Who: Tim Kelly
What: 8.42lbs (24 inches long) (17.5 inches round)
When: Feb. 27th (3:45pm)
Where: Lake Lucas (Asheboro,NC)
How: Slow rolling a WarEagle 3/8 chartreuse spinnerbait with white tail.
During this time of year I really like to focus on deep water coves and points that provide a lot of heavy structure and lay downs, especially if we experience a couple of warmer days.
If you can find those areas and you are marking slightly higher water temps, you’re in business!!!
I try to keep my boat positioned in atleast 15ft of water where I can still reach the edge of the bank. I really like to work those lay downs hard, sometimes casting into the same area 2-3 times, going over, under and around as many limbs and logs as possible. Sometimes letting my spinnerbait drag over limbs and slowly letting it flutter down in between structure, then slowly but steadily reeling it back, getting those blades moving… You sometimes you risk getting hung up, but sometimes it produces big bites! Bottom line you can’t be scared to get hung up!
This particular day, I had been fishing for a few hours in some usual spots that have produced fish for me in the past but hadn’t gotten any bites. I decided to finish up the day in a cove near the dam where a few days before my father-in-law and I had marked some big “V’s” and warmer water.
I started fishing a little run on the left side and slowly started working each lay down I came across. As I got into the back of the cove I came across two sunken trees with big branches and long limbs.
First cast was long towards the bank and over over two decent size limbs, I slowly let the my spinnerbait flutter as it hit the water and again slowly working it back towards the boat, crawling over branches and through limbs.
As I came over the second branch I let my spinnerbait flutter down and slowly started reeling and slapped up. Felt like my whole bait got knocked sideways. Reeled it back in, made the cast and using the same technique, except this time as I came over the second branch I let the bait slightly fall, reeled 3 times and it completed stopped.
At first there was no movement in line and I thought I was hung up, I shook my rod tip and my took off to left side.
I immediately leaned back and started reeling as he headed for deeper water, my baitcaster started screaming as he was pulling drag! I tried to be patience and make sure to get him away from all the bigger branches and limbs in the water.
I’m glad I had just changed line on my spinnerbait rod that morning from braid to 14lb Fluoro.
As I worked him away from structure and back to the boat, I remembered I didn’t have a net and at this point I knew he was a good size fish but I didn’t know just how big he was until I was able to tire him out and brought him right up against the boat, as soon I noticed he was a monster bass, I jumped to the back, sitting in my driver seat and rod in my left hand, went to grab his lip and sure enough, he shakes and nose drives back down underneath the boat.
At this point I’m praying and yelling…” Please God stay on!!”
I let him pull and turn but try to stay calm, keeping the line tight and work him out from the under the boat.
About 15 seconds later, I get him out from under the boat and work him back towards the front of the bow, as he circles my troll motor I start thinking “I’m gonna have to flip him in”
“NOT THE BEST IDEA”
As he circles the troll motor I use his momentum against him and flip em up over the rail!!
As he lands in my lap, my rod snaps in half!!!!
Talk about having mixed emotions,
A broken $200 combo and catching a fish of a lifetime…
I’d do it all over again in a heartbeat!!!!
Now that’s a fishing story!!!
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