This bass at Waquoit was at the top of the tide; little, little current or flow and
only at the mouth of the inlet, not at all inside.
Nothing for it to really surf with past the mouth of the inlet.
I'll buy the fish didn't know it was hooked for a while because I didn't
know I hooked it either ;-).
Here's another theory - little bass run up and smack the bait and run w/ it to get it under control, and kill it. I can catch 4 or 5 bass on a singl eel and th eel is still wiggling. This fish - when I unhooked it the eel fell on the boat. Dead, crushed head and body.
Big bas can just slurp down the bait and mash it w/ those 2" thick lips. As a result it doesn't have to expend energy and run w/ the bait first. It just sits there and gulps the bait down.
I never saw the one that got away or the start of the fight - the guy who handed me the rod said he saw it and it was huge and that it went halfway across the river before he got it in to where it locked into and just hung.
But this fish did have one run, it was just a short and lazy one. I wouldn't say it gave up; it semed more like the geriatric situation, especially the way it lay in the boat, not even thrashing till I dumped water on it.
I don't want this to insult anyone but if you know anyone whos really heavy and walk up a flight of stairs with them you can see them pause at each landing and often have to stop at the top and catch their breath from the effort of moving their mass upwards.
I wonder if its the same w/ these fat old momma stripers.
L.