“Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose

and sometimes the blues get a hold of you,

oh just when you thought you had made it.”

Sweet Seasons – Carole King (1972)

Knox County strip mine – September 9, 2017

If you fish, you’re gonna lose a few along the way. It’s all just a classic part of the game, “the one that got away.”

I get it, but it still doesn’t make it any easier to take, especially when it’s something special. I eventually come to terms with such a lost fish but sometimes it takes a while. This was one of those cases as this dude was big. A large wake behind my buzzbait, an explosive and on target strike, a powerful run like a freight train and then a busted line.

All in maybe two seconds, yet one of those instances that strangely take place in slow motion. And thanks (I guess) to a GoPro I can actually watch it in true slow motion when I get the urge. Still heartbreaking, but casting emotions aside, a pretty darn cool shot.

Even though this unfortunate break took place nearly a year and a half ago it still bothers me on occasion. Probably will for as long as I fish. In fact, it is one of three examples of “one that got away” that continue to replay in my mind from time to time.

The other two are a Lake Bracken carp from about 1985 and a Lake Storey muskie from 2012. Both were essentially within arm’s reach and both were the biggest of their species that I have ever hooked. Boy, here I go again, probably another sleepless night on the horizon.

Okay, perhaps that’s a bit of an exaggeration but I would guess that plenty of fellow anglers can relate. A bit of exaggeration also comes into play as another standard aspect of “one that got away” tales. I don’t know if the fact that I did not get a look at the bass in today’s post is a blessing or a curse, tough call. I do know that it now falls into the category of “as big as you want it to be.”

Not going to offer up a guess though as some places you really don’t want to go. Talk to you later. Troy