First day out......

[3dkicker]

First fish of the year and it's a PB . Not a bad way to start the year!!!!

I'm thinking about retiring.....

So the Major invites me out to fish the Potomac yesterday. I'm expecting for him to tell me to meet him at O dark 30 but he says 10AM. Sweeeeet! I get to sleep in. Slowly over the years I've had an influence to combat his 20+ years in the Corps.

We pick up the boat and launch right in Quantico Marine Base. Quantico creek is right there so we idle in and hit a couple spots to see what's happening on the river. It's the first time we've both been on the river this year. We strike out on the first two areas. Cold water at 44 deg and has a little stain (pretty normal). We idle out and head to a main river spot. This area has a good history of holding good fish in the early spring. We fish it and nothing.....not looking too good. We move down to another area and we find a giant ball of bait, deep water, and a huge rock pile. This area also has a series of old pilings from docks as well. One of the pilings has a crab pot float attached to it. We work our way down the series of pilings and I make a couple casts with the Hardcore Drum at the one with the float. Trying to not catch the rope attached to the float thinking there's a crab pot attached to it I lift the bait as I get close. The rod loads and I'm thinking I caught the rope but then the rod tip starts to bounce. The rod loads up more and now I'm thinking kitty cat or convict. The fish surges to deep water and I'm hanging on. Slowly it comes up and I shout to the Major to get the net......which is buried in the rod locker . My drag is too tight and I'm trying to back the drag off. The fish is at the boat surging under the boat and I finally get the drag loose enough that it won't rip free. I lift the fish up once more and the Major slides the net under the fish and it's in the boat!!!

Of course the Tournament Director (The Major) of my club doesn't have a scale or a ruler long enough to measure the fish on the boat!!! But he's caught a number of 6-7lb bass and he thinks it's very close or could be 7lbs. The bass was around 20" and I'm thinking 6.5 or better.......



Here's a pic of a 14" bass caught later on the same bait.