met up with paul (bronzeback bomber) this morning at 5am and hit whitehall reservoir in hopkinton, ma. we were on the water around 5:30 and paul almost immediately put two little guys in the boat throwing a topwater on the glass-like surface. we moved into a cove and started working pads and downed timber and i managed a decent little 2 1/2 on a junebug senko. by 7am we had about 6 fish in the boat but nothing over that 2 1/2. after that the bite slowed way down and we put maybe 2 more fish in the boat all day, one of them being a tiny little pickerel.

at one point we were working around the outside edge of a large lily pad area that extended off the shoreline. i cast a floating frog towards the back of the pads and as soon as my frog landed, the pads about 2' behind it pushed up and boiled like there was a big ole hawg moving around underneath them. i asked paul if he saw the pads lift up but he hadn't been payin attention to where my cast landed, so i made a cast to the same spot and again the pads lifted up and the water boiled. so i start working the frog back across the pads and whatever was under the pads starts chasing my frog down. i'm getting pumped now thinking the end of my line is about to be smashed by a giant! just as i think it's going to strike i see a baseball size head pop up out of the water, scope my frog and go back under, only to dart under the pads towards my frog, popping up literally right underneath the pad my frog is sitting on. as i look closer i realize my frog is being stalked by a HUUUUUGE bull frog! this thing was massive! it chased my frog down through the pads, and once it tracked it down he actually attacked it and swallowed the d**n thing.

paul and i were in awe! paul's tryin to grab the camera and i'm just laughin my @55 off as this gigantic bull frog is swimming around with my frog in it's mouth. he eventually let me go and swam away, just as paul managed to pull his camera out, but it was definitely one of the strangest things either of us had ever seen.

so that's odd story #2 for the day... (odd story #1 would have to be the two guys backing their boat into the water with all the straps still attached to the trailer... we had a good laugh at that one first thing in the morning!)

later, we're working the edge of an island in the main body of the lake. now keep in mind there is a speed limit of 12mph on this reservoir. it's  not enforced at all, and we even might have gone over a couple times during runs to different parts of the lake, but for the most part everyone abides by the speed limit to some degree. so anyways, we're working the edge of this island as we see some jackass go buzzing by at about 30 right up the middle of the lake. we don't pay much mind until we look up again and notice that this red canoe that had been paddling out in the middle is now overturned. paul turns to me and asks "did that canoe just flip over?", but neither one of us knew if it was just some kids messing around or if it had really capsized. as we're watching the canoe, two boats go zipping right by it, and there's another guy sitting in his boat fishing no more than 100 ft. away from this canoe.

no one is going over to help this capsized canoe so paul and i reel in as fast as we can, jump into our seats and fly across the lake to where they are. as we get closer we can see two adults in life vests holding on to the overturned canoe. paul yells to them to ask if they're alright and the woman starts waving us over. we idle over to them and i reach out and grab ahold of the two people in the water. we give them a hand getting into paul's tracker and strapped their now sunken canoe to the back of the boat.

as we're idling over to shore so they can empty it out and get back on the water, the guy that was sitting 100 ft. away from all this cruises between our boat and the shore line. by now we've calmed down a little and are making light of the situation, and paul asks the guy "how ya doin?" only to be met with a blank stare. so again paul asks "any luck today?" and again only a blank stare, as if we've just ruined this guy's spot by dragging a capsized canoe and two soaking wet people through the area. the guy never said a word, no "everyone alright?" or "need a hand with that?", NOTHIN' just cruised on by and kept goin.

needless to say the two people in the canoe were extremely gracious that we stopped and helped, as they were both struggling just to keep the canoe from sinking, never mind having to keep themselves afloat. we made sure they were all set and went back to fishing, but neither one of us could believe that not one other person stopped to help these two people in obvious need of assistance.

later as we were loading paul's boat out of the right side of a 2-lane ramp, a guy in a saab pulls up and starts backing his trailer down the other side. he makes about 10 attempts before pulling up next to us and rolling his window to ask "think you could pull ahead so i could load my boat?". just then we both realize it's the guy that had cruised by without saying a word or stopping to help. so paul pulls up and we start talking about the day's events, and as we're watching the guy in the saab try to back his trailer down we're both shaking our heads because this guy just can not back it in straight. he's got the whole ramp tied up because his trailer's jack knifed sideways across both lanes, and we could do nothing but laugh and think about how much it must hurt to be such a moron.

all in all a very interesting day. i had a great time getting to meet and fish with paul and i hope it's not long before we get to do it again. hopefully next time we can focus on catching fish instead of giant bull frogs and capsized canoes!

Sounds like you had an eventful day! I cant believe no one made an effort to help the people, thats sad. I bet it sure was fun watching the guy  fail at backing in.

Mad props to you guys for helping them because if you flipped over your canoe wouldn't you want help.

You know,i don't think i would have had the heart to pull up when he asked you guys....I would have did the same "blank stare" that he gave you guys when you two were helping the people in the canoe.

I'm glad there's guys out there like you two...you guys did the right thing.

Props to you guys for doing the right thing. Maybe its just me, but I thought it was a law to stop and help people in need on the water. I may be wrong about that, but either way you two have some karma on your side, maybe next time that bullfrog will be a hawg.

My hat is off to you two!! I can beleive that people do not obey the speed limit, but how rude and cold hearted can people be to see an over-turned boat and not wonder if anyone is in it or in need of any help. I'm glad there are still some people out there with a heart!!!

I'm with Jeremyt on this one I hope you get your hawg next trip!!!!

Great story Matt Mike!! (haha)  

For the record, a Bull Frog  will eat ANYTHING you dangle in front of it.  you can pull it out of it's throat and it will bite it again,....even if it's a cigarette butt.  VERY aggressive.

;D Mike it was great to share this day with you! I gotta get you out with me more often because there is just no way I could have compiled the days events so eliquently! Nice job! Do you wanna do the Webster T with me....who cares if your fishing against me. Let me know bullfrog boy! ;D

For the record, a Bull Frog will eat ANYTHING you dangle in front of it. you can pull it out of it's throat and it will bite it again,....even if it's a cigarette butt. VERY aggressive.

Why would you try to teach frogs how to smoke?  

Great story!

What a day.

8-)

I enjoyed the long read. Keep them coming!

For the record, a Bull Frog  will eat ANYTHING you dangle in front of it.  you can pull it out of it's throat and it will bite it again,....even if it's a cigarette butt.  VERY aggressive.

Why would you try to teach frogs how to smoke?  

It was a slow bite......Idle hands....... ;D

Great story! I had a pet bullfrog when I was in college. I fed it other frogs all the time, sometimes three at a time. They will try to swallow anything.

Helping those people out will come back to you, you'll see.