7/10/09 Trip

[Bubba_Bruiser]

Made a dark side trip last night to a state lake. The fishing was slow, but we had a good time. We got on the water about 12:30 and ended about 7 this morning. I put 3 in the boat, but my buddy got the egg. But he was going for the big fish with the swim bait. I would definately have to work my way up in confidence to throw that beast of a bait all day long. I think it was a Rat Slammer or something like that. But I got to give it to him, he was after the big bite and hung with it all night. But we put in and I started with the black/yellow Spro popper frog. I got a swipe from the get-go at the boat but that was it after that for the frog. I was also throwing a Yellow Magic popper. I don't normally purchase the high dollar baits, but a buddy offshore told they had been tearing them up around his house on them. And I figured I had been offshore for 3 weeks, Big Poppa deserved a little gift, hahahaha:

This bait has an awesome action with a popper and walk the dog action and a nice paint job on it too.
Anyways, I couldn't buy a hit after the first swipe for about 2 hours. We made a run up a finger and struck out and came out and I suggested we head to the dam end. On the way, a little breeze blew in about the time I crossed a point in the boat, so I stopped the boat and suggested we throw a time or 2 and then head to the dam. My first cast with Berkley 10" worm produced a nice strike, but just a bump and run, along with the 2nd and 3rd cast. So I switched to Zoom trick work and slid the pegged weight up a 1.5'. I got another hit, but they were being finicky. Then my buddy bent over on a soft hollow body swimbait he switched to, but came up short on the fish. We stayed there a few minutes and I finally lit in a pounder and got him boated. Whew, that was close, so I wipe the smell of skunk off. We fished a little while longer with nothing doing. We hit the dam end and struck out and started back towards the upper end. I was throwing a weigtless Culprit type senko and got 3 or 4 hits and managed to pop my buddy 2 times when it came torpedoing out of the water. Sorry about that bro in case you this. I switched back to the YM popper and boom, a fish blew up on it. I thought I had a beast, I think I bout lost the rod 3 times from it pulling out of my hands. But the fish turned out to be maybe 2 pounds. Maybe it was just the braid bite but she put on a show and had 4 out of 6 hooks in his mouth. I throw it a little longer and got 1 more strike and came up short handed. I then switched to a baby bass Bass Assassin. I got a strike and missed and for the finally I boated this ole 5lb girl:

I couldn't tell if she had hit until I saw my line drifting slowly to the right, I thought I had just came through a bush or something. But I set the hook and she didn't put up too much of a fight. Then she rolled and made an awesome leap and my buddy was like you need the net. Why do they always look like that double digit fish when they roll in the water. The fish decided to put up a fight when she saw the boat though. I thought I played her like a champ while I had #10 test. She made 3 or 4 good drag runs before the surrender. Back in the day I would have horsed her and lost her more than likely, but I had her in open water and just let the drag do the work. We got her in and she had swallowed the bait. She wasn't bleeding or anything, so we clipped the line as far in as we could get and turned her back. Hopefully she will make it, she wasn't showing any signs of stress at the release. Just thought I would share the story with all my fishing bros out there. This will probably be the conclusion for my trips until the fall with the baby being due the 27th. I have to go back to work next Wednesday and will come in right beore the baby is born. And Momma is on the warpath and in that nesting stage, hahahaha. So tighline fellas and good luck.