Looked huge.About 40lb? Not sure how big they grow?

He was truly gutted. I was pretty much ok when i lost my Bream a few months back until Gary started.........."Wol, think that might of been a lump mate"..........."Wol, you see how much your rod was arched over"................."Wol, i reckon that was a right big kipper mate".............."Wol, safe drive home mate" Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgggggggggg

He reacted exactly like we all would - speechless and devastated. That'll stay with him for the rest of his life. Two of the really big fish I've lost (both pike) I lost approx 30 and 40 years ago and I still remember every minute I played them and wonder if I could have played them any better. I doubt it, but the guilt and devastation bites deep.

Wish we had muskie over here and wouldn't mind a bash at

Ice fishing for them.

Graham - very true, a mate of mine lost one on blithfield that he saw, right up close, I was about 20 yards away and clearly saw the fish's flank roll it was a deep as a 30lb carp. The bloke had it beat, edging towards the net and it made one last lunge, he stopped it from getting to the anchor rope and the lure flew back over his shoulder.

I spoke to him on several occasions since and he is still devastated by it all, he said he keeps questioning the decision to stop the fish, would it have just gone under the boat then been dragged back and netted safely. I told him a load of times not to beat himslef up over it, I'd have done exaclty the same. Buut I know it still hurts him a lot.

Especially when I tell him it looked nearer 50 than 40….

"Especially when I tell him it looked nearer 50 than 40"

Yup, i'd have said the same too

I've never hooked anything big enough to be gutted about losing.

I think I lost a large barbel on the Thames and was playing it way too hard when the hook came came flying back. Was devestated.

Ouch!

My worst moment was a pike nailing a big rudd 3 years ago. I had caught a 2.1 fish and this was larger than that when bang, my rudd was whisked from the end of my landing net straight into some reeds.
It took a couple of seconds to work out what had happened.

i hate that point where pike are about to go in the net, it's brown trouser time every time they get near it till it's in.
i've lost numerous lumps because just as they were going in they rolled and the hooks pulled.

"Yup, i'd have said the same too"

Thats cos your nasty wol

We could say " well thats fishing " but I would have been as sick as a parrot if I was that guy , that was a lump , that would stick in your mind forever .

.....I remember somebody having a similar reaction. Hooked a fish, played a while, then it pulled. Chucked his rod down and straight into his bivvy to continue sleeping off a bender that started in the morning.

Little did he know at the time it was actually someone who had cast across his line deliberately and the lines got tangled.

Great reaction though, a real classic, especially watching it from behind the bushes.

Wasn't it??

My memories of lost big fish are more vivid than the big fish I have caught!
I don't think I'd like the experience to have been recorded on film though I'd be reliving the nightmare repeatedly.

I lost a big Chinook on Lake Huron in the mid 90s. I can still remember every second of a fight that lasted nearly 10 minutes. I hooked it on a Big S and it absolutely trashed the hooks.