Lost fish.

[dicky123]

Over the years (50 now) I've only lost a few very big fish I've had sleepless nights over.
There was a big chub on the Wensum years back, from a certain swim I knew a huge fish lived. Weeks pasted trying until I hooked and lost a big one late on a cool winters evening. Next week a guy took a 8lb plus fish from the same swim, it appeared in the Angling Times.

A big Wensum roach from a swim I'd taken several huge fish from 2lb12oz to 2lb15oz. The fish I lost dwaft the others.

Then there was that barbel last week? I'd taken two nice fish of 9lb when the float dipped and the fish run upstream. Full strain did not turn it, as it pasted the next swim, then the next. The angler in the third swim, kindly reeled in and picked up his net to follow me to a large tree that ended my progress.
At full strain I managed to get the big fish under the tip in 11' of water. Then I saw the tip of the big Avon float, before the hooked pulled, and came back to me. The guy with the net said, "oh dear, that was a bloody big barbel mi-duck!"

I honestly cannot remember playing as powerful fish ever, and I've had fish to 58lb, on lightest gear. It was a barbel, not a carp ,or catfish. How big, well mg:

****y.

 

[binka]

I feel for you Rich but I'm sure you know all to well that it's part and parcel of the mysteries which we will never unravel and which often keep us going back in our attempts.

Let's fact it...

If we landed all the big fish we hooked how quickly would we get bored of it all?

Cold comfort but hopefully comfort of sorts

I've been there mate along with many others, all I can say is that time is a great healer.

Just get through the next week and you've cracked it

 

[thecrow]

If you were fishing where I think you were the area has produced fish well over 17lbs that I know of and possibly bigger, no help to you I know but there are more than 1 fish of that size up there so don't loose heart mate.

 

[dicky123]

Bless you guy's.

It would have helped had i just seen its outline. of the monster?? Those Kamasan Specialist hooks are amazingly strong, but I do think a slightly wider gape hook might have helped?

****y.

 

[Lord Paul of Sheffield]

My PB perch is a mere 1/2lb - I've never really fished for perch so there no surprise there.

Early this year I hooked a decent fish that jagged in the fight and then came to the surface. There was my new pb perch at least 2lb, maybe even 3, I lowered the net in the water and PING - the hook pulled and my pb was gone

 

[tigger]

The angler in the third swim, kindly reeled in and picked up his net to follow me to a large tree that ended my progress.
At full strain I managed to get the big fish under the tip in 11' of water. Then I saw the tip of the big Avon float, before the hooked pulled, and came back to me. The guy with the net said, "oh dear, that was a bloody big barbel mi-duck!"

I honestly cannot remember playing as powerful fish ever, and I've had fish to 58lb, on lightest gear. It was a barbel, not a carp ,or catfish. How big, well mg:

****y.

Not wanting to spoil your story ****y, but did you actually see the barbel and see the place it was hooked? The reason I ask is because (in my experience) when a barbel runs like and you can't turn it even with a lot of pressure is that it's usually foul hooked and the combination of that and the hook pulling free does make it sound like it was foul hooked. The hook very rarely comes free if the fish is hooked in it's mouth. Even a modest sized barbel will feel like a monster when foul hooked. I've had loads like that and have landed a lot of them, but being honest all the time that i've been trying to get them in i've been hoping the hook would pull out of them as they can be very awkward to net and sometimes the rod is at risk of snapping if your not careful.