The One that Got Away

By John Crews

You lose a lot of fish in tournaments, and I’m no exception. I’ve gotten over all of them except one, and this one was in a tournament on Lake Murray with another national circuit back in 2004.

After two days, I was on good fish and on my way to my first national bass tournament win. I was throwing a crankbait on the third day when a big fish hit. It was at least 5 pounds, closer to 6 pounds. After the strike, I kept good pressure on the fish; I knew it was hooked. He ate the whole bait then started swimming for the shallows.

As the fish swam, I felt him coming up to jump. I kept pressure on it and as it jumped, I saw the fish’s mouth open and the crankbait shoot back toward me. Somehow the fish didn’t have a single hook in it! The crankbait plopped harmlessly in the water and the fish swam free. I was stunned at how that could have happened.