Something took my jig and hauled tail. I set the hook, and WOW. Felt like I was pulling a horse! Whatever it was was big, and I knew it. It ran into some thick cover, pulling drag with it the whole way. I turned down the drag a little then nothing, he spit it out. I inspected my jig and the hook was bent out a good 45 degrees from original.

What could have done this?
A bass? A turtle? Maybe a carp?

Hummm.... so when have u been pulling horse?

Hummm.... so when have u been pulling horse?

 

Oh you know, just going to the local stables and hooking my line to their saddle. Fun stuff! Haha

Down south a big Bowfin, or a big alligator gar, will straighten hooks and ruin equipment.  I have caught a big turtle and it was like pulling up a bowling ball. 

 

My first trip in my boat in 1989, I went to okeechobee, through Boy Scout cut into Winny"s Cove.  I was throwing a big jig and my friend was throwing a black worm.  I was getting whipped 10 to 0.  All of a sudden I hooked a monster fish that went airbourne as soon as I set the hook.  It was the biggest fish I have ever seen live.  Two more big jumps in three feet of water and she was gone.  We both sat in silence for two or three minutes in total shock.  When you look back it was a thrill just to play with her and get a good look, for a years I have been telling that story.  Better to have played and lost, then to have never played at all.

Maybe it was a really big bass!

catfish probably if i had to make a guess. 

catfish probably if i had to make a guess.

+1 Turtles I'm my experience feel like dead weight.

I guess it's time for better hooks.

I'm curious, what line were you using?

If it turned that hard it could have been a foul hooked carp or catfish. But more likely than not you just lost a state record Largemouth.

The catfish are getting back to chasing stuff all over now that the spawn is done. I caught a flathead and a channel last time I went, and they love jigs so I wouldn't at all surprised if that's what you had.

 

What jig did you straighten the hook out on?? Even the standard wire hooks I use on my finesse jigs have handled flatheads up to 25 pounds without straightening. 

Usually most bass jigs have substantial hooks. I'm thinking you probably just had a bad jig and you hooked a big carp. But it's anyone's guess at this point!

Who knows! What lime were you using? I'm with these turtle guys. I've hooked into a turtle that felt like I had a cement block on the other end.

22.8 lbs largemouth oh well !!!

20 lbs power-pro braid on a 6'6'' medium ugly stick gx2

You just lost the state record! In all reality given your location a bigger bass or possibly a big cat. I have hooked a few big cats while bass fishing that were good sized (10# class and bigger fish).

20 lbs power-pro braid on a 6'6'' medium ugly stick gx2

What jig?

Not 100% sure but I know it was a 1/2 oz brown and orange jig with a craw trailer. Maybe a Booyah. 

 

I was popping it a couple times, then pausing for a couple seconds, then repeating.