The fish I lost in the tournament two weeks ago taught me some more lessons about getting fish in the boat. The one bass I hooked in the Oconee tournament hit a Shadrap in a brush pile. When I set the hook it came to the top and I could see the hook was just barely in its mouth.

The fish was running to my right, around the front of the boat. Rather then try to turn it, I told Jim I would let it go around the boat and bring it to the other side. I also told him to net it quick or it would be gone.

The reason I did not try to make the fish turn and come to the near side of the boat is past experience. When a fish is hooked on a crankbait, trying to make them turn often pulls the hooks out. I think the plug acts as a lever, and when the angle changes, the hook can no longer hold.

I have lost several fish like that. The biggest was a huge bass at Jackson. It came to the top and, when I tried to pull it toward the boat, it just came off. It floated there for what seemed like several seconds before sinking out of sight. I guessed it weighed over 10 pounds.

Linda lost a monster bass at Clark’s Hill many years ago in the same way. She fought it till it was tired and on top. Just like the one I lost, when it turned on its side, the angle of the hook changed and it pulled off. There is nothing you can do in a case like that.

At Oconee, my bass went under the boat after coming around the front. When I tried to pull it to the surface for Jim to net, I pulled the hook out of its mouth. Again, I was pulling in the opposite direction from the way it was hooked. There was no way Jim could have netted it, although I fussed at him for not doing so.

A few minutes later, Jim hooked a fish. It was running to the right also, and when he tried to turn it, it pulled off. We never saw the fish, and neither of us had a fish to weigh in that day. Some days, if you don’t have bad luck you don’t have any luck at all.

If you hook a good fish, keep in mind hooks often pull out if you reverse the pull from the way it was hooked. Often there is nothing you can do about it but if you can lead the fish around in a circle it might help you land it.