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One Cast, One Pig...


roadwarrior

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  • Super User

Okay boys, toss another log on the fire and have a seat. I think you're going to like this story.

Dateline:

January 1, 2007

Germantown, TN

6:45 AM

Cold, windy and overcast...just about a perfect morning to start fishing in the New Year! Recent heavy rain, cold stained water and volatile temperatures have turned the bass off in recent weeks. Last weekend I hooked up with a nice fish, but she came unbuttoned. Otherwise, the last month or so has been a bust.

My local ponds produce nice fish most of the year. The main pond I fish is in a neighbor park, about nine acres, fed by a small stream. The pond was dug out to provide the foundation for a Wal-Mart store. Surrounding land, including the pond, was donated to the City of Germantown and became a park. The constuction created a numer of shelves near the bank, an extended shallow flat and a relatively deep channel (23' maximum depth). There is no cover on this pond, but the structural components allow for very successful recruitment and nutrients from residential run-off help maintain a healthy population of both baitfish and predators.

I generally start out at a point where the creek begins to back up to form the pond. This area is fortified with rip-rap which transitions into a mud bank. At about the point of transition the water drops from 2-3' to about 8-10' and is filled with branches, stumps and rocks that have washed into the water over the years. The distance from one bank to the other at this point is no greater than a short cast. Although I occasionally catch fish in this area, I really start out checking equipment, making sure the bait is running correctly and the line is working properly.

This morning I was anxious to get out early, but as it turned out the cloud cover delayed daylight for a little longer than I had anticipated. I sat in the truck, finished my coffee and smoked a couple of cigaretts, but still it was dark. I made it down to the water at the bottom of a steep hill. In the semi-darkness, my first cast placed the 6" Senko in the rip-rap. No big deal, I pulled it back into the water a few feet and let it sit while I lit another smoke.

After a minute or so, I moved the Senko a foot and again, let it settle. The next time I moved the bait I had no feel of the shallow bottom, well actually no feel at all. The wind was blowing strongly from the north, my left. I could hardly see my line as I reeled in the slack, but then it seemed to be moving INTO the wind. That's just about the time I "woke up."

My soft plastics rig is a St. Croix Legend Elite (ES70MF) matched with a Stella 2500FB and #6 Yo-Zuri Hybrid Ultra Soft. That reel can retrieve line very quickly (29" IPC) when you want to get it moving. As I watched my line moving off to my left, I began reeling like a madman.

On previous threads and in other posts I have always recommended a "quick set" or "snap set" when fishing soft plastics, and I am still suggesting that to everyone. However, in this instance there was nothing "quick" about the strike. When I finally retrieved enough line to feel the fish for the first time, I put a Bill Dance hookset on her...but she didn't move.

My rod fully loaded, I mean FULLY! The fish turned toward the far bank, screaming drag and on a mission. When she came up in the darkness all I saw was a flash as her body reflected a glimmer of light, but the splash sounded like a bomb had been dropped in the water.

With no light and no place to move, I stood there and let her rip. The fat girl turned down the shoreline, now headed to deep water and I couldn't turn her. As she made her move for what I thought would be another jump, she rolled on the surface and I was able to bring her towards me. Minutes seemed like hours, but I was having a ball. I finally got her to my side of the pond where I saw her, really for the first time. Mother Goose! She was WAY to big to lift, I went down for her...and fell into the pond.

The Gamakatsu 4/0 EWG was burried in the roof of the mouth, but way back near the throat. The Senko was partially down and encumbered my view. If this fish were smaller, it would have been harvested, I wasn't sure I could get the hook removed. I couldn't see well enough to get her unhooked and released. Fortuantely, this baby had a mouth that I could probably put both hands in. I fumbled around getting my needle-nose pliers out, took a deep breath and worked some magic. I placed her gently on the grass and quickly measured her length with my line, cut the line and and stuffed it in my pocket. As I lifted this beauty, I was a proud daddy.

Upon successful release, she was gone. Then a few moments later she came flying out of the water near the opposite bank. I don't know whether she was saying "thank you," "good-bye," or "screw you!" But that was a fitting ending of a wonderful battle.

One cast, one pig, one helluvaday!

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  • Super User

The water is +/- 50 degrees, but it felt like ice water. The air temperature was 39 degrees and the wind was blowing 15-20 mph.

The bass measured 25 7/8".  10 lbs is too special to claim without strong conviction or a scale, but she was a very nice fish.

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Outstanding.

Excellent story telling too.  I was actually on the edge of my seat.

Hope you didn't get too soaked, but for a fish like this, I think we all would think it worth a cold bath

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Congrats on an awesome catch. I did check with New York's weigh your fish with a ruler scale and it only went to 25" at that length the weight came in at 9lbs - 10ozs and so yours was a little larger so 10lbs is not a bad call RW. The scale uses the average weight of fish.

www.dec.state.ny.us/website/dfwmr/fish/foe4cwgf.html

Chow

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  • Super User

Great going RW, and Happy New Year!!

January is certainly your month for Hawgs :o 8-)

Roger

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CONGRATS RW!!!

Sounds like one of those beer commercials--It doesn't get any better than that! Hopefully you got her photo. 8-)

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Nice story buddy.

You are such a good story teller that you should move to Hollyweird and

do some naration work for the movie studios.   ;D I was on the edge of

my seat the whole time. The only thing that was missing was some $7 a

bag popcorn and some mouthy kids on cell phones sitting behind me.

Good Job,

JT Bagwell

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