Author: Eric P. Remian – Editor, Tips and Techniques

Photo: Greg Greene

BEFORE THE CAST

Before the cast, the angler goes through a mental checklist that has proven over time to minimize the potential for losing a fish during a fight after it’s hooked: a quick check of the hook point to ensure it is as sharp as possible, a check of the line the last few feet before the knot in case it might need to be retied to eliminate a fray or nick that might just expose it’s weakness during a hook set or when the fish surges on a short line near the end of a battle. The plastic lure is checked so that it is rigged as straight as it can be for a natural presentation so that the fish will not reject the lure as a fake and to ensure the hook point will easily release from within the plastic where it is guarded from a snag. He remembers the advantage of a tex-posed rig in that most of the hook set force is spent to penetrate into the hard bony mouth of the fish and not wasted trying to get out of the plastic before going into the fish.

The cast lands with a gentle swish ten yards past the submerged stump that was not fished by all the other anglers fishing the area just an hour earlier. The angler pauses while the bait falls on a taught line to the bottom of the four (4) foot deep stained water. For what seems like 5 minutes the angler holds the rod motionless watching the line instinctively for a tell tale twitch or movement that would indicate a strike. The worm is given life by inching it along for a count of 2 then paused for a count of 3. Each pause brings it closer to the stump. The angler decided before the cast to present the bait to the shade side of the stump in hope that the fish would be in the shade peering out in search of unsuspecting prey. An Osprey shrieks in the distance momentarily distracting the angler. Then after resuming concentration, the angler feels the bait but it doesn’t feel as it had just seconds earlier. Without hesitation, the angler immediately and instinctively sets the hook. FISH ON!

The angler’s first thought was that he sank the hook into the stump especially since his bait was stuck. The fish instinctively attempts to expel the bait by thrashing, first left then right and left again. Without success, it moves, bulldozing into the nearby grass bed where it has on many occasions sought refuge when threatened. The tightness of the line prevents it from reaching the interior of the grass. Without recourse the fish blasts up to the surface jumping completely into the air, once, twice, three times. The angler having caught an eight (8) pound fish in the past is very much aware that he has hooked a fish the size of which he has never seen before. Thoughts race through the angler’s mind. Will my knot hold? Is my drag set correctly? If it’s too tight, I’ll lose. What pound test am I using? Instinctively he loosens the drag. The fish pulls hard towards the stump where it was hooked while at the same time the angler steps onto the trolling motor giving it power and steering towards deeper water. More pressure from the angler’s thumb slows the fish and forces it to turn. The fish heads towards deeper water in a desperate run to get somewhere safe. The angler checks his depth finder and sees that he is now off the flat and floating in thirty-four (34) feet of water. Certain that he has the upper hand at this point, he begins to think about landing the fish.

The fish boils near the surface so close to the boat that it brings the angler to attention. The fish is awesome. A dark dorsal with deep black coloration along its lateral sides highlighted with a golden green background and a pure white anterior. The size of the fish’s mouth can only be compared to a commode since anything else would just be too small. The fish pulls hard, down towards the deep sanctuary where it has lived most of its life. Twice more the fish attempts to surface but the angler using downward rod pressure keeps it down. After five minutes the battle nears the end. The angler decides that the best method to land the fish is to net it. With the fish near the boat the angler brings the net over the gunnel and lowers it into the water. The fish comes alive with one more drastic run and heads straight under the boat. SNAP! The fish wins.

The above is a true story. The names have been changed to keep my sanity. I do think often of that fish and know that I will never ever forget that morning on Lake Anna. I sat down in my boat and only then did I start to shake. I trembled for almost 15 minutes and couldn’t even re-tie my line. Going over and over trying to figure out what if anything I did or didn’t do to land that fish. The weakest link was my line. I was using twelve (12) pound test on a reel that just the evening before, I moved from a spinner bait rod to 7’ heavy action rod that I use for a Carolina Rigs. I don’t know for sure but my line may have been weakened on that reel from one or more backlashes that were easily removed when throwing spinner baits. In this case I didn’t learn a lesson but am reminded of the necessity to always spool up with fresh new line if one or more backlashes has compromised the integrity of the line’s strength. In my case, I should have known not to use that reel but being in a rush the night before to load the boat and get some sleep may have cost me the fish of my lifetime.

The only other conclusion I arrived at is this. I am not a lucky person. I have the worst luck and never ever will I try to net a fish if I’m fishing by myself again. If I were not in a tournament, I most likely would have lipped landed the biggest Largemouth Bass that I have ever hooked but then again with my luck I most likely would have fallen over board trying to wrestle it over the side.

I can’t wait until next year……………..