Today was a good day, I cant complain, but I thought everything went downhill after I missed my first fish of the day. Fishing with light tackle, I threw in a nightcrawler as soon as my me and my aunt (visiting from NY) got down to the pond's edge, and no later than 3 minutes, I panicked. My float went into complete submarine mode. I set the hook as hard as I could and immediately I knew I had to loosen the drag. It was one of the largest channel cats- no one of the largest fish I've had on my line. The battle raged on for about a good 2-3 minutes. My drag was squealing higher than before. I fought the fish as my mother, aunt, and another angler across the pond watched. I managed to tire out the fish and pull it right to the shore, just inches from my twitching fingers.. Then with one foul swat from its tail, the 4 pound channel cat gracefully slid right off of the 1/0 straight worm hook. I knelt there. Seconds.. Minutes.. Gaping at the swirling water the catfish left behind for me. I was distraught, almost angered enough to jump in after it. But the day eased up after catching a small green sunfish, a monster bluegill, and a huge crappie. I told myself that I lost that fish today for a reason.. So I could come back and capture it when it has doubled.. maybe even tripled in size. Today was a good day.. I can't complain.

It's times like those that I come back later with heavy equipment. LOL's.

don't give up .get right back out there and catch him.lol

If you were catfishing intentionally, your first mistake was using light tackle. My channel cat rig is a Rhino medium-heavy baitcast rod with a BPS Mega Cast MCM2000 baitcast reel spooled with 165 yards of 17 pound test Berkley Trilene XT line and Gamakatsu 4/0 Octopus circle hooks.My flathead cat rig is a BPS Offshore Angler Power Plus Trophy Class heavy boat rod with a Penn Peer 209 reel spooled with 200 yards of 80 pound test BPS Offshore Angler braided Dacron line and Gamakatsu  8/0 Octopus circle hooks. Both rigs are rigged up like a Carolina rig with 1 ounce weight on the channel rig and 4 ounce weight on the flathead rig.
I catch 4 to 8 pound channels and 8 to 25 pound flatheads  on a regular basis with these rigs and have not lost a fish yet since using them. Better luck next time and happy fishing!

I have a simular story happen to me a couple weeks ago i was fishing with a few friends one my friend boat we were bass fishing mot of the afternoon until early evening. we have not caught anything all day. So i broke the live bait and cut bait. I then decided toused some chicken liver i baited up my hook of my cat fish pole and threw the bait out. within 3 or 4 mins. had a cat hit the line and took off with it . I set the hook then set it again. I thought that should be good to good set should be fine. I crank in the fish I just got it to the boat got yo see it it was about a foot from the boat. I'm getting excited my friends are getting excited because it was the frist fish we seen all day. I just gettin ready to knell down and pull it out of the water. when this beautiful 4-5 pound channel cat spit my hook back at me. Then we fished for about another hour an left to go home. So I feel your pain.