October-November Bass

[spasticcp]

Be warned, I've just gotten back into fishing this year, so I don't have any really good monster stories, and this is my first official "big fish that got away" story, so you'll have to excuse the dramatic flair. The actual size of the fish in the story we estimate to be about 22" and in between 6 and 7lbs. So here goes...

So there I was. Hungry, cold, and frustrated to no end. A full 3 hours fishing had produced nothing more than a largemouth bass at just under a pound thrown back long ago. Luckily I now had a companion to join in my

fruitless efforts while the sun began to set on the horizon.

Trevor had arrived with a knowing smile. He knew right away that the fishing and weather had been less than stellar, but started getting his rod assembled,

and soon enough his hook was baited and his first cast was out into the lake.

He couldn't have been more right about the weather. A forecast of sunny and 55 with a light 7mph wind..... Right.... At least the forecast got the sunny part right, but forgot to put the "1" in front of the "7" for

wind speed. Much to my chagrin, his first cast resulted in a strike. A baby Northern, comparable to my earlier bass. We both shared a good laugh before Trevor released it to the choppy depths of Coon Lake.

With a low grumble, something incoherent about a lucky first cast, I reluctantly heaved my line out yet again. Unfortunately this time I noticed that there was a tangle in the line about 4 feet from the bobber. With a deep sigh of frustration I began reeling in the line dreading the

upcoming battle of untangling the line yet again, and again

grumbling...something about never letting Gander Mountain touching my reels

again...

In order to undo the tangle, I had to leave the rest of my line in the water, about two feet from shore. Directly in front of me, a rock had barely broken the surface of the water, submerged with each wind-driven wave. After about a minute of fumbling, the tangle was straightened and I

was ready to take in my line.

Suddenly I heard a splash and a sound that can only be described as PLOOP, and I noticed my bobber was gone. Less than a second later, my rod bowed to a crescent and I knew I had hooked something big. I instinctively pulled back and set the hook, and received an equally strong tug back as a reward, threatening to tumble me head first into the rock below.

I set my stance and pulled back again, catching the first glimpse of what I had on the end. By now the sun had nearly set, so it was difficult to tell what the fish was at first by the head. The head was so large, at first I

thought it had to be a catfish, until it opened it's mouth. I could have reached inside it's gaping maw with both hands, I recognized it immediately after as being one of my favorite catches. The Largemouth Bass!

With another tug it was up on the rock, flopping wildly, trying to throw the hook. And that was when I realized my fatal mistake.

We had no net.

In a panic I reached down, trying to grab a hold of the leader at the end of my line. Our thoughts must have been linked somehow that day, because before I knew it, Trevor was down below trying to do the same thing. I caught one glimpse eye-to-eye with the fish. This was not just any bass, this was bass-zilla. It seemed to look at me defiantly as if to say "Today is not my day to die". And just like that, my Trilene 12lb test line snapped...just as Trevor grabbed hold of my leader. But this fish was not

about to give up yet. It jerked back one last time and was free of the hook. Trevor tried in vain to grab for the fish, but even at the tail it was too thick to get his hands around, and the mighty fish swam back into the black depths.

Wondering how the fish finally managed to throw the hook, I examined the leader that Trevor had manged to save. I looked at my medium strength eagle claw to notice that the hook had, if fact, been straightened. Thus the legend of Old Straighthook was born.

Now after several years, when the story will be told to my future grandchildren...it might start out a little like this...

Did I ever tell you about the time I almost caught Old Straighthook? Biggest Bass I've ever seen, half the size of most boats. Ate some children back in ought-seven he did. A true monster to be sure....it all began...................