The monster that got away ! Let’s hear your stories

[John Ingram]

Not my story but it’s a gooder bug. My buddy was fishing mable lake when his rigger pops. No tugs just that slow, deep bend in the rod that you just know is a monster. That, or you’re snagged on the bottom lol. He wasnt. The fish was going bat$!t crazy. It feels huge he says. Suddenly, line goes slack and fish is gone. Figures he says, so big it broke the line. Wait a minute. he can still feel the plug. He winds it in and there he never hook was an eyeball the size of a tooney

ikhthýs or **** sapian (I mean the eyeball)

 

[terrin]

In 2019 I was guiding out of westview marina with a very nice middle aged couple from Ont. The guy owned a 60 ft viking on Lake ont --so he's the fisherman--right-- wrong-its his wife Ellen who's the die hard. Last day of a very successful 3 day charter and we are just jinking around middle reef in the sunshine catching our remaining coho-no pressure-halibut and Springs are processed-easy day-I see a sunfish and point it out to them--that's nice!! 3 min later they want a picture so gear in the water I do a lazy 360- and they get ready to photo it from a safe distance. All of a sudden all hell breaks loose-unbeknownst to me there were 2 of them the rigger braid is hung up on it-thought my rigger was gone-reached for the knife when the braid rolled off him--safe- only for a second or 2-- the coyote hooked him-what a ride I thought sunfish were slow-this thing put up a bow wave-figured I'd lost my braid-so just palmed the reel and hung on -just about spooled and the hook straightened. Got everything back and just was amazed-never seen anything like it-unstoppable power

At least you knew what you hooked. Got spooled at Hutt Island mooching off the bottom one year could only hold on and palm the beast went straight to shore and found a boulder or something to break off on.

 

[Deepaaaar]

The day started with me losing my #1 rod off the kayak on the paddle out to the jigging grounds, so I had to use my backup rod. Jigged for hours and hours with no signs of life, then, finally, I saw some fish in the distance and raced to them. Tossed the jig. BAM. Fought the spring for a bit, then it swam to the surface, jumped, and spit the hook. No biggie, the fish were still around. Tossed it at another boil. WHAM... SNAP! Broke me off on the hit. Damn. Couldn't find the fish again and the wind came up. It was blowing around 15 kts by the time I decided I ought to paddle back in. Juuuust one more drift. As I was cranking up the jig to reset, my rod doubles over... zzzzzzzzzzzzzZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ... line screaming out. It was all I could do to hang onto the rod. ZZZZZ it kept going. 15 seconds... 30 seconds... 45... I'm beginning to get concerned about getting spooled, so I reach up and give the drag juuuust one click. SNAP.

I had forgotten to re-line my backup rod and the line was old. Oof. Who knows, it could've been a seal for all I know, I never got to see it. It was pretty fishy, though, and I'll just assume it was a tyee.

 

[Fisher_dude]

When I was 14, my dad and I were fishing around Norris rocks using live pole perch for bait looking for lingcod. My dad had a heavy rod setup with an old Penn senator with 60lb mono. He’s getting a bite so he sets the hook and the rod doubles over. The fish is taking line like nothing so we start to chase it. There was nothing we could do to stop it and after a 10 minute fight, the hook straightened out and off it went. No idea what it was.

 

[Loghauler]

Round two of the Monster that got away !
I have realized that my little boat while lots of fun and fishing has happened on it that I’m lacking in several departments so I’m my quest to find a better platform I’ve done the research and sorted through the options and have to say the “helpful” opinions when I’ve posted my thoughts on several directions I could have gone but was pulled back from the brink with a well placed dose of reality!
I have narrowed my search to a particular boat type and model so out of the few out there only a couple even come close as the main market is the states which in and of itself can be an issue
So after calculating all the ins and outs of this maze I decided to get a boat that was available just a stone’s throw from the border exactly what I wanted not a total rebuild but something I could make my own with a repower, contact made yes the boat is available sweet ! Yes I have the cash let’s make a deal so the owner has a problem with the boat trailer being surge brakes and doesn’t want to sell it north of the border due to his belief that they are illegal I message back only for certain weight class and not for this boat and if it is the motor is dead weight so I’ll leave that behind or I will update the brakes as needed
So a few days go by and I’ve been ghosted no more reply’s and the add disappeared so oh well all my digging into used or new engines for nought
Then as if magic the add reappears and I immediately respond hey remember me I’m gonna buy your boat I’ll come down this weekend and am taking days off to make this happen so see you soon
After a couple days a message appears and I open it
Boat sold doing paperwork sorry !
Oh boy another let down
What’s worse loosing a whopper of a fish or the boat lol thankfully there’s more of both out there
Had plans of doing almost new used or new twins 150 or 175’s and yes it’s expensive but resale and comfort with knowing what you got is worth it for my plans
But alas the good used gulfsteam is gone to a good home and maybe a monster was hidden in the sale but who knows !
I will endeavour to land my boat of choice although I sense an interesting battle of a different sort than landing a fish and totally different skills