Got my first 10 Pounder!

[The Bateman]

Well I've been bass fishing for over 40 years, but never caught a 10 pounder - UNTILL Now !!!! James and I had a slow start, only 2 bass in two hours. So we switched lakes, to one we like to call "stickmarsh". We began catching our usual 1-2 pounders, but couldn't find any nice ones. So we started casting crankbaits on a 12' flat, and started nailing some nice 2-3 pound fish. James was killing me with his larger, deep diving plug. We decided to look for similar flats nearby, and moved over a shallower area, so I picked up my ultralite with a small, suspending deep diving Rapala. After catching a couple of 1 pound bass, we moved over a drop off, to 17 feet. Suddenly, I feel a "tick" and then a lot of weight. At first, I think a little one has taken me down into the weeds on the bottom. Then I see the 6 pound test line rising to the surface! This giant bucketmouth leaps out of the water . Suddenly I realize I've got a huge bass on my ultralite rig. My knees start to weaken, as I think of how the little 1 pounders have been pulling drag on this rod!! But I'm in open water, so I think I have a chance. I start yelling for James to get the net, before he's got his line in, and sure enough, my bass gets tangled in his line. We looked as though we were in a Chinese fire drill passing rods over and under each other trying to get untangled. Finally James gets free and starts reeling in, only to discover he's got a 6-7 pound bass on his line!!! He fights it right up to the boat, where the hooks pull out as he's reaching down for it . After several more surges to the bottom, this 10 pound 3 ounce beauty slips into the net!






Trying again!