My Boone Beast PB
All anglers strive to catch the biggest fish and I am no different. A common goal in this part of the world is a 5 pounder. That is a lunker. I have come close. Last year i weighed in a 4.13 at Billington. This year I made it my number one goal. I was gonna try proven big bait tactics. I've been throwing around big swimbaits all spring. I bagged a 4.14 at my favorite honey hole. So close!!!! Leading up to the tourney at Boone my partner told me he may not make it and then confirmed that. I decided to fish it myself. We have all seen the pigs that Angler21 pulls out of there. Last year I lost one in the pads and to top it all off the tourney was the day after a goddam super moon (last year at Dudley there were some pigs caught the day after a full moon). All of this was weighing on me. I had a good feeling. I'm gonna go to Boone by myself. Last year I didn't stray too far from the launch so my plan was to try to get ahead of the pack and just get out to the main lake. I was cranking like crazy with a KVD 1.5 that has been catching fish all spring with only 1 pick to show. I went through all my cranks. All depths. Threw all my 4 inch swimbaits. Threw some jerkbaits and even threw a senko for a bit. By 9 I was thinking this isn't working. I gotta fish the bottom. Normally I would go with a texas rigged plastic but a little voice was saying try the jig. I only own 4-5 jigs that I bought from Boag Hog baits at the begining of the Spring and I had some plastic pork shaped trailers that I bought in 1999 or so. I was targeting any depth changes that I could find near structure. My boat was sitting in 15 ft of water and I was casting around a dock with a buoy about 10 feet away from it. It took all I had in me to slow down and let that jig get to the bottom and just sit there. Like 99% of my fishing is fast or too fast. That little voice was just talking to me...wait...don't move it...wait...then the line started moving. I don't know about you guys but I read a lot of fishing articles and one thing that gets repeated over and over (I've seen it here too) is CROSS HIS EYES!!!!! So I did and I knew it was a pig right away. I was using a 6'6" St Croix Mojo with a 7:1 BPS Pro Qualifier spooled with 10 lb Fluro (my 1st season using this as well). Sticking with the theme I stayed patient and played him out. I was praying to any god that would listen to let me land him and I was granted my prayer. When I lipped him and got him aboard my heart was pumping and my brain was screaming "GET THE SCALE"!!!! I fumbled around, got it out and powered it up...6.2 OMFG that's my biggest fish ever and in a tourney to boot. I snap a quick pic with my phone and call the other two Bassasin's. They both say the same thing, get back to fishing!!!!!! So I did. I stayed on that spot for about a half an hour with no results. I started moving down the shore line looking for the same water and picked up small fish that I didn't even weigh. I was thinking 1 1/2. Along come the bigmouths who I talk to a bit and we started the usual talk but I couldn't contain myself and told them what I had and even busted it out. I told them where I caught it too (I like competition but I'm not an a-hole) and they went to that spot and immediately caught a 3 pounder. I tried to get some of their second place cash but they weren't in a sharing mood. The wind kicked up so I crossed over to the other side hoping the windblown shoreline would produce some action. I picked up a 12 incher and put him in the cooler with a warning not to go near the beasts mouth. I fished my way back towards the launch but crossed back over to where I caught the pig around 12:45 hoping to put another one in the cooler. Nope. As I was heading back in I started wondering to myself how far away did I actually go? I was giving myself 30 minutes to get back. I pulled up the map app on my iphone and nearly sh*t when I saw how far I had to go. This is gonna be close. I threw the 40 to 5 and held on!!! Get outta my way kayakers!!!! I got a package here. The second I felt like I was losing power, I stopped and changed batteries. Wow a fresh battery and no partner...I was flying. Since all I had to do is steer, I ate my pb&j's that my wife had made me and chugged some water. The whole time I'm watching the little blue dot on my phone inch it's way toward the weigh in area. I got there at 1:55. YES!!!!! Now I was pretty sure I had lunker but like I said earlier, I've seen Jeff's pics. So after everybody weighed in, I was only thinking lunker, I didn't think I was in the top three. I heard my name for third and lit up like a little kid in a candy store. Total awesomeness. On the way back to the ramp I called Dunt who was suppose to be with me and in my best Donald Trump voice I said "Dunt, YOU'RE FIRED". Thanks guys. All of you have made me a better fisherman and a pretty good writer I might add.
haha i didnt mean to do 4 stars i cant go back and change it, yea im wicked fahhhkin jealous!
WTF Kev? 4 stars you jealous bastid!!!!
That's right Rog but I told my wife tonight I'm looking for 8-9 pounder...LOL Smoke he's a lucky bastard. I just cannot tell a lie but if you watch his vid you see how fast he gives up the lure that's working for him.
Thanks Kman!!! I'm pretty sure everyone was pretty impressed with Northshore making a run at it even though you were banged up
You know how the jig has the brush guard? To make sure you get a good hook set you gotta really rear back on it and you set the hook hard hence "you cross his eyes"