Hey every one, just stopping by to tell you all about my fish " that almost got away". Like I told you guys in earlier post, my spot that used to be packed with bass, has been taken over by aggressive, spawning tilapia, that fight off anything bigger then 6 inches long. Needless to say for the past two weekends I haven't caught anything other then few Mayan cichlids and blue gills on live night crawlers. Well on Sunday I was reeling in a mid sized blue gill (about the size of my hand) and out of nowhere, two huge bass started attacking the blue gill, one of them even swallowed it whole! Unfortunately, the hook I used was too small and hooked inside the blue gill already to do any good, but I tried anyway to reel it in. but the bass spit it out! Luckily I had I second rod with a larger hook on it so I reeled in the blue gill, hooked it through the upper lip and threw it back in ASAP. It took me a couple of cast before I got their attention again. I could see from shore, how they were cornering it between them and then one lunged at it, I set the hook and BAM, It was on. I never heard my reel squeal like that before but what a sweet sound it was! After a couple of jumps out of the water, I reeled it to shore and it was HUGE! I would say it was 2.5 feet long. and definatly about 10-12.5 lbs. I barely set the hook on the corner of his mouth so when I was removing it he began flaying around one last time, dislodged the hook, and I dropped him! He land back in about 2 inches of water and was wigglin back in to the lake when I grabbed it by the tail and pulled him back in! I was alone so I couldn't get a good picture with it on the camera on my phone. I had to share this with you all as soon as I could.

To show the scale the best I could, I laid it down and put my foot next to it. My foot measures 11.5 inches, from the tip of my toe to the back of my heel.

Nice. Fish like that should be keeping your Tilapia problem in check... I would think.

Very nice fish.

Congratulations!

Nice. Fish like that should be keeping your Tilapia problem in check... I would think.

You would think so. I fish a small canal that feeds into a huge lake. There are about four big bass in the 2+ feet  range, and two big Peacock Bass that come in about 2- 3 times a day. They take a lap or two harassing the tilapia and then go back into the lake. From now on I will keep the first little fish that I catch in a bait bucket for when they come back.

Nice job! I bet that was exciting!!!

I posted a pic of a Bass that inhaled a smaller Bass that had just bit a T-rigged Zoom Speed Worm a few months ago but your story is much better and your Bass much bigger.  You might want to try one of Matt's Bluegills next time .

Dan

awesome

Nice fish, SouthMiamiBassMan.  Did you ever think of changing your name to Neanderthal_Leg?  You could use this picture as your avatar.    Maybe, it's just the lighting.  

Nice fish, SouthMiamiBassMan. Did you ever think of changing your name to Neanderthal_Leg? You could use this picture as your avatar. Maybe, it's just the lighting.

Nice fish!  You are LUCKY to have peacocks in Florida.  

Nice fish, SouthMiamiBassMan. Did you ever think of changing your name to Neanderthal_Leg? You could use this picture as your avatar. Maybe, it's just the lighting.

;D I have got start using a real camara. I guess it's the shadow from my head, but my wife says I do have "Flintstone" feet. Maybe I can get a jog at GEICO or something

Ya know alot of people would not consider tilapia a problem.

They just may be one of the best tasting fish that swims.

Ya know alot of people would not consider tilapia a problem.

They just may be one of the best tasting fish that swims.

Yeah, but when they are spawning they rarely bite, and never ever go after anything that's artifical.

Last spring my fishing buddy and I went to Coffeen Lake. Back to the tressel to float shad and live Blue Gill under for big Cats, well the bass were school feeding in such a frenzy like I have never seen. It was early April, but this is a power plant lake and warms long before other waters.

Anyway, we sat at that tressel "LISTENING" for the echo of bass running from the north side thru that tunnel BANGING the wall for Blue Gill fry.

We caught 20 to 24 inch bass "One rt after another" all morning.

It was a blast.

The Blue Gill we were running for bait avg. 3 to 5 inches and the bass were just inhaling them.

Fish we missed literally demolished the bait. Blue Gill look like it had been thru a grinder.

And they held on, I don't care how much pressure you put on a running line, they held on like trohpy catfish. Never saw ne thing like it in my life.

Very Nice fish.

Congrats!!!!

P.S. Note to you guys that like a lil Catfish action....

Cut off a Blue Gill head leaving a lil gut, then throw it on the ground and STOMP the snott out of the head.

Drives Blue Cat crazy, plus is soft and allows for more hook sets!