lift and reel in some line this time. Big mistake. I get it maybe 8 feet up and down it goes, pulling the knot off the jig head. Never had that happen to me before. That fish was an easy 30" plus. Planned to go back there this July, but the border is still locked down. I'll be back there next year !!
Along time ago on a lake far far away ...actually Sawyer Co. fishing walleye with my dad using my go to bait old orange an black Lazy Ike. Couple of casts into our trip...wammo.. new it was a Muskie. With light tackle got it to the boat dad tried to net it ..low 40's range..a head shake later and we watched the big one slowly swim away. Looked at my bait and the hooks were actually ripped out.... retired that lure never to be used again , and still have down in the basement......liked reading all the other stories brought back lots of memories.
My dad took me to Omro for the spring walleye run. 1968-69 Fishing off the railroad trestle. Everyone is fishing cane ploes in the main current and its a bit crowded so I go over to the north upstream side and there is a lot of debris and doesnt really look like a good place be cause of all the snags. I get one a big one right in front of an abuttment and start yelling to my dad. Well I got impatient, we didnt have a drop net, we kind of had a half ass one made from a landing net, so we kind of depended on other fishermen to help us out. Just as he gets to me Im pulling up on this big walleye, gills flaring out with its mouth wide open and it flops. Still see it in my mind today.
Fishing a beautiful north wood's Lake today! Clear water....Huge tree in the water. Casting the edges and then BAM. Big fish on. Near all the brush! Horse it in, but also leave a bit of give....drag...6 pound line. Then I see it....HUGE SMALLIE. Get it near the boat after a struggle, keeping it out of the brush. It's going nuts. Lip it. Gets away. Secure my line. Lip it again. Lift it a bit. Splashes off. Fish trashing. Nowhere to go but in the sticks. Lip it a third time....slips away. Then.... nothing....line breaks! And, then I realized that all I had to do was turn around and grab my net....just didn't realize how close it was! Was too focused on keeping the giant out of the brush.
It was hard to take the next cast! Nothing could compare. But, brush it off, keep fishing, and try not to let it bother you too much....there's a lot more to life than any fish. But, at the time, it hurts!!!
I have two that I can think of,
Flathead catfish one night on the fox river near Omro, there where a lot of boats fishing that night and a snag in front of me so I had limited room to fight a fish. Sure enough the lightest rod goes and I feel the power and tried to stop him but he got hung up and broke the line.
Walleye first ice, I had him up to the hole but just couldn't get ahold of him and the hook popped out. I still have nightmares about seeing it swim away under that 3 inches of clear ice.
Many years ago I was fishing Forest Lake in Waukesha County in chest waders. I was reeling in a decent sized bluegill when a big northern hit it no more than 6 or 7 feet from where I was standing. I watched as it was turning the gill in order to swallow it. I must have flinched as the pike quickly dropped the gill and darted away.
Back about 25-30 years ago a cousin of mine owned the Hideaway bar on Okauchee lake. We would visit my aunt, uncle and cousin there a couple times during the summer. Me being a young teenager I didn’t want to sit in the bar so I always brought a fishing pole and spent most of the day fishing around the docks. One particular time I was reeling in a bluegill and outta nowhere a huge northern darts in and grabs the gill on the end of my line. I felt a quick tug and it bit my line off and was gone. I can still remember my knees shaking from adrenaline, first time I saw something like that!
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