[Michael Hall]

Early start this morning up at 5am fishing surface lures on the incoming tide, Patchinko 100 Nacre the choice for today, Two fish fairly quickly only a 1lb a piece but water was getting deeper on this mark so decided to move to a shallower spot further along the shore, This mark has a fair amount of rackweed and generally a weedy spot packed with mullet and several shoals of baitfish. Into a fish quickly just over a 1lb and several other abortive attempts from small fish, decided to cast to my right about 30 yds off the rackweed the second the patchinko hit the water a fish shot from the weed and took the lure, I was in immediately i knew this was a very big fish as the Top water was well arched over possibly larger than my 8lb fish caught in july, Then "PING" the sound of breaking braid i was gutted!!!!,

Retrieved the braid and found the braid had broke at the knot, I check my knots every session but failed to do so this morning as i was in such a rush to get out, Never again!! Now there is a large bass swimming in the Blackwater Estuary with a Patchinko and Flouro leader in its trap, I file down the barbs on all my lures i only hope the bass sheds the lure in time.
I use 0.6 8 braid Daiwa Emeraldas 12lb breaking strain with 20lb flouro leader, Its incredibly thin but strong, but from now on every session iam going to tie new knots. This is the first time this has happened to me a lesson learned the hard way i guess.??

 

[Simon Pearce]

So sorry to hear about your loss, it's a sh!t feeling when you leave something stuck in any fish. Once lost an uptider to a tope , no excuses on my part, just bad angling. But I have learned from it and now always tie my rod down. Do you use doubled braid to tie to your leader? I now use a bimini to a solid 3mm ring (seagaur/ riverge) then leader, don't know if this is best system, but any advice would be welcome from those that may know!

 

[Michael Hall]

GOT PATCHINKO AND LEADER BACK.!!!!!

On losing the fish this morning! Thought it might be possible that Patchinko might have dropped out of mouth of bass as i didint have much chance to set hooks, on low tide walked to where i hooked fish and 100yds away along the rackweed, there was my patchinko and leader, i was very pleased as i know the fish got away intact and i got my patchinko back!! Well gutted to Well pleased in one day.!!!!

I have now decided to tie directly to leader using a Double grinner knot and not use the rig rings as before, thus reducing the tightness on the knot and braid. Would be interested as to what you guys use re knots, Leaders etc. As i intend to learn from this, as in 5 yrs luring for bass this is the first time its happened, Any feedback guys would be of interest.

 

[Adrian]

that's great news (well not so great that you lost the fish in the 1st place) that the bass threw the lure and you even got it back. I had a problem a couple of weeks back when i hooked a fish that i just couldnt stop. it ran around a lobster pot bouy rope and i couldn't shift it. Had to pull for a break in the end. I couldn't feel the fish struggling so I hope it got off, but it cost me a feed shallow. If i use a leader, which is rare, like i use a small rig ring to join the braid to the flouro. means that the leader has to be short (2-3ft I use) but seems to do the trick for me.

 

[Darren Edwards]

It happened to me yesterday mike.Big fish on the claw in darkness.Heard the ping of the varivas braid and my bottom lip was quipplin.Took a look at the end of the braid and im damn sure it was cut above the knot.It was a messy take so i dont know if the gill rakers had done the damage.

cheers daz

 

[Simon L]

Absolutley amazing to get the lure back !!! Unlucky on the Big Girl.

 

[Tim Griffin]

Hard luck and well done if you know what I mean? I had a similar situation last year - after struggling all day, finally hooked a good fish on a Mag Popper. As I bent into the fish the line parted company, (just above the lure clip as I was to discover). I was gutted, then saw the lure float up to the surface, so at least it wasn't stuck in the fish. Recovered said lure, only to lose it to a submerged lobster pot rope an hour later!

 

[Mark Sleep]

Unlucky on the lost fish Michael, but good to hear you retrieved the lure and the fish is safe. Re connections braid to leader, there will be lots of opinion, but I use reverse albright, and have straightened hooks and pinged clips before the knot has given way, and have 100% confidence in it.

 

[Meirion Evans]

Every clould has a silver lining, unlucky on the fish but at least she will live to fight another day

 

[Andy K]

Well done all round, really speaking, Michael. You learned what for ALL of us is a seriously valuable lesson. Check your knots regularly throughout your fishing day. Trouble is, we all get caught up in that school boy fever when heading for the shoreline and the last thing we wanna do is start fiddling with things that "dont need" fiddling with (knots, gentlemen, knots ). Especially if we see fish already there.
Personally, the best bit of news there was in finding just the lure, as opposed to finding it in a dead bass, laying on the shore.

As for my little patch of essex / suffolk border. Some large fish are around, I have seen the buggers. But getting them to eat some plastic for me is not proving easy, to say the least!

 

[Ian Morris]

Thats a double win to find the lure again, I hope you can return and hook and land the bass that borrowed it off you. 20lb XDS direct to a Daiwa Twistbuster for me these days; its a clip arrrangement that far excedes anything I have used to date. My expertese in knots is extremely limited, currently using an incomplete Bimini Twist type effort but slid down to the clip - I really do need to get my sh1t together with knots, so thanks for the prompt!
Ian

 

[Michael Hall]

Double Uni knot now for me.!!