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Biggest fish on smallest tackle? And what got away
jonk
Member Posts: 10,121
What's the biggest fish you have ever caught on the lightest tackle? I have 2 nominations.
1. 33 zebco. 10 lb test. 6 foot pole. Which would normally be fine for walleye. However- it was 4 year old line that was popping with about 1-2 pounds of pressure. I was perch fishing and hooked into something big. I dialed the drag way back and worked whatever it was for 30 minutes before boating an 8 lb walleye. On a minnow. Strange, but not the first one I had hooked on minnow, nor the last. I had simply grabbed the wrong pole/reel combo going out and didn't notice till on the water. Ever since- I carry fresh line in the boat.
2. Fishing for bluegills in the marina with 4 lb test and and ultra light spinning reel on an ice fishing pole. Out from under the dock a big shadow comes out and takes the little jig I was using. Landed a nice 9 lb channel cat.
What got away? To this day I don't know for sure what it was but was out on lake Erie with some 10 lb test walleye fishing with an open face bait caster. (proper good line this time). Something takes it. Bent the pole to the water. I've caught some big fish before and would estimate that whatever I had was in the 30-50 lb range. Fought whatever it was for an hour before finding the 50 lb nylon leader on the worm harness had been chewed in half. To this day I figure it had to have been a muskie, of which there are some in Lake Erie, though rare.
SO those aren't astounding, but I bet you all have some stories.
1. 33 zebco. 10 lb test. 6 foot pole. Which would normally be fine for walleye. However- it was 4 year old line that was popping with about 1-2 pounds of pressure. I was perch fishing and hooked into something big. I dialed the drag way back and worked whatever it was for 30 minutes before boating an 8 lb walleye. On a minnow. Strange, but not the first one I had hooked on minnow, nor the last. I had simply grabbed the wrong pole/reel combo going out and didn't notice till on the water. Ever since- I carry fresh line in the boat.
2. Fishing for bluegills in the marina with 4 lb test and and ultra light spinning reel on an ice fishing pole. Out from under the dock a big shadow comes out and takes the little jig I was using. Landed a nice 9 lb channel cat.
What got away? To this day I don't know for sure what it was but was out on lake Erie with some 10 lb test walleye fishing with an open face bait caster. (proper good line this time). Something takes it. Bent the pole to the water. I've caught some big fish before and would estimate that whatever I had was in the 30-50 lb range. Fought whatever it was for an hour before finding the 50 lb nylon leader on the worm harness had been chewed in half. To this day I figure it had to have been a muskie, of which there are some in Lake Erie, though rare.
SO those aren't astounding, but I bet you all have some stories.
Comments
Grabed that rod and tried my best to control what had to be some type of tuna. Managed to get it to the back of the transome edge when it broke off. My brother and I still argue to this day over whether it was a yellow fin or bluefin. What a moment and spirited fish.
Still searching for that rouge today!
A few years back I caught a 38" Northern on an Ultralite with 4lb test. Took me over half an hour.