# Most Memorable Fish?



## texcajun (Feb 22, 2009)

I've frequented this forum more and more over the last couple years and have met a few of the fellers from this forum. All of them are darned nice guys. I've often thought of this topic and figured I'd post it up now since I am recovering from shoulder surgery and haven't been able to fish for the last month and a half. I wanted to hear the stories of your most memorable fish. It don't have to be the biggest (mine certainly isn't) but it could be! Here's mine:

 As a kid growing up in Baton Rouge the whole family would regularly pile into the family car and go visit my aunt and uncle over in Folsom, LA. All 10 of us! If I was lucky enough to grab shotgun on the passenger side, I would always get a glimpse of beautiful pond just outside of Walker, LA that either belonged to paper mill company or was donated by one to the parish. I never saw anyone fish it but it just looked fishy, know what I mean? For 14 years I watched from the window as my dad just drove on by, don't know if he ever noticed it or not.
In my senior year of high school I was lacking a father figure since my dad passed away the year before and had taking to skipping a lot of school. Since I had my own transportation, I decided I'd much rather fish than go to school. I'd pretty much worn out all of the local places in Baton Rouge and decided I'd strike out for the little pond outside Walker. Got there about 9 in the morning and brother let me tell you, it was even prettier up close. I prowled the bank and picked up several small bass with an old B&B spinnerbait. When I got to the back side of the pond I noticed a large stump that was about a foot under water and could tell there was a large fish sitting on top of it. I tossed my little spinnerbait over past the the stump and started the retrieve. The fish barely turned to notice it. After six more cast I figured it wanted to look at something else. So for the next 2 hour, I tossed just about everything I had in my tackle box at that fish. It would follw some of the baits, but never once really made a charge at anything I tossed. I was about to give up when I came across an old rusted Zara Spook that used to belong to my dad. I have no clue why that lure was in my tackle box as my dad and I had completely different fishing styles. After thinking it over I decided to tie it on, what the heck! I made my cast about 5 feet behind the stump and let it settle till there were no more ripples as I had watched my father do before me. After waiting an eternity, I twitched it up to that stump and the water just exploded! Man it was on, and I just prayed that I could get my hands on what ever it was. After another eternity, I dragged the fattest bass I had ever seen up to the bank and actually got her in my hands. I sat down on the bank and cried holding that fish. At the time I couldn't tell you why I cried, but I know now. 
When my dad passed away we were just starting to get to know each other. We both had a passion for fishing and we had just started sharing that passion together. I still miss him.

That fish prolly weighed 4 maybe 5 pounds and I have caught bass twice that weight since. But that is my most memorable fish.


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## tbone2374 (Feb 27, 2010)

I have two that come to mind, fairly equally. A 9.8 oz. LMB caught on July 4th, of last year, and a 58 lb. Blue Cat, caught on Conroe, about a month ago. Not that size is everything, but it sure is special, when you're been fishing, for a long while.


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## FISHROADIE (Apr 2, 2010)

I lost all my most memorable fish, i have had my line broken off at least 6 times by really big fish. Years ago I was fishing from the bank below lake Houston dam, and made a cast and hooked a good fish, i never even got to crank the reel, it spooled me to the knot on my baitcaster and broke the 14 lb line. My best hybrid out of Conroe to date was 13 pounds.


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## baytownboy (Jul 24, 2009)

Two fish come to mind, this is the first. Fishing on Lake Sam Rayburn back in the 70's around pig pen slough above Jackson Hill Marina and the high lines. The day before had caught several 5-7 lb bass in the creek on silver sides and black back Red Fins and on this day caught a biggie that was probly between 8-9 lbs on same lure. Got the biggie in the net and was holding it up so ex father in law could see it in the other boat, and the biggie flopped up and own a couple of times, then busted the bottom out of evidently a bad net and my biggie was gone. Laid my rod down and pouted a little, cranked up and headed back to the camp. Hollered, cussed all the way back so my ex's could not hear.

Second big bass came behind the Black Forrest on Lake Sam Rayburn during a BASS Tournament in the 80's. Fishing back in the flooded willows, I saw some minnows darting around a big willow tree, and threw a silver/black Sluggo in there and the world exploded!! Got the biggie to the boat and in the net. The funny part about this was there was a BASS Tournament boat with two guys and they both went crazy. They came over and looked at the fish, and both said if she had not already spawned, she probly woul have weigh around 12 lbs, close to the the lake record back then. Got back to Twins Pines grocery store just up from Harvey Creek boat ramp, they weight her and she was a little of 10lbs. Took her down to the boat ramp and released her back in Big Sam.


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## markbrumbaugh (Jul 13, 2010)

36 inch rainbow on a fly rod on the Kenai river in Alaska.


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## HGX_Fisherman (Feb 26, 2009)

Mine would be a 26 pound muskie caught on an ultralight fishing for bluegill with my dad. He caught a 22 pound muskie trolling later that day.


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## yakamac (Jan 24, 2010)

Good story tex, sorry to hear about your dad. Mine also passed away when I was 16 and I miss him more than ever. I caught some memorable fish over the years but one that stands out was when I was about 9 years old. Dad and I were trolling in a northern Wisconsin lake for musky when he hooked a 45" 23lb tiger musky, got it in the john boat and it was slamming its tail against the bottom of the boat, dad was holding him down and said start the motor which I wasn't able to do up till then being a skinny little kid. Well the adrenelin must have been flowing cause for the first time ever I pulled that cord and fired up the ol evinrude and we hauled *** back to the lodge. That musky is still up on my wall to this day.


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## nightgigger (Oct 13, 2008)

Last year, I first tried my hand a videoing my creek fishing. So set up with small camera 
screwed to my hat, I went to fish the bayou near the house. The conditions were good.


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## Gofish2day (May 9, 2006)

*Delacroix Island redfish*

Back home in SE Louisiana you could catch these till your arms hurt but this one was special. We were in lake campo on the edge of black bay. This red knocks this 12" mullet in the air and just swallows him whole right next to the boat. I throw my lure right on the spot and whammm! There he goes. About this time I realize I have 10lb test and the chase is on. A short while later and help from the trolling motor we land him, took pics then released. We then went back to spec fishing.

I attached this pic. Hope this works.


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## Gofish2day (May 9, 2006)

*Another pic*

While looking for that pic I came upon another. The pic is of me pulling a shrimp trawl in bayou pete in the Louisiana Marsh. We caught well over 100lbs that day. The net is being pulled behind the boat. I lost that boat in Hurricane katrina.


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## redduck (Jul 26, 2006)

My first Bass over 7 pounds and it was back in the 70's at Sam Rayburn. My cousin had come down from Oklahoma to visit and we went fishing. We had caught a fair number of Bass in the 2-4 pound range and as we rounded a little point there was a little cove or horseshoe depression in the bank. I hauled off and threw the lure (silver and blue hot spot) as far as I could and said out loud "right there is a monster bass". I had not made two cranks on the reel when the Bass hit. It was not spectactular fighting but having just "called the shot so to speak", it felt great. Funny how some things you never forget. Perhaps it was because my cousin and I are always competing when we fish for Bass.


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## CmackR56 (May 30, 2009)

No doubt, a 13# bass caught at 11pm March 17th 2003 on Lake El Salto Mexico. The thing (other than size) that made it so memorable was that I had been fishing a deep ledge earlier that night and catching a 7 to 8 pound fish every 20 minutes or so. I almost had to physically force the other 2 guys in my boat to leave those fish and go hunt a "BIG" one. I ran across the lake and hit a long sloping gravel point and on the 1st cast caught the 13#.


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## CoastalBent (Aug 3, 2006)

This was a very memorable fish caught out of lake Austin! The other is my first double digit, caught this year on Choke.


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## CmackR56 (May 30, 2009)

CoastalBent said:


> This was a very memorable fish caught out of lake Austin! The other is my first double digit, caught this year on Choke.


Man, that thang has a 12#er head on her. She would have gone 12+ full of eggs!


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## johnmyjohn (Aug 6, 2006)

Gofish2day said:


> While looking for that pic I came upon another. The pic is of me pulling a shrimp trawl in bayou pete in the Louisiana Marsh. We caught well over 100lbs that day. The net is being pulled behind the boat. I lost that boat in Hurricane katrina.


 That pile of shrimp is hard to top.


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## shadslinger (Aug 21, 2005)

The redfin story got me to remembering the days when the only kind of fishing I did was for the biggest large mouth bass in any body of water I fished.
I was a purist in those days.
February was the month to catch a hog.
I usually just wore waders and fished around Rattlesnake Creek on big Sam Rayburn.

My method was to drive down to Burl Lowery's and sit on the tailgate and listen for big bass chugging the top after a light rain.
Where rattlesnake creek entered the lake there was a line of taller trees that still lined the submerged creek bank in the lake. 
The water was from 3 to 4' all around the creek and about 8' in the creek.
I almost always used a chrome blue back redfin.

It was 1975, and I heard a big girl really thundering hard around the old creek channel. 
I watched and saw her hit a couple of times and made my stalk very slow to the place where I had seen her hitting.
The water was almost up to the edge of my waders, and I cast several times, working the floater/diver very slow.
On about the 5th cast when I had the bait almost back to me she cruised it just under the surface, I made a rookie mistake because of her size and jerked the bait out of the water when she flashed it.

After getting my composure back I cast again to the same spot and let the ripple die out completely. 

Then I twitched it.

She exploded on the bait by coming out of the water and crashing down on it.
[email protected]^# went wild after that! 
I had 20# mono and the drag screwed down tight to bring big fish out of timber and such, the best Fenwick blank I ever had on a homemade rod i had built for the purpose.

The fish was only 10' away when it hit and it was like having a tiger by the tail as she tail walked all around me nearly filling waders with water before she took a dive.
The rod and line started making high pitched pings as the stress built up. 
I knew something was about to break, so I leaned into her, just a little.

And it was over, because she turned on a dime and came back towards me and spit the hook.
When I got the redfin back 2 of the rear trebles were yawed almost straight out.
After I quit shaking and got back to the bank and emptied my waders out, I was physically ill.
The best LMB I have landed and weighed was 12.5#, but this bass was much bigger.
I think I'm ill again just telling the story.


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## devil1824 (Sep 4, 2010)

My first Redfish I caught 2 yrs ago that went 28". I have caught a lot since then but none near that size.


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## great white fisherman (Jun 24, 2008)

When my daughter was 15 she caught the juvenile world record IGFA certified Black Bass at 12lbs and 10 oz. She was setting in the boat next to dad when she caught it. It is on display at the front of the store at Bass Pro in Grapevine. She is now a fine doctor at SCott and White in Temple. Man I miss those days with my kids fishing.


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## Shrimptail_Hunter (Dec 20, 2008)

I've caught alot of fish from the west coast to the east coast from salt water to fresh water and my absolute favorite fish to catch is crappie and I got to fish for them at night for the first time last spring and caught them one after another for 2 hours. That was my most memorible trip this year.


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## kelley350x (Mar 4, 2010)

All of the inlaws had their pontoon boats tied together about half way between mill creek and the old highway bed on Rayburn out by 96, it is hard for me to just relax and hang out so I borrowed a jet ski, a rod and reel, and the only lure that was in any of the boats... it was a half rotted plastic worm.. I didnt care, i just wanted to be alone...

I headed out to the roadbed, cut the motor off and started casting, i was sitting on the back with my feet hanging off in the water... On about my third cast he hit the lure about 2' from me.. i actually felt him blow past my feet and hit the lure.. I set the hook and pulled the bass in by hand.. I chunked the fish into the floor board, put my foot on him and hauled back to the boats... when i left i told them i would be back in a few minutes with a nice bass..

edit: dang i have gained some weight since this pic.....


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## Sunbeam (Feb 24, 2009)

I have caught fish in most parts of the world. One I remember was a C&R marlin estimated at 400 kilos (880 lbs) off Cairn Australia.
I am glad it was released because I watched an 1050 pounder being dragged up a beach with a Ford tractor so some German fishermen could get their picture with the their trophy. Very depressing.
The strangest was a 145 pound grouper's head I pull up while fishing from a work barge in the South China Sea. We figured the whole fish would have weighed in excess of 300 pounds.
But you will have to ask me at the next fish fry about the 14' great white I caught about 30 minutes later. It is a long story and my "hunt n peck'en" finger is getting tired.


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## Outearly (Nov 17, 2009)

Early one morning I put my kayak in at the end of the runway lights near the Galveston golf course. It was still dark, but there was a huge full moon setting as the sky in the East started turning pink.

First cast and bam! I had a nice fish on and pulled it up to set it between my legs. Deep inside the prehistoric part of my brain a little cave girl shrieked, "SNAKE!" as I set a world record ribbonfish between my legs.

I scooted back at *lightning* speed but somehow stayed on the boat.

Anyway, I'll never forget that one....


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## RB II (Feb 26, 2009)

When I was about 16 I was fishing a quarry lake that was behind our house. I had fished it many times with the steel rod, old bait casting reel with braided line and caught lots of small bass. This particular day I was fishing a red worm with the multiple hooks and a spinner (I am sure some will remember them), kinda dragging it on the bottom when I thought I was hung up, then the line started moving off, I set the hook and proceeded to haul in an 8 lb bucket mouth bass. The biggest fish I had ever seen or heard of at that time. I ran all the way to the house to show my prize, hook still in its mouth. I had it on the wall for many years until it got to ragged from people "looking" at it. That is my PB bass to date.


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## Gfish (Aug 31, 2009)

I remember fishing with my dad in the Snake River bringing in 25lb Flathead Cats back in the early 70's. we would make a camp fire and eat them as we caught them and take back what was left. It's been 40 years but I still look back when I bring in a big one.


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## KIKO (Oct 24, 2006)

My first fish... A 10" catfish when I was 6 years old. Was shaking like crazy my mother thought I was becoming an epileptic moment. LOL And I was hooked...


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