12.5 Pound Large Mouth Bass Caught, Cast to Catch and Boat Reaction

[WB Staff]

If you love fishing, if you dream of big bass smashing you're lures, if you always had a rod in the car "just in case", this is a story for you, dreams do come true.

I was a an amazing Florida morning, 3 guys fishing.

On the boat it was Captain Shane, Mr. White and I.
Mr White is a member of the club I work at. With his 89 years of age he always keeps a rod in his car, just in case.

We fished a couple of spots that I have fished before and Shane suggested we move to a different area.

We got there and started fishing, we went around this clump of saw grass, casting away, we saw some beds, no bucks on them.

I was swimming a big EZ, not completely buzzing it, but for sure disturbing the surface.
I saw a gap between two clumps of saw grass with the wind blowing right to left , my cast was towards the right clump so the wind would put the lure between the two clumps, it worked out perfect.
I cast with my left and retrieve with my right so as soon as the bait hits the water, it’s moving.

The bait swam 10 yards and all of the sudden, that slow creepy wake. I stoped the bait and in a second I felt her take it. I had missed a good fish earlier so on this one I swung for the fences. The hook set felt super solid, I knew I had her.

When I started to reel her in I could not get her moving, it felt like a 4 pounder in the grass, but when she boiled I realized it wasn’t grass: “Captain this is a good fish” to witch Shane casually replied “that’s is a good fish....that’s a BIG FISH”.

The fish made a run parallel to the boat and we all got a great look at her in the beautiful tea colored clear Florida water. 12.5 pounds of pure Saint John strain power, digging.
Mr White in the back of the boat was yelling: lord have mercy!!!!!! Shane again very casual said “that’s a 10 pounder , that’s your new personal best”

The fish came up big head shake and rolled, she made a dive to go under the boat and like in slow motion I remembered seeing a video of my coach Joey Berg setting the hook on a 10 pounder and putting his hand up the rod under the first guide for leverage to prevent the fish from going under the boat, I did the same the fish turned toward Shane and he grabbed her and pulled her out.

When Shane grabs the fish he goes absolutely bananas. I have seen Shane not want to take a picture with a six pounder. I hear him yell oh my good this is way bigger than 10 pounds, all I see is this monster, I about lost it. I could not believe the size of that animal. It was like something out of a cartoon, insane.

Shane’s taxing pictures Mr. White with 89 years of age can’t close his mouth and is saying: I have never saw a fish like that in my life!!!
And Shane is just stuck going : oh my good.

I had so much adrenaline, you can hear the 3 of us totally hyperventilating on that boat.

We weight the fish 12.5 a true giant. Shane goes into protect the fish mode and takes the fish to the live weIl, I go to the front of the boat and just collapse and start laughing, pure joy. Outside of meeting my wife , seeing my kids be born, that is one of the best moments of my life.

I get up and Shane walks up to me puts his hand on my shoulder and said: Carlos brother, that is the biggest fish I have ever seen in my life. 30 years of guiding professionally, and that’s his biggest fish. I’m so honored to be a part of that. And glad he was the one who pulled that fish out.

You hear so many stories of these big fish being caught be people on their first fishing trip, or the wife who doesn’t even like to fish that much, or just by some stroke of luck.
This one fellow fisherman, is for us. The dedicated ones. Yo simply cannot ask for more.

I still can’t believe the feeling such an incredible experience. I’m so proud of that fish. I’m so lucky I got to be a part of that and to have such exceptional friends with me that day.

So before I end this I want to thank Captain Shane for putting me on that big fish. For making every trip special.
My coach Joey Berg who taught me how to bass fish. I used everything I have learned from him so far to land that fish and to enjoy it the way I did.
Thank you Mr. White for being such a good fishing partner.
Thank you James Fallow for the scale assist and verification of the weight.
And of course that fish Hosseline, what a fish, what a show, fish of a life time.

One cast can change everything. Thank you for reading.

PD: if you liked mi vid and write up , please leave me a like, good luck and thank you.