OT: Biggest fish you ever caught...

[cutigers88]

I'm not a big fisherman (yet, but my upcoming move to the coast will likely change that to a degree), but I know that many on TI have spent some time on the water. If not the biggest fish, what is the most impressive fish (large for a particular type of fish) you have ever caught?
Also, did you release it or keep it?

 

[TIGER 78]

I like to bass fish and my best is like 8-9 pounds not that impressive but I've caught plenty of fish to make up for the size!

 

[blizzard]

I've caught some pretty heavy fish, but I hung something surf fishing once that almost pulled me in.

He snapped 25 lb test and my drag wasn't too tight.

I still dream about that fish!

 

[Cris_Ard]

I'm not a big fisherman (yet, but my upcoming move to the coast will likely change that to a degree), but I know that many on TI have spent some time on the water. If not the biggest fish, what is the most impressive fish (large for a particular type of fish) you have ever caught?
Also, did you release it or keep it?

6.5-pound bass off a Heddon's Baby Torpedo (this one actually).

 

[scartiger]

Really a 7lb catfish but you know the fish stories we tell.

 

[cbm369]

250-300 lb sea turtle off surfside pier about 30 yrs ago. Was actually shark fishing at the time, so I was equipped for a battle. Had fun for about 15 minutes before I got him up to the surface and figured out what he was, cut the line and let him go.

 

[PawSoHard]

Caught a 165 lb Mako shark off the coast of Charleston, once. Not really that big as far as Mako standards go, but catching a fish that was my same body weight was pretty cool.

 

[vatiger1]

850lb - 11.5ft Blue Marlin off Hatteras about 70 miles out. Beat me to death, couldn't walk or pickup a drink for 2 days so sore afterwards.

I equate the experience as putting a Lasso around a Horse's neck and hold on for life.

 

[SMS]

10 foot Blue Marlin. Deep sea fishing in St. Croix.

 

[cutyler2]

Big bass fisherman here...caught a couple 7-8 pounders...looking for that double digit...biggest fish though was a 25 pounder striper or 40 pound flathead last winter!

 

[90Orange]

11 to 12 foot 800 pound big ass shark. Fought it for almost an hour chasing it with a boat. Took 2 people to lift it off the bottom. Thought it was a manta ray at first, the way they suck themselves to the bottom. It came up sideways nearly big as our boat and my knees went weak from fatigue and shock. Caught it in the mouth of St Catherine's Sound just south of Savannah. We let it go of course.

 

[Jmoney843]

I've caught a couple of 350-400lbs Blue Marlin off of Charleston.

 

[Tiger Guru]

Caught a 22lb catfish and released him back for someone else.

 

[LUV DEM TIGERS]

Bass fishing on Lake Murray and caught a 8.5 lb. largemouth bass on the Lexington side of the Purple Martin Island. Only fish I have ever caught on a jig and I actually saw the fish hit it. I would love to learn to fish a jig, but I just feel like I am dragging a huge rock and can't seem to get the feel. I do a lot of fishing with Trick Worms texas rig and finesse worms on a shaky head. And I fish any color worm as long as it's green pumpkin.

And yes, I did release it.

 

[Pluffmudd]

A few weeks ago we hooked into what was either a state record shattering mako or a white off of charleston. Got a hell of a video and photo of it putting on an air show while skying on a dolphin we had on. pretty wild sight. We estimated it was between 12-15 feet but don't really know.

 

[SixFiveTiger]

48" Striped Bass in the chesapeake bay here in Maryland joker weighted a good 40lbs mouth looked like a monster coming out the water when it hit the umbrella rig!!!

 

[Lot4tiger]

8lb largemouth bass on Lake Russell. Going deep sea fishing this summer off IOP. Hoping to hook into something much bigger!

 

[TON]

About a 400 pound blue marlin off Murrells Inlet. Tied with that is a 10 1/2 pound bass
caught in a flood pond by the Waccamaw river.

 

[HunterPKP]

@Smoakstack and a few other buddies caught a 7 foot, 150-200 pound Hammerhead off of Ft. Lauderdale a few years back. I fished with them the next day when we caught a 40-45 pound Amberjack. I've caught some good sized Dorado off of Cabo as well.

 

[OrangeTigerTower]

52 lb Flat head in Moultrie
9.8 Large Mouth in Murray
a 9' bull shark off the coast of Oak Island, NC

But the most fun and hardest fight ever was a 5lb channel in Lake Wylie. We were slaying schooling smallies on top water with ultra light and 2lb test when for whatever reason I hooked up with a 5-6lb cat. I fought him for over 20 minutes just not to break the line.

 

[gftiger]

I caught a 12.5lb bass in everglades using a jig. When i set the hook the first time he didn't move off the bottom.
Best fishing experience I've ever had.

 

[StSimonsIslandTiger]

I like to bass fish and my best is like 8-9 pounds not that impressive but I've caught plenty of fish to make up for the size!

8 and 9 lb bass are impressive. Don't take that for granted. Not that common to land these. I have a complex about largemouth bass size. I have caught thousands of bass going back to my childhood in the 60s. I have never caught one over 5 lb 3 oz. - weird for a fairly prolific bass fisherman. My 18 daughter has caught about 8 bass in her life. One was over 8 lbs.

389 lb blue marlin at Cabo San Lucas 2009. 25 lb striped bass Chesapeake bay. 39 lb grouper in Gulf Stream out of Murrell's Inlet. 52 lb king salmon Talkeetna River, Alaska.

 

[Pluffmudd]

I'd be happy to share that video of the white/mako if some one tells me how

 

[PAWrocka]

I was 15? maybe 14? Anyways, I was spending the summer with my Grandparents in Saluda. I used to LOVE to fish on Lake Murray, but my Grandfather was recovering from Chemo at this time, so my fishing was limited to nearby family ponds. One evening at my Great Aunt's pond I had inadvertently casted over a bush and was attempting to get the line off of it when of course I got a monster strike. This caused the line to get all tangled in the bush. The line snapped, and I thought I had lost the fish as I saw it jumping out of the water trying to shake loose the hook. Then I noticed that the bush was shaking violently and realized that the line was wrapped around the bush. I jumped into the water and waded out to the bush, wrapped the line around my hand and pulled that sucker in.

Large Mouth bass, 7 pounds. Sucker is on my wall

I lost my Grandfather in 1998, from heart surgery complications, but everytime I look at that fish on my wall I see the look on his face when I walked into the house carrying it.

If youre a smoker, please stop

 

[scotchtiger]

~350lb blue marlin out of Charleston, between SW banks and Gtown hole.

 

[bigbadraddad]

I'm not a big fisherman (yet, but my upcoming move to the coast will likely change that to a degree), but I know that many on TI have spent some time on the water. If not the biggest fish, what is the most impressive fish (large for a particular type of fish) you have ever caught?
Also, did you release it or keep it?

Two fishing trips are memorable:

Acapulco Mx- Three 70-80 lb Pacific Sailfish. Mates on the boat kept them.

Key West - 56 lb Kingfish on 20 lb (mono) Spinning Reel. Kept it and had one hell of a fish fry.

 

[L.D. Keesh]

11 to 12 foot 800 pound big ass shark. Fought it for almost an hour chasing it with a boat. Took 2 people to lift it off the bottom. Thought it was a manta ray at first, the way they suck themselves to the bottom. It came up sideways nearly big as our boat and my knees went weak from fatigue and shock. Caught it in the mouth of St Catherine's Sound just south of Savannah. We let it go of course.

What kind of shark ?

 

[ptg9471]

A few weeks ago we hooked into what was either a state record shattering mako or a white off of charleston. Got a hell of a video and photo of it putting on an air show while skying on a dolphin we had on. pretty wild sight. We estimated it was between 12-15 feet but don't really know.

Are makos trophy fish?

 

[capo7]

1/2 pound grouper filet, Nantucket, blackened.

 

[Chrisd4cu]

I'm not a big fisherman (yet, but my upcoming move to the coast will likely change that to a degree), but I know that many on TI have spent some time on the water. If not the biggest fish, what is the most impressive fish (large for a particular type of fish) you have ever caught?
Also, did you release it or keep it?

I love fishing in random ponds or rivers.

I caught a 5-6lb bass out of the Mote that surrounds the practice field. Was actually at the back of Lot 4 behind the Oak Trees. Took her forever to grab that black plastic worm.

Also caught a 5-6lb bass out of a small pond on the Table Rock golf coarse. You'd be surprised at the size of fish in small ponds like on golf courses or random drain ponds around Malls, Hospitals or other large buildings.

 

[tallulahtiger30319]

I'm not a big fisherman (yet, but my upcoming move to the coast will likely change that to a degree), but I know that many on TI have spent some time on the water. If not the biggest fish, what is the most impressive fish (large for a particular type of fish) you have ever caught?
Also, did you release it or keep it?

Hmmmm. This is a tough one. Probably the 90 pound sail off of Costa Rica (out of Tamarindo), but a close second in terms of fun was a a 45 pound bull dolphin off of Islamorada. Big weight difference, but the dolphin packed a lot of fun into his 45 pounds. After already loading the box up w/ smaller dolphin, this one nearly killed me. But somehow, I found the energy to boat him.

 

[Pluffmudd]

Are makos trophy fish?

Only if you cap them square in the eyes with a 9.

 

[moradatiger70]

165lbTarpon in Islamorada. Hooked up in the Gulf and fought it nearly an hour. Finally got it next to the 20' wahoo I was in on the Atlantic side.
First fish I've caught and fought in two bodies of water.

 

[TIGER 78]

8 and 9 lb bass are impressive. Don't take that for granted. Not that common to land these. I have a complex about largemouth bass size. I have caught thousands of bass going back to my childhood in the 60s. I have never caught one over 5 lb 3 oz. - weird for a fairly prolific bass fisherman. My 18 daughter has caught about 8 bass in her life. One was over 8 lbs.

389 lb blue marlin at Cabo San Lucas 2009. 25 lb striped bass Chesapeake bay. 39 lb grouper in Gulf Stream out of Murrell's Inlet. 52 lb king salmon Talkeetna River, Alaska.

True but I have a buddy with (3) 15lbs+ on his wall...

Granted they came out of a fish camp in FL but still amazing.

 

[LUV DEM TIGERS]

When I was a kid and was bass fishing, I always thought that you had to let a bass take the worm and run with it for a long time before he would finally take the hook. I went fishing with someone one day and I asked him how long you had to let a bass run. He told me "Son, when you feel that bass hit that worm, he isn't carrying it in his hands". I learned quickly, as soon as you feel the hit on a worm, set the hook.

 

[Death-ValleyTiger]

300lb Sturgeon on the Columbia River in Oregon. Followed him for an hour in the boat just to get to the surface.

 

[Redman81]

10Ibs. Largemouth Bass on a spinnerbait. I quit bass fishing after catching it and now only fly fish.

 

[bron90]

Have caught several marlin (blue and white)
Several sailfish
70+ # wahoo
54# mahi

All off of Charleston

 

[TIGER 78]

Now thats a nice b(ass)...

 

[Trading Tiger]

A few weeks ago we hooked into what was either a state record shattering mako or a white off of charleston. Got a hell of a video and photo of it putting on an air show while skying on a dolphin we had on. pretty wild sight. We estimated it was between 12-15 feet but don't really know.

I'd like to see that video.