Blew it. I could just die!

[Navy Jr.]

So my son and I are fishing on a lake new to us this morning. He had all the bites. Once he snagged a nice bass, but when it jumped in the air the lure popped out.

A few minutes later I noticed a dorsal fin curve up and then down from the top of the water. Then I saw a very large turtle swim by. Good grief, what all is in this here lake?

About an hour later as we drifted with the wind towards the south end of the lake, my son says he's got something. While I'm reeling in I notice the drag is slipping on his rig and his pole is really bending. He works it for about three minutes. I'm ready with the net.

It starting to come up, but we still couldn't see it; and then all of a sudden there it was. A spotted musky. It was by far the biggest fish either of us had hooked... ever.

I try to make a single sweeping motion with the net, but I hesitated and the musky lurched at the last second and I had to regroup... and then the line snapped.

My son was very gracious about the whole thing ("Gee, we were lucky to have gotten it to the surface with 6 lb line"), but my heart is still somewhere down by my stomach. Feel terrible. You should have seen it. That fish was huge.

Definitely need heavier line for that lake. And a good netter!

 

[jakebrake]

Re: Blew it. I could just die!

your son has the makings of a good man. i crawled into the fetal posistion, crying and sucking my thumb reading that. so he'll be a good guy

the thrill of the fight will make when he catches that scaly slimy so and so that much more sweet. heavier line or leader, yup. I get the feeling your son has the netter he wants.

now, GO CATCH THAT DAMN FISH!

 

[lowkee]

Re: Blew it. I could just die!

Sometimes the fight is everything.. well, in this case anyway

It really is amazing to get soemthing that big to the surface with 6lb test!

 

[Navy Jr.]

Re: Blew it. I could just die!

You're too kind, Jake. I feel a skoash better already. And yes, he's a great son. He's currently teaching math at a large high school in the Twin Cities area.

 

[jakebrake]

Re: Blew it. I could just die!

my late father did similar to me with a flathead cat that must've gone 25 pounds (around here, that is mammoth). i thought he was gonna cry. we kept trying to get that monster.

that winter, we had a total kill at the pond. 2 years later, dad was gone. i still look back on that rainy day and smile.

now, go get that musky...and a few more.

 

[j_martin]

Re: Blew it. I could just die!

Navy,
Let me teach you a trick about netting big fish. A large fish will eventually wear out and you can drag it to the surface. It is tired, but it still has a lot of strength. If you move suddenly, it will take off in a burst of speed. If there's a sudden change in the line tension, likewise it'll take off.

Here's the trick. You hold the net very still underwater, hoop up. The angler leads the tired fish till it's head is over the net, then suddenly drops the rod tip. The fish lurches downward.........directly into the net.

hope it helps
John

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Blew it. I could just die!

Good tip j_martin. Navy Jr., when fishing with me, a nice fish brought to the side of the boat, clearly visible, is counted as a catch in my book The fish just made the "release" part quicker.

 

[arks]

Re: Blew it. I could just die!

I crawled into the fetal position, crying and sucking my thumb reading that. so he'll be a good guy

That line made me laugh OUT LOUD!

 

[jakebrake]

Re: Blew it. I could just die!

Parkesburg? as in, near gap and nottingham? damn nice down there!

 

[wellsc1]

Re: Blew it. I could just die!

I agree. It's the fight that gets my socks jumping up and down. Getting the fish to the sided of the boat is as good as landing it.

I caught a Cobia that was about 1/4" under legal limit, or about 33-3/4" long. Caught in 6 lb. test line on ultra light about 5 miles offshore in the Gulf of Mexico. Why such a light rig, because it's the fight that's fun. Boy did the drag work multiple times before the fish pooped out. Yes, I revived it in the water before releasing. It slowly swam out of my hands.

 

[Boss Hawg]

Re: Blew it. I could just die!

The catching & playing to the boat is 95% of fishing (to me)
You would have released it anyway------right?
BTW- Your Son is OK by me

 

[arks]

Re: Blew it. I could just die!

Parkesburg? as in, near gap and nottingham? damn nice down there!

Yessiree. We like it here but wish the Chesapeake was closer......

 

[jakebrake]

Re: Blew it. I could just die!

i wish i was closer to the chesapeake too. i gotta settle for the dirty delaware. i'm afraid the schuylkill would dissolve my boat.

to non-phila area people, that's not a joke.

 

[Navy Jr.]

Re: Blew it. I could just die!

Thanks so much to ALL of you! I feel better now. And your netting tips were absolutely outstanding!

Thing is, I'm not sure about the fish. The line snapped, but I fear the lure is still with the fish.

And that's my new mission in life... to go back to the exact same lake and find that exact same spotted musky so I can check and remove the lure! -Ken

 

[jakebrake]

Re: Blew it. I could just die!

ken;

ah grasshopper....you have learned.

 

[j_martin]

Re: Blew it. I could just die!

Don't worry about the fish. Odds are that's not the first lure he's had to digest.

In fact, if you gut hook a fish and it isn't bleeding badly, cut the line leaving several inches hanging out of it's mouth and let it go. It'll be OK, digesting the hook and discarding the line in a few days.

Once I had a big bass break off. About 20 minutes later he bit again and I got the lure back.

 

[Thad]

Re: Blew it. I could just die!

Well, at least you had the net in your hands and in the water.

My daughter STILL brings up my story. And I can definitly beat yours.
So here is a reason you should'nt feeal too bad.
We were catfishing and were getting some nice 3 to 5 pounders. She always leans back and gets redfaced when reeling them in. Very important to the story. She got one on and set the hook. When she started reeling, she said "daddy, I think we're going to need the net for this one". I looked at her and saw her leaning back, redfaced, and said "you just get it to the boat and I'll take care of it". Mistake #2. Oh yeah, mistake #1; the net was still strapped in the bow.
Now she is really struggling with this fish to the point I almost think she has a snag. Then the pole takes off and pulls here out of the seat. I try to rush to the bow to get the net and about that time, up it comes and she yells, "too late, get the fish". I jump back to try and land the fish by hand, no big deal with cats, and as I reach down the line, it surfaces. I yanked my hand back in the boat and screamed.
It was the biggest ---- Northern I had ever seen with half of a catfish sticking out of it's mouth. NO NET in hand.

It got away, and I am to blame Still had half a Catfish though.

I gotta give it to her though, with dissapointment in her face she looked at me and said, "well, at least I got it to the boat and now I have my own fish story that no one will believe".

Funny thing though, I never knew that Pike ate Catfish. Someone had told me they stay away because of the quills in their fins.

 

[scipper77]

Re: Blew it. I could just die!

I once was out fishing with my brother who does not fish much. He hooked into a smallmouth that was just swimming wherever it wanted...drag was singing. Being a much more experienced angler I was telling him that his drag was WAY to loose, he needs to tighten it up some. Long story short, it was a 5+ lb smally. had he listened to my wisdom and tightened the drag more he would have lost the fish for sure. I think we all react based on what we are expecting and sometimes get a little surprise.

 

[slowjeep]

Re: Blew it. I could just die!

Thanks so much to ALL of you! I feel better now. And your netting tips were absolutely outstanding!

Thing is, I'm not sure about the fish. The line snapped, but I fear the lure is still with the fish.

And that's my new mission in life... to go back to the exact same lake and find that exact same spotted musky so I can check and remove the lure! -Ken

Last year in up at Kabenung lake in Ontario, my buddy lost his best hot n' tot to a decent sized pike. It was traumatic, i mean REALLY traumatic to him. That lure had been nailing the fish all week. I honestly can say, he was almost in tears, and we heard a tiny spash... the pike stuck his head out of the water and shook the lure off, and it was only about 3' away from the boat!

 

[P 0 P E Y E]

Re: Blew it. I could just die!

Congrats on he catch and release...you will never forget the one that got away.

your son is one lucky kid to have such a great dad.