It's the anticipation. Knowing you're in an area with fish, with the right presentation, just waiting for that fish to suck one down.

The bite. When you get that monster blowup on a topwater toad...or a huge wake following your skinny dipper before that tell tale "thump thump"...or the bonejarring take by a hawg of a pitched jig/beaver on eight feet of 65lb braid. Man, I live for that (stuff).

Its a combination depending on the lure i'm using.

Topwater----would be the bite...just can't beat that explosive strike here..

Worm/Jig-----the hookset...feeling the tick and reeling out the slack..pausing just a moment to make sure the fish has it good ....then WHAM!!!!.....Hookset!!!!....Fish On!!!!

Crank bait/Spinner bait----The Fight.....Mostly with the crankbait cause ya gotta be gentle, you never know how good there hooked so you have to play with them a bit.

All the above share the same satisfaction of a job well done when the fish is in the boat

X 2

I think you nailed this one!

Landing it. You can lose a fish on the bite, hookset, or fight. When you've got that bass by the lip you know you did it all correctly.

The picture.

Depends on the circumstance.

On topwater it's hands down the Bite.

However, I usually am fishing a different technique. So, I'm not getting off on the tap, tap, tap.

In almost every other circumstance it's the fight, unless I catch the fish 2 feet in front of me.

It's always been about the fight for me. When I was younger I would always use a lighter combo and line than what was the norm so that the fight would be sporting and entertaining. I stopped doing that when I realized there were too many fish swimming around with my hooks in their mouth. However, now, it's still about the fight.

Depends on the circumstance.

On topwater it's hands down the Bite.

However, I usually am fishing a different technique. So, I'm not getting off on the tap, tap, tap.

In almost every other circumstance it's the fight, unless I catch the fish 2 feet in front of me.

It's always been about the fight for me. When I was younger I would always use a lighter combo and line than what was the norm so that the fight would be sporting and entertaining. I stopped doing that when I realized there were too many fish swimming around with my hooks in their mouth. However, now, it's still about the fight.

for me its about the fight as well. but there was a time i would lose a few nice fish more than i landed them due to the line snapping, went to bigger line on everything, learned how to fight a fish and steadily going back to smaller and smaller lines with good success. the biggest part in that was learning to have the drag set properly.

but for me, its definately the fight, i love hooking into a big fish and hearing line scream off the reel, testing my grip on the rod, not knowing exactly what move the fish may make next, etc...

100% the BITE.........

The landing is when it all comes together for me. Every time I land a decent size fish I'm like " This is what its all about"

Gotta go with hook-set if i'm throwing a top water. But if its a hawg....gettin it in the boat is the best.

There is nothing better than sticking fish on a T-Rig. I love when I set the hook and I can only get the rod to a 60 degree angle before the fish jerks me right back down. Feels like setting the hook into a centerblock. No doubt...the HOOKSET!!

id have to say the hookset nothin better that flippin, then you feel that tick and cross its eyes and the fish realizing it just got nailed going crazy. i also love fishing a frog when they bite it you have to wait what seems like a eternity then you finally set the hook and its usually a hawg.

The picture.

Well said sir.

Plastics and jigs, the hookset, especially with braid. It's just the sound of the braid whipping off the water.

Spinnerbaits, the bite. Love when they roll on it.

Geez, I must have read this post title 100 X's, but I've had such a hard time deciding.

Of course I like it all, but I guess what I like best is the landing, especially if it's a monster !

The picture is just icing

Fish

The hook set for me.

Once you feel that baby and the rod tip bends in half and the line tightens makes your heart skip a beat.

The fight is fun but knowing that you set the hook and that bass is on the way to you has no parallel in life.

Its a combination depending on uthe lure i'm using.

Topwater----would be the bite...just can't beat that explosive strike here..

Worm/Jig-----the hookset...feeling the tick and reeling out the slack..pausing just a moment to make sure the fish has it good ....then WHAM!!!!.....Hookset!!!!....Fish On!!!!

Crank bait/Spinner bait----The Fight.....Mostly with the crankbait cause ya gotta be gentle, you never know how good there hooked so you have to play with them a bit.

All the above share the same satisfaction of a job well done when the fish is in the boat

Yep....what he said^

I love that bite man. The one time I threw a senko out, and at the same time my gf had a fish on so I dropped my rod and helped her. Well I look over and my rod is halfway in the water getting drug in by a lmb. I made sure my rod was 10 ft from the bank, but that d**n bass pulled it half way in the water.

Feeling that bite is awesome though. The hook set is a close second. I love all 4 aspects but I would have to rank them like this:

1. Bite

2. Hookset

3. Getting my hands on the fish

4. the fight

It's all systematic; you work for the bite, react with the hook set, prepared for the fight, and rewarded with finally getting the fish in the boat. A superb hook set is not enjoyable if you don't successfully land the fish. Though each step is important and exciting, mission first, getting the fish in the boat is the ultimate goal and followed with bragging rights.