Photo Worthy

Lonnie had been trying to hook up with me for a while now and today was the day it would happen. He needed some pics for a magazine and I knew just the place. We met around 8:00 and discussed our game plan. He was hoping for something over 5 pounds and would be thrilled to have some shots of fish over 6, if it was possible. I told him about yesterday’s outing the night before and I don’t think he slept a wink. Talk about a kid in a candy shop! I decided to go straight to the sweet spot and we ran there in flat calm conditions. The morning air was a cold one with temps around 40 but it would soon give way to the 70’s, a little later in the day. Bluebird skies were upon us and I knew it would be a tough sell on these bass. We would actually be doing more hunting than fishing as everything would have to be just perfect in order to get the giants to eat. It began a little slow with mist rising from the water as we tossed jigs along a current break. Although we did catch a few smaller ones, they weren’t what I was after. Once the sun came up a little higher and the mist burned off, I knew we would do better. I switched up baits for Lonnie and he hooked up on the very first cast. When it took to the air, we both saw how big she was and couldn’t wait to get her in the net. It was a little nerve racking at the time but eventually I scooped the fish up and brought her into the boat. I figured it would go over 5 pounds but Lonnie needed an exact weight, so out came the scale. This thing was to top out at 5.48 pounds and the pressure was off! He had exactly what he wanted and although it was a big fish, I wanted more. More, more, more & bigger, bigger, bigger! That’s my motto when it comes to trophy smallies and I wasn’t about to let up. I had him get right back in the game and he just kept hammering them for a while. Fish from 3 to over 4 pounds just kept hitting and he just kept catching. Although we moved around plenty, we just couldn’t get the real giant I was looking for. I wanted a 6 and wouldn’t be satisfied until it happened! Several hours later in another location, Lonnie set into a beast. When she went to the air, his heart just about stopped. I had visions of 7 pounds and actually thought she might be one. What seemed like eternity finally came to an end when I got a shot at the monster and took it. She was officially in the net and he could breathe again. The scale was the next step and we pulled both of them out. I wanted an accurate account of its size and weighed her on both. Lonnie’s went 5.95 pounds and mine registered 6.05. Close enough to make an average that would be 6 pounds. I know for a fact that my scale weighs light from all the tournaments I have fished and believed this one could have weighed even more. Bottom line either way was that she was at least six pounds and now Lonnie definitely had the shot he was looking for. Afterwards, he regained his composure & went back to casting again, looking for another giant smallie. He may not have gotten any more big ones for the remainder of the day but he was absolutely thrilled with the earlier results. He had caught a couple of real big fish and several other quality ones as well in the 5 or so hours of fishing. I may have stayed out longer and gone to other areas had it not been for the spectacular, early day bite. It’s always a lot easier to relax when the pressure is off and it disappeared early enough to capture a second fish even bigger. He had accomplished what he had set out to do and did it in style. I decided to call it a day and he agreed. Back we went to the ramp with a sense of relief, knowing that this day would be one etched in our minds for quite a while. At least until the next outing when we will both be looking for that elusive 7 pounder of course!!