This one made the whole day worthwhile!

[keithdog]

I started out working the shallows with a Rattlin Spook and caught one small pup. It was early morning and the water was almost like glass. The water was very discolored today. I think the DNR might have done a weed kill previously as the water looked like split pea soup with very little vegetation. The frog bite was completely dead and nothing would hit a spinnerbait shallow. Worms were useless. So I figured I should give up that approach and head out to deeper water. Since the water was so discolored I put on a Strike King KVD spinnerbait, 3/8 oz. white with gold blades and the magic skirt. My idea was to work the deeper water by counting down the spinnerbait and retrieveing it slowly to just keep it in contact with the weedtops. The first cast, I bagged this brute. I was using a Garcia Revo S on a BPS Pro Qualifier rod, 6 1/2 foot MH, fast tip, and 17 pound green Trilene Big Game line. My favorite spinnerbait outfit. Even with that outfit I started using the trolling motor to follow the big girl around as she was really pulling like a Texas bull. Finally I got her landed. I'm not sure how big she is. I really need to get a new scale. The picture is nice but deceiving as is often the case when taking a pic of a fish at arms reach. Kinda gets distorted. It was far longer than it looks in the pic. I wish I'd had someone in the boat with me to take the pic with me in it to compare. I am sure it was close to 24 inches long. I held my rod guides up to the fish and then measured that when I got home.
Gotta tell you guys this one last story. I was pitchin a Reaction Beaver and the pitch ended up going over a small twig about 12 inches above the surface. While the Beaver was dangling just above the water, a nice 3 pounder came up out of the water and nailed it! Now that was very cool to see. Overall it was very tough going today. You really had to work it. But the big girl sure made the day!