Lost my best ever Crappie.....

[Brag]

I've caught more than my share of trophy fish in my life, Smallmouth up to 6.75 pounds (have lost bigger), Largemouth to 7 pounds (have lost much bigger), Yellow perch to 2.6 pounds (have caught lots of them in the 2.4-2.6 range), Walleye over 10 pounds and my biggest Black crappie ever was taken last year. It was 17" even and 2.95 pounds. I caught nearly 50 Crappie last year that were over 14" and lots of those were over 2 pounds, so I've caught fair numbers of pretty big Crappie, depending on what your definition of big is. BUT, I lost one that I know was my best ever and think was really a truly gargantuan fish the other day. Admittedly, I never physically saw the Crappie, but it was with other Crappie, doing Crappie things, bit like a Crappie, took a 1/24 ounce, 2" Crappie plastic, and fought like a Black crappie. It fought harder, much harder than any of the other big Crappies I've taken, but fought and bit very much like a Crappie, so I'm basically 100% certain that's what it was. I hate to even guess how large, but I think well over 3 pounds and maybe WAY over 3 pounds. Darn, I felt sick when it happened and I still haven't gotten over the sick feeling. The fish didn't break off and I didn't do anything stupid with it, the hook just pulled out after a minute and after two very hard runs.

For what it's worth, I would have measured, weighed, photographed and released the fish anyway. I wouldn't have eaten it or gotten a skin mount. I release 90% of the Crappie that I catch and all of the really big ones, but darn, I really would have liked to have seen it, photographed it and known how big it was. I may some day catch another one like that, but I can't imagine ever getting over this sick feeling or wondering how big that fish really was.

[SuperDave336]

Oh yeah that hurts. I’ve hooked some good ones and they get off and it stings when they do but that’s also fuel to go again.

[J White]

Only thing worse maybe is being in a tournament that means a lot to you, and watching that kicker fish come unbuttoned just out of net reach


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[BON TEMPS]

It’s the kind of hurt that stays with you for a long time.
Get back in the saddle and go catch a bigger one.

Bon Temps!!

[Rojo]

It’s the kind of hurt that stays with you for a long time.
Get back in the saddle and go catch a bigger one.

Bon Temps!!

I ate Bon Temps biggest fish. does that count for anything?

[Ketchn]

Thank goodness ya dint see it , it was likely just a drum anyway
It's them see ya up close and personal ones that hurt the most .
Seen a few really large specimens escape in my day .
Some really stayed with me in my mind a long time .
Still remember 2 in particular that were in the above 3 range ....
One was a black about 3 foot from the net
The other was a white I thought was a bass until it surfaced.
Both still haunt me from time to time....just saying

[M R Dux]

Any chance it could have been a huge Redear? I hooked one a couple years ago I first thought was a big crappie (Livescope) since I had already made several casts at it and it had followed everything. I finally hooked it on a tiny underspin and plastic.
Once hooked it acted like a big smallmouth, big drum, big something I couldn’t get to the top. I had hooked it in 18’ and it ran off a ledge into 25’.
When I finally got it to the top, it was a HUGE Redear. She had to be 14 inches long and looked almost that wide. It was the biggest Redear I had ever seen with my own eyes. She was spent, laying on her side, but my net was in the floor in the back of the boat. By the time I got the net, she had found 2nd chance and with one lunge, she broke my 5 pound braid at the loop knot. Gone with a boil!
I went to the house!!
I wouldn’t have kept her since I try to release all female Redears that aren’t bleeding. I sure would have loved to touch her, weigh, take a bunch of pics, then release her.


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[Slab Apprentice]

Thank goodness ya dint see it , it was likely just a drum anyway
It's them see ya up close and personal ones that hurt the most .
Seen a few really large specimens escape in my day .
Some really stayed with me in my mind a long time .
Still remember 2 in particular that were in the above 3 range ....
One was a black about 3 foot from the net
The other was a white I thought was a bass until it surfaced.
Both still haunt me from time to time....just saying

Haha the only times Ive ever hooked a monster and thought, “Boy howdy this is the big one!!” Of course, it was a drum, flathead or a dang tree lol.


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[Grainraiser]

Lost a double digit catfish when I was 10 years old. Dad was cleaning crappie when I took some guts and threaded them on a bream hook. Threw it out with my Zebco 33 and hooked a good size catfish. Fought him for 2 minutes before he pulled loose. The largest fish I had caught up to that point was a 2lb largemouth which I thought was a monster back then. That was 1971 and we still talk about the big one I lost.

[wannabe fisherman]

If it wasn't for "THE BIG ONE THAT GOT AWAY" there would be a lot less fish stories to read or hear about