One of my favorite days to go fishing is when it is cloudy. When the sky is grey and you think if you look at it the wrong way mother nature might just decide to leave you wet and a little cold. You know, the days you try to get your friend to go along but they won't come because "It doesn't look like a very nice day to be fishing!" Well let me tell you those days I have the most fun. Yes more than once I have looked at the sky the wrong way and mother nature just decided to poor what she can on top of me. But I don't let it discourage me. I just put on my rain jacket and take off my soaked shoes and socks. And make another cast. More often than not when the rain starts is when I catch the most fish. Well today it didn't rain on me I felt a drop from the sky every once in a while, I like to think that was just mother natures way of reminding me that she could do it if she wanted.
Then I hooked another big one! In fact I hooked this fish so hard she broke my rod! Snapped as I set the hook. I managed to get her in still, but there were a few moments I didn't think it would happen. After taking a deep breath and thanking God that I got the fish that broke my rod in the boat I measured her a whopping 19 inches. That might not seem like a giant to some of you but for your average fisherman it is a fish to be proud of!
Shortly after I got the boat unloaded and Bandit my fishing dog loaded up. I started in a wide span of water about fifty feet across with large cat-tails covering the banks on both sides. The the left was the large open part of the pond. To the right was a secluded part of the pond that with determination I could get my little jon boat to. But for today I wanted to spend my time out on the open water free of cleaning my trolling motor from vegetation. Since it was overcast and a bit on the cool side for early September I immediately got my frog out. I spent the better part of an hour in the wide channel casting it into the pockets of the cat-tails and over the mossy vegetation throughout the channel. I had some success doing this catching some 12-14 inchers. After I had fished all the fish that I thought would bite in that area I decided to try my frog in the open water.
Along the west edge of the open water was a long running shallow flat filled with various grasses that do not quite reach the surface of the water, with a sharp drop off about 15-20 feet out. So I spent the remainder of the day casting my frog from the bank to the drop off. And Whoop!!!! A massive bow-up. As I replay the event in my head I can see the largemouth bass jumping full body out of the water to comeback down on my frog.... I was so startled and excited I set the hook hard enough to make the fish see cross eyed for a week. Only to duck as my frog comes whizzing right over my head. That's right I missed it I set the hook entirely too early. I thew a couple other baits in the area to try to capture the fish but with no luck.
But I was not too discouraged. In fact I was pumped up to see what else might be waiting for me. Not Far down the patch of grass I hooked into a really nice 15 inch largemouth. And you could tell it was definitely fall pattern because it was a tough fight for the size. As time went on I caught a few more around the same size and every one of them put up a fairly decent fight.
Then I hooked another big one! In fact I hooked this fish so hard she broke my rod! Snapped as I set the hook. I managed to get her in still, but there were a few moments I didn't think it would happen. After taking a deep breath and thanking God that I got the fish that broke my rod in the boat I measured her a whopping 19 inches. That might not seem like a giant to some of you but for your average fisherman it is a fish to be proud of!
I just want to let you readers know it was a little difficult of me not to fib a little on the size of my "rod breaking" fish. I had in the back of my head that I might just grow her to 22 inches. As all good fishing stories, the fish should grow. Maybe next time.