How to Lose a Big Fish, Still learning...

Every weekend for the past several weeks I head to the mouth of my local trib looking for some chinook action. I have a favorite spot - somehow the crowds of other anglers just aren't as thick there. Every time I've been out this year with my 10'-6" hardware chucking gear I catch one fish. Almost like clockwork - between 7:00 - 7:30 AM, just after sun rise - I catch one fish on a bright orange Rapala J9. I fish from 5-8ish each time but I only ever get the one fish and always on that lure at that time.... Weird, right!?

Last weekend was the same as every other weekend in September, I'm at my spot with the extra elbow room. 7:05 and I snag the bottom with whatever Little Cleo I was throwing. Break it off where the leader attaches to the mainline. But look at the time! I better get a new rig tied on so I can catch my 7AM fish before it gets away! Throw on the orange J9 and first cast I hook into a brute. I fought this fish for almost 15 minutes and it took me almost all the way back out into the Bay before I got it close to shore. Once it breaks the surface in front of me I can see how huge this salmon is. Massive kype! A real beast and would have easily been the biggest fish of any species that I caught. I grab my net and suddenly ZING! The lure goes flying past my ear because that monster spit the hooks.......

The moral of the story is this: don't be in such a rush to get a line back in the water that you put together an incomplete rig. I skipped putting on a new floro shock leader (usually using about 4-5' of 15 lbs). The fish didn't spit the hooks - it STRAIGHTENED the hooks! I'll probably be thinking about that fish for years to come.

Great fishing story one to hold forever.

After learning from past experiences just like yours,in the past, I always change out the treble hooks on my rapalas/ bomber lures , fresh out of the box, with 3x strong trebles. The thin trebles these lures come with out of the package just can’t with stand the pressures a big fish puts on your terminal tackle.
Also when using such lures for large fish such as salmon, I remove the front hook entirely, if the bait has a 3 treble hook setup.
Hope this helps you land the big ones! Good luck!!

Hmm--I'm confused. How is not having a leader related to straightening the hooks.
thx

Too bad about the fish---enough to keep you coming back

@Knuguy - I was using braided mainline which means zero stretch. If I still had the floro leader line there would have been some stretch, so the force on the hooks would have been diminished. But....

@Smilee - Yeah you're probably right. Those hooks were never going to stand up to a big salmon. And they didn't. So I guess that means I learned TWO lessons

Braid or not you still have to set your drag to what all your gear can handle. Straight braid not just the hook strength need to be considered but the split rings or snaps if you don’t se any.

Salmon can destroy gear with a cranked down drag.

That's something to think about too! I'm pretty diligent with adjusting my drag but I haven't fought many huge fish. So I probably didn't do as good of a job as I thought...

I think you would need quite a long leader to provide enough elasticity( "give") to provide any significant cushioning.

Setting the drag right , upgrade the terminal tackle (split rings , hooks etc ) and have fun fighting big chinook salmon
Every fall I cast for Ontario chinooks with 15 -20 lb braided line and do not have any break offs but I mainly use spoons , large strong trebles and strong split rings and swivels .

We all know that feeling of losing a big fish...makes you feel sick! Especially if you've been putting in the hours and finally connect...nothing worse!

Wow, thats's a heart-breaking story, it hurts for sure.
Now you are better equipped knowing what to do next time out, and I know there will be another time out. Remember, that beast is still out there....lol.

WOW! Thanks for the story, that would have been a nice fish. Would have loved to see the picture. I've never had the pleasure of having a fish straighten out my hooks, wish I do one day.