# Biggest Fish of my Life



## GamaGoju87 (Jul 24, 2013)

I think it was a Red Drum, whatever it was, I had never felt that much pulling kn my line or seen my rod almost snap like that before. After moving to my second spot of the day and with it being almost my 6th hour of fishing today, 3 hours at this spot, I had half of a blue crab minus the legs and hard shell soaking for only about a minute and my rod jump off the deck twice and almost went over the hand rail! I dropped the bag I was tying that had some freshly filleted croaker in it and caught my rod in the air and I felt like I was holding on for dear life. I have never caught a big fish before. Not a bass, catfish, or nothing. So I didn't know what to do after feeling that weight yankin on my line and my rod bending so far, so I thought well let me walk it up to the bank, and only got a few steps and the fish took another dive for the bottom and my line snapped. I never got to see it, but it was big whatever it was. I don't think it was a shark because a shark at that spot would really surprise me. I got lucky and found a full grown blue crab dead and washed up in the shore so I climbed down and got it and used it for bait. I now realize that my line was spooling off like it probably should have if my drag was set, it was like the line was locked up or something. That was my first time fishing with crab, I'm gonna go buy some crab and give it another go on another day. The time of the incident was right in the middle between low tide and high ride. Another reason I think it was a red drum. I heard the time to catch them was on the incoming tide. Man I'm so mad but yet excited to go again and try to get another but this time actually land it. Any tips??


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## WishIwasFishing (Dec 17, 2006)

Sucks that you lost the fish. I lost a nice one I never saw last sunday fishing over at the park at great bridge locks. It hit my silver n green popper. I fought it for five minutes. My line was spooling and my rod was bent more than it was designed for. I thought I was going to get it. Then it ran and the line snapped. I think it wrapped around a stump. Sucks but I know how you feel. Good report.


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## rainman21 (Dec 17, 2008)

Wow GamaGoju8, I know that excitement of "the big one" grabbing onto my bait,  as well as the feeling of it getting away  for whatever reason. But, there is always another day...and another Big One. Just chalk it up as a lesson learned... Fish On!!!


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## GamaGoju87 (Jul 24, 2013)

Well it was a bummer but I still end the day with a win, my jambalaya is almost done. I made it with the meat from some nice 10-12 inch croaker that I caught today.


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## RuddeDogg (Mar 20, 2004)

rainman211 said:


> Wow GamaGoju8, I know that excitement of "the big one" grabbing onto my bait,  as well as the feeling of it getting away  for whatever reason. But, there is always another day...and another Big One. Just chalk it up as a lesson learned... Fish On!!!


Indeed. Well said.


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## red_fish (Jul 22, 2007)

WishIwasFishing said:


> Sucks that you lost the fish. I lost a nice one I never saw last sunday fishing over at the park at great bridge locks. It hit my silver n green popper. I fought it for five minutes. My line was spooling and my rod was bent more than it was designed for. I thought I was going to get it. Then it ran and the line snapped. I think it wrapped around a stump. Sucks but I know how you feel. Good report.


Almost 100% sure that was a gar with all this rain there have been some MASSIVE ones in there. I'm talking 3-4 ft


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## Stumpdawg (May 29, 2013)

A gar in salt water? Where were you fishing?


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## Fishy Business (Jun 1, 2013)

There is freshwater influence at Great Bridge. Mainly leeches in from the North Landing R. side of the locks. Over the years I have seen those gars top feeding in the small creek that the smaller Battlefield Blvd bridge crosses.


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## NC KingFisher (Nov 20, 2011)

Lol gar don't fight like that, at least never a one I've hooked. And since when do gar eat crabs? It was pronbably a nice red, try some heavier tackle and good luck!


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## speckhunter80 (Oct 3, 2011)

Learn to properly set your drag


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## chest2head&glassy (Jul 2, 2002)

Tell us where you were fishing (no need for specific spot but body of water) and we can help narrow down if it was a ray, red, shark or whatever. Also, what size setup were you using - puppy drum put up a good a good fight on a light inshore setups. Also, unless the fish wrapped around structure, the knot probably broke.
Lessons learned - set your drag properly, check your knots regularly and/or tie proper knots. Maybe next time that biggie won't get away.


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## NC KingFisher (Nov 20, 2011)

Not completely sure but I think his drag might have locked up on him. Shark woulda tailed him off already, he said it took a dive for the bottom so I think it was either a cow nose or a red. Just what I can figure out from what he said


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## A Reel CoolChick (Nov 3, 2011)

+1 on the drag and proper knot.


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## Aristokles (Mar 5, 2013)

Warning: Old fishing story ahead....
This reminds me of a night I had at the end of the then-public Kitty Hawk Pier, around 11:30PM in late fall. School had begun, tourists except for weekenders were scarce, and I needed to fish. I took two rods with me as I skirted around the gate (pier "open" but not manned for fees) - a light weight medium with a Penn 704Z for baitfish and a Fishmaster 10' Drumstick with a Penn MagPower 980. It took about 10 minutes to catch a suitable spot for sacrifice; baited the live critter on a standard fishfinder with heavy lead and ripped it off the end into the darkness below. Light wind (or none at all). I set the rod down, clicker prepped, and lighted a smoke as I went back to the bait rod. Killing time. No one was fishing on the entire pier - heck, only two guys were down at the other end just sitting drinking beer. So...just me and "fishing". 
Around midnight "something" loudly peeled about 10 yards of line off the Drumstick. Then, nothing. I casually reached for the rod and "set the hook", or thought I did. Commencing to reel in with only moderate resistance I got the line to about 10 yards from the pier when it came to a dead stop. I mean _immovable_. I surmised that I had somehow snagged something and had no fish on, just dead weight. Could not move it. Lucky for me I was using old Berkley Silver Thread with a LOT of stretch because I cranked the drag down hard and tried again, bending the rod nearly double. 
Then I noticed that I could walk the line around the end of the pier, all the way around. Still it sat though, 10 yards out. I'm thinking big ray?, shark? just sitting on the bottom. An hour later I am still trying to pry "whatever" up to catch a glimpse. Just after 1 AM the two beer drinkers wandered up for the other end and were astounding to see me with a 10' heavy rod, bent double. (Still have the rod, never will get rid of it). From one side of the end to the other, back and forth. I let up totally, line goes slack. Attempt another retrieve...nowhere. 
Another 30 minutes of this tomfoolery and I just said, "Screw it", and burnt the line. "Whatever" had kicked my butt.


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## red_fish (Jul 22, 2007)

Again the comments on this tread shows how pointless this forum is!


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## Aristokles (Mar 5, 2013)

You WERE warned.


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## tomsurles (Jan 16, 2012)

Chalk it up to a learning experience, heed some of the tips posted here, and hit the water again!


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## WalkingFumble (Apr 24, 2012)

speckhunter80 said:


> Learn to properly set your drag


Great advice....but he obviously learned that.


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## GamaGoju87 (Jul 24, 2013)

chest2head&glassy said:


> Tell us where you were fishing (no need for specific spot but body of water) and we can help narrow down if it was a ray, red, shark or whatever. Also, what size setup were you using - puppy drum put up a good a good fight on a light inshore setups. Also, unless the fish wrapped around structure, the knot probably broke.
> Lessons learned - set your drag properly, check your knots regularly and/or tie proper knots. Maybe next time that biggie won't get away.



I was fishing the Chesapeake Bay from shore on the Norfolk side not Hampton, in shallow water. My rod is a Daiwa Beefstick 10-40 lb medium power, fast action, for 1oz-4oz lures, using 14# mono, reel is a Shakespeare (don't know the model) that someone gave me 3 years ago but this is my first season using it. I was using a carolina rig but with a 2oz bank sinker instead of an egg sinker because i lost all my other ones and i just wanted it to get to the bottom and that was all i had. I tied a uni knot that I recently learned how to tie, I think I might switch to a palomar knot from main line to swivel and swivel to snelled hook when just letting my bait sit for something big. Was using a 3/0 circle sea eagle claw hook. Oh and 30 lb mono leader 

I think my main problem was the drag. When the fish took my bait I never heard my drag whine, I just saw my rod about to fly over the rail and I caught it. I think I need a better reel, or at least lube my drag discs because it's difficult to get my drag to set where I want it and it's never smooth unless it's super loose it feels like I only have three levels of drag (full on, halfway and jerky, or so loose I can't even cast with it)


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## NC KingFisher (Nov 20, 2011)

You need a better reel honestly, the best you can afford. Try a penn pursuit or fierce combo, pretty low budget


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## chest2head&glassy (Jul 2, 2002)

GamaGoju87 said:


> I was fishing the Chesapeake Bay from shore on the Norfolk side not Hampton, in shallow water.


Ray, cobia or shark would be my guess. Good luck and keep on fishing.


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## chriscustom (Jun 17, 2006)

DO NOT LUBE THE DRAG!!! Buy a better reel and put some good line on it.


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## GamaGoju87 (Jul 24, 2013)

Cool deal. Thanks for all the responses! I still consider myself a novice angler and I appreciate all the help. I'll look at upgrading my reel after I finish putting together my light rod set up. When I replace it I'll use the Shakespeare on a DIY sabiki rod that I'll be making in the future. 

I was a finance major in college so I look at many things in life as numbers. So far the way I view fishing, if I am spending too much money on fishing then I might as well just buy fish at the grocery store because it's costing too much for the food and it becomes more of an expensive hobby. At this point all that money could go into my motorcycle. Or even better, my house. But eventually I'll have the extra money to put into fishing, like buying a boat. I really want a boat down the line that I can take out to the blue water.

So right now when it comes to gear I look at what is average to above average in performance and average to below average in price. All of that to simply say, I can be a bit cheap sometimes haha!


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## fishinbob (May 27, 2011)

GamaGoju87 said:


> So right now when it comes to gear I look at what is average to above average in performance and average to below average in price. All of that to simply say, I can be a bit cheap sometimes haha!


No shame in that. I've bought some walmart cheapos so that I can save up for a nice rod and reel.


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## NC KingFisher (Nov 20, 2011)

If you need a cheapie now, go get a daiwa sweep fire. BA cheap reel


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## cescommguy (Jul 1, 2011)

Once you hook into a couple it's pretty easy to tell the difference between a ray and a fish. I would agree something that big taking a nose dive straight to the bottom and sitting was either a bull red or a ray. If you don't feel any vibrations from a head shake, it's almost guaranteed to be a ray. A fish pulling against the drag will normally thrash it's head back and forth trying to spit the hook, causing you to feel vibration through the rod. Since rays don't have heads ... no shake just an incredibly strong pull. It's almost like you snagged a submarine steaming away from you. The rays have been thick this year. I hooked into one 4-5' across Saturday at JRBP fishing a chunk of cut spot. After a 15 minute fight, I was able to get him close enough to cut my line and only lose a couple of yards.


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