Zcoker

That feeling never crossed my mind. It's one of those experiences where the rush of catching a DD is as great if not greater than the actual catch itself. I once caught a bass that I weighed in close to 12 pounds and I was so rushed up with adrenaline and excitement that when I went to pull her back out of the water where I was holder her, she shook me off with a tail slap, saying bye bye! Only thing I could think of after that was to catch another one to have that rush all over again!

I do the same thing on all my worm hooks, smash the barb flat. Wish they'd sell 'em that way! A worm/worm hook will be swallowed very fast and unless the barb is flat the hook will rip a hole in the fish's throat when trying to remove it. With a flat barb, hook removal becomes so much easier with less damage to the fish. Just a matter of getting the right angle. Sometimes going between the gills is the only option to grab the backside of the hook...other than cutting the line...but who wants to do that? When you look between the gills, you can see the hook very close up. It's right there. It's easy to get at. Just be carful not to damage the gills. The hook slips right out from between the gills (if debarbed) and the line is then cut. Presto! Hook out/fish unharmed. Plastic worm fishing is a challenge because the timing is crucial for the setting the hook before the fish swallows the bait but even at that it's still very likely that the hook will catch the throat. I have yet to loose a fish with a barbless worm hook...that I know of. 99% of my fish come in.

I will add this: going after a DD bass or trophy hunting is an activity that can go way beyond regular bass fishing. It can press the limits with all things in life, including things never done before. I recall a quote about trophy tarpon fishing that I saved because I was chasing trophies myself with my Florida tarpon tag: "Tarpon addiction has led to divorce, fist fights and mysteriously sunken skiffs. Writers have described the experience as akin to electrocution without the harmful side effects; the transfer of energy from fish to angler provides a mind-altering jolt." It can be the same way with with DD or trophy bass fishing, imho. Gotta push those boundaries. Only in this way can one open the doors in pursuit of these very smart fish. They've been around for a long, long time, overcoming some incredible odds, including evading us!

Out of all of these statements, I'll take take "you could hook yourself to a big bass" because they practically drag me overboard! Yes, it's a very dangerous activity just like many other things in life but it can be done safely and responsibly, imho. I've adapted over many years to the night fishing life, so much so that it has become much like any daytime activity. That kinda normalcy and confidence has been earned, almost like a sixth sense. Takes time and a lotta experience to deal with any pitfalls at night. I wouldn't recommend to anyone to go at it alone but to slowly ease into it comfortably and safely. There's some great post on this site for anyone interested in night fishing, from guys like you as well as many others. Aside from that, there's a risk with anything in life, day or night, even while sleeping.

Gettin bigger and bigger. These everglades bass at night are insane!

Try some night fishing. I do it all the time out in the south Florida everglades and have great success with trophy size fish because they're the main player at night. They're sneaky, sly, and cunning. They might even follow you around. And when they decided to hit, it's like a bomb going off, so be prepared! Night fishing works well because it frees up the days for any other obstacle that would normally prevent you from going, like a job or a family. Just have to adjust with cat-naps and so fourth. I work full time, have a family, and put in just as many hours fishing as a single person with no responsibilities who fishes all the time. So it's very doable and does solve a lot of the problems that you described. Plus it offers you the biggest chance to get the biggest fish in any body of water. Guys like Pat Cullen figured the same thing out for himself, thousands for him. Jimmy Zinker here in Florida doing it right now and is into the hundreds. So try it. I know you'll at least start getting 7's and 8's because I get those all the time like clockwork. Regardless, most all fish that hit at night are going to be on the larger size. Just have to re-learn and re-adjust everything that you already know about bass fishing because it's a whole different world out there in the dark!

Take up night fishing. Everyone is asleep. You'll have ALL the time in the world for your me time. You'll also catch the biggest bass on the lake!

"Thinking outside of the box" may have a different meaning for some people. For me, it means inventing new techniques, tactics, and hardware, no matter where I'm fishing. I make my own spinnerbaits, for example, and tune them to get the fish, to get the bigger fish, yes indeed, which does work very well. Same thing with buzzbaits. Finding the right "sound" or "vibration" is what it's all about. It drives the big fish crazy which causes them to strike with a vengeance. May take a while with a lot of tinkering and it may be a tedious process to test them all out, but it does payoff quite well in all bodies of water that I fish. And the only way that I could've done it is to have and open mind and to, well, think outside of the box.

At night is espeically diabolical. The bigguns hit so hard down my way that it practically swings my kayak completely around. The fight is pure hand to hand combat in the dark and these big bass are very good at it. They're sneaky. They hit when least expecting, almost as if they are following me. And when they come off for whatever reason, it's bye bye see ya later. They win, which is what they are designed to do. It's also how they get so big.

Man, losing these PB fish must be a form of initiation. I've seen it happen and it's happen to myself and is indeed something that hangs around in memory for a very long, long time. Those "what if" moments that could've changed the outcome for a lot of people--gone in a flash. Sometimes I think big mama bass thrive off just that!

I'll be gunning for those 25 inchers. Already have a few 24's and with only an inch more to go, shouldn't be a problem. I've already tangled with a few that have fit that range, so I know it's only a matter of time. Just gotta keep 'em pinned. They have really BIG mouths!

The spots sometimes find me, of all places, often holding monsters. Spots that I would’ve never given a second cast to. Spots that have never produced. Just goes to show that some great spots can be right under your nose!

Sometimes ya gotta think outside of the box to get the job done, making your own way with your own ideas, presentation, and techniques...or even inventions. Sometimes the so called "norm" is not so normal after all, which means change needs to happen. Never fear to dive off the deep end. I've done it a number of times and haven't hit bottom yet!

Star 7.6 Plasma inshore spinning rod with a Shimano Stella 4000 XG reel

The Miami area is known for it's suburban Peacock fishery. Fighters! For LMB, Snapper Creek, Tamiami Trail, those canal systems down there have miles and miles of opportunities. Lakes around the airport have been popular. US 27 is wide open for just about anything related to bass fishing.

It’s one of those things where you just gotta pick up the pieces and start all over again, learning from any mistakes and making sure that those mistakes don’t happen again. Go over every detail in your mind and try to reason out exactly what happened and make adjustments accordingly. Sometimes this process can mean losing more big fish but eventually gets fewer and fewer. And once perfected, your confidence along with your gear should bring them in no matter what!

Up to about 15 feet but, yes, mostly shallow water. They very aggressive at all depths in my neck of the woods when it’s hot out.

Where I fish, no boat could ever make it out there let alone be allowed out there, which is in the Florida everglades. Sometimes the water levels get so low that it becomes very hard for even a kayak let alone a boat....mere inches! There's canals and so forth where boats can go but not way out deep in the marshlands, unless by airboat. The kayak was my only route. I don't think I'd even consider a yak if I lived around a bunch of nice big open lakes, no way. Just makes sense to get into something that is practical for the area fished, imho.

It's just the opposite down here in south Florida on hot summer nights. The bass are, well, they're lunatics! The will hit with an angry vengeance like no other, espeically topwater. Talk about a wake-up call. Goes to show just how different areas can be!

I cover the water in order to find a place to pick apart, or, more specifically, to get the layout of the land. Moving around is just part of the drill. And yet, moving around has gotten me some great catches. Often, going back to an area can have great results. Just a matter of timing, being in the right place at the right time, which wouldn’t happen if I didn’t move around. All in all, moving around paints a sort of living image of the situation(s) that I will need to focus on…..techniques, presentations and so forth, rounding out my day or night.

I don't even see how some these Bass Tubers come up with some of this content. I mean, some of them have been on the Tube for a while and make multi videos a week. After a few years of doing that, when do ya run out of things to say? Some of them are young and haven't even fished that long, if at all. They seem like they are grasping at straws for content, literally, picking up crumbs for the sake of putting something together. I watched a vid just the other day. Half the vid was about the dude getting up, makin coffee, gettin in his car, starting it up, and then driving to where he was going to fish. HALF the video! The other half was next to nothing in actual knowledge about bass fishing, just rambling or the classical "come watch me fish" format. Shame to see it get that way. Many, many new comers rely solely on YouTube for their knowledge base. Guess it comes down to weeding the videos out to find the good stuff, which can be a daunting task in itself!

Welcome aboard! If I at all can offer any good advice would be to get those things that are going to be top notch for your intended usage, even though they may cost a lot more. Get them now because, in the long run, I've seen folks spend twice as much achieving what they could've gotten in the first place for half the cost.

There's good ones, decent ones, and weird ones here in south Florida. And I know that they're all "just doing their jobs". But I had one write me up for fishing off a fishing bridge in the Keys with cut bait. First off, he makes me open my bait cooler, then he gets in there between the ice and takes the cut bait out, piece by piece, and lays it down on the hot pavement. Then he starts putting it together like a puzzle. Once together, he measures the fish, which was acceptable duh. Then he says that I can't cut the bait on the bridge, has to be cut on dry land before it's taking out on the bridge. Never heard of that one. I was like, "what?" I said that I didn't cut it on the bridge. Says he's giving me an official warning anyway. I took the warning with an ironic smile. Watcha gonna do.

The best video with the best instructions are right before your very eyes when you first launch.

That's kinda what I learned when I first started Kayak fishing: tether EVERTHING. Well, seems like you got bit pretty hard. Hard lesson to learn regardless of how it happened. I feel for ya. Hope things work out for the best. And I know the feeling. Feels like the wind is knocked out of you. Feels like an acidic syrup, eating away at the whole aspect of fishing. It will get better, though, trust me. The horrible feelings along with the horrible reminders will eventually go away like dust in the wind. You'll might even be joking about it one day while having a beer with friends.