For me, the moment that keeps me addicted to fishing, the moment that makes me wake up at ungodly hours to head to the water, is that moment just after you set the hook and feel moving weight at the end of your line.  That moment even before you can really tell whether it's big or not, you just feel that weighty "alive" feeling at the end of your line, it's almost primal.  Just thinking about that moment makes it worth the hot, skunk days, the bleary eyed, stiff mornings.

 

What about you all?  What's your favorite moment in fishing?  Landing the fish?  Topwater bite?  

 

 

 

 

For me, it's the moment a fish has engulfed my hollow body frog and i'm about to cross it's eyes with a hookset :).

Every single jig bite at night ~

And anytime I need my passport to go fishing

A-Jay

 

Topwater blowups all day every day

For me its when I set the hook and   and the fish doesnt budge . My most disappointed moment is when I realize its probably a catfish or a stick . I fought  stick last week that came to the surface fast and I was saying " dont jump ,dont jump " .

7 minutes ago, scaleface said:

For me its when I set the hook and the hook and the fish doesnt budge . My most disappointed moment is when I realize its probably a catfish or a stick . I fought  stick last week that came to the surface fast and I was saying " dont jump ,dont jump " .

Or when you think it's a snag then you feel that living "tug"- love that.

love it when I set the hook and the fish sets it back!

Right when I get a hookset, as you spoke of, OP. But I'll go further and add that that excitement peaks when you first see the fish reach the surface of the water flailing. From the hookset to that first surface point is the best.

When all the work you put in pays off, enjoying the scenery

When I set hook & the bass is big enough to set hook back!

My favorite that nobody has already said: when you let the fish go and you were worried that it wouldn't be able to swim off, but it does -aggressively and safely.

Like the others have stated...a huge surface hit and setting the hook on a fish that just smiles and says " game on" are up there..

 

The most exciting experience is when you get hit feet front pulling the lure out of the water......shocks the snot out of me..

 

Last week while fast retrieving a popper, a 3 pounder took it as it was leaving the water and splash make it in he boat.  Earlier that same day a deep diving CB got hit a foot from the surface when I looking elsewhere......almost ticked myself

Any hookset with braid and topwater blowups. 

That moment when you're turning into a secluded cove...and you can see that the whole pocket is empty....when you really, really have to take a leak....it's like 'Yeah!'

When a big bass slams a frog and as you start to reel up the slack you see the line peel away from you under the surface. It's that moment you know hes got it and then just bury the hooks in the roof of its mouth.

Setting the hook on a jig bite is it for me.  Can't get enough of it.

Salt water was tagging a 700+lb Blue Marlin while fishing out of my friends boat off Cabo San Lucas.

Fresh water watching my son weigh in our 1st winning bag night bass tournament. 

Catching my PB musky 37 lb with my wife while Smallmouth fishing.

Lipping my PB 19.3 lb LMB, then releasing and watching it swim away alive and healthy.

So many wonderful fishing moment(s), sharing them with family and close friends makes them special.

Tom

Pausing a black Jitterbug at night (in pitch darkness) near a weededge followed immediately by a crashing torpedo strike that scares the bejesus outta me

Hmmm,..I really dig that early morning mist on a secluded lake, which by the way had a empty parking lot at the ramp. You slowly creep along around a point and the lake opens up to you with the sound of a loon from across the misty abyss, the finders showing active fish, and you have all day.,....

 that telltale "tap tap" on a huge jig and pig, you designed and fabricated

 finding that awesome working crankbait when you test out the first of five.

 when the spinnerbait your burning stops dead in its tracks, and gets slowly pulled down into the depths 

 I must say I love it all,

,.. but recently I had the opportunity to revisit a old haunt, and it was truely exciting to ferret out old patterns, remember old nuances, structure with cover, productive areas,.. etc.

 Funny thing is alot of the old memories really didnt start coming to light til after I was on my way home. But thats ok,... tomorrow is another day, and I can return 

I love the moment at the start of fighting a fish that it takes a bunch of drag letting you know that it is bigger than you had first thought. Combined with being hit on topwater=Adrenaline rush!!

4 hours ago, MassBassin508 said:

Topwater blowups all day every day

This ^^^ can't beat that.

3 hours ago, riverbasser said:

love it when I set the hook and the fish sets it back!

And this ^^^

That moment when you come off plane, glide to your spot, and make a splashless pitch into the nastiest cover there is. The tap, and setting the hook to cross their eyes, limbs breaking; and seeing that green fish come out of cover. To me that's magical.

Most exiting moment in fishing for me is when I spearfish( in the ocean while freediving) a fish I consider challenging followed by catching a big fish on a topwater lure.

Only one word comes to mind........TOPWATER

Turning loose a personal best (that won me 500 bucks) back into the water to get even bigger. Especially since I thought she'd struggle after being in the live well for 8 hrs. But she swam off strong as could be.