This past week, I’ve been trying to get out on the water for an hour or two before dusk when being in the boat in this ungodly heat isn’t like being caught In a crock pot. I’ve been catching fish but nothing remarkable. The night before last I boated 3 junior-sized smallmouth, all 14-15”, giving new meaning to the word smallies. Fun stuff, but....
Last night I turned my sights to largies and was hoping for something more remarkable. I headed to a location that hosts some good sizes, but a buff and aquatic granny was swimming all around her SUP, and churning up the water like an overgrown otter. No surprise, no takers there, so I headed off to a smaller spot that I haven’t fished yet this season. By now, the light was nice and low and the wood-heavy shoreline was dead calm. After some casts with a Beaver that was only getting maimed by sunfish, I thought to myself “Frog.” Switched rods and lobbed a KVD Popping Perch into the farthest corner of the cove, where it was almost immediately smashed and engulfed. BIG fish on — but a lot of line out and no one on board to net. This fish initially came hauling in a beeline towards the boat ....A few leaps and bulldogging weed dives later, I somehow managed to not blow it and awkwardly netted a green giant. It spent some time in a nice 02 rich suite to recover and when I thought it was getting feisty, I took a couple of quick selfies for the memory book and released one of the best largies I’ve ever landed. Always a little weird when you catch a really good fish and you’re alone. I guess I talked to myself a lot from hookset thru release lol.
Hope the rest of your summer is amazing