You win some, you lose some.
And some that you lose sting a little more than others.
Gotta admit that this one stung for a while.
Makes it even worse that it was caught on video so I can relive it over and over again if I so choose.
I have so chosen and you know, it’s really kind of a cool strike, especially in slow motion. It gives me some extra time to analyze the incident and assess what I could have done differently to land this boatside blast from a bass in the 4 to 5 pound range. I actually got a great split second view of the fish in the last couple feet of the retrieve as it chased down and struck the bait. Kind of weird there too as that brief instant also seemed to have a slow motion feel to it. However, it did not last long before reality shifted back to full speed and the fish and my buzzbait were gone.
Slow motion version of the clip
In regards to what I could have done to land the fish, I guess one potential item would involve having my drag set a little looser thus potentially allowing the fish to run. Tough call on this one as my drag was pretty well dialed in for a typical strike whereas a strike with only a couple feet of line out is a whole different ballgame.
A second possibility would have been to disengage my reel and thumb it in free spool as the fish charged off with the bait. I’ve actually done this with success on a couple boatside muskie strikes but must admit that those were nowhere near as vicious and sudden as this bass strike thus providing an extra fraction of a second for those motor skills to instinctively kick in.
A final possible route to success would be to switch my allegiance from monofilament line to some sort of braid or super line. Not gonna happen in the near future, if ever, as I’ve been there and they just didn’t suit me. Besides, my good, old Trilene 12-pound test has come out on top versus muskies pushing 20-pounds, walleye over 10 pounds and just a few big bass. Plain and simple, I’ll put my money on my experience and low budget gear over pricey superlines any day of the week.
In the end, this one just wasn’t meant to be and while I was disappointed at the time, I eventually got over it. I can watch this video and simply appreciate the power of the freight train like strike of this fish and admit that it got the best of me on this day. My main concern in looking back on the bad break is that the bass was able to dislodge the lure, go about its business and live to make another mistake. Hopefully, just a little farther away from the boat.
One last time in super slow motion and yes, it still gets away
This concludes my 2017 Top 10 Video countdown, appreciate anyone who has taken the time to tune in. However, I do have one more video compilation up tomorrow in light of the holiday. April Fools’ Day, that is. Talk to you later. Troy