Unpardonable Sin!

[Stinkfinger]

Yesterday I committed the "unpardonable sin". I moved the boat about 20 yards to get back to my honey-hole after the wind had pushed me away and didn't put the fish basket back in the boat.

Folks, don't ever do this without first putting your fish basket back inside the boat. When I got back to my spot, I glanced down and the fish basket was horizontal and the lid was gapped wide open. Lost around a dozen large crappie. One of them was close to 2 lbs.

I was sick!!!

[Gar-Getter]

I hate when that happens!

[crappster]

Oh man! I feel your sickness just reading about it! I lost a mess of big bream and a few nice smallmouths float tubing the Susquehanna in Maryland a few years back. Somehow, as I was bouncing around on the rocks, the basket door came open and let everything out.

[Bruce Carp]

Bet that won't happen again! Sorry but it does happen!

[blufloyd]

I completely lost a basket of pound+ black crappie once in three feet of water.
Poled and rodded did everything but get out with barefeet never felt it on bottom at all. Couldn't even snag with jighead. Rope was a 9 foot stringer. Was a real bad day's fishing. 20+ crappie lost.

[GABoy]

OUCH!!!

I feel your pain!

[kunes]

Didn't you mean to post:

"Went out for awhile this afternoon. Caught and released a dozen nice crappie. The biggest was 2lbs".

[Roberta]

Just a few weeks ago, we lost four nice rainbow trout when a stick or rock pushed the basket lid open while we shore fished. You can bet I wired it shut after we put more fish in there, but I sure felt bad about those four.
We use a live well when we're in the boat, but we rigged a float around the top of the basket for the next time we're stuck on shore. - Roberta

[CohuttaCrappie]

I've heard of catch and release but not catch and hold on to for awhile then release. .....that's too bad. Sounds like something I would do.

[shadow]

That is why I hate to use baskets. Use a aireated icechest if possible. But yea I have made the same mistake.