CutNRun

The first bass I ever caught was on a creek in Pennsylvania when I was 7. My Dad was cutting wood for my Grandfather (who we were visiting) and I went along to help load. My Dad used to tie flies (He was a trout guy) and he'd taught me some basics. I'd tied a yellow streamer and crimped a piece of split shot on behind the eye (hard enough to leave plier grooves), making it more like a jig. I painted the head with yellow model paint on a Q-tip. I'd gone down to the creek and was making random casts in the creek. The current swept the jig behind a big rock. Right then, I saw a flash, felt a thump up the line, and saw a smallmouth cartwheeling out of the water all around the pool. It wasn't a big fish, but it fought like it was the baddest fish I'd ever hooked onto. I became obsessed and would go to the nearest creek, hoping to catch more bass. The other fish that changed my life was also a bass. In early March of 1973 (I was 12), my neighbor mentioned that he and his father were going to a regional lake to rent a boat and fish...and did I want to go?(!). It took me less than 3 minutes to grab my gear and be ready to go. We got to the lake, loaded the jon boat and fired up the trolling motor. The father and son were both fishing with Cordell Spots, casting to the bank and catching a few small bass. They'd cast within two feet of one another, so I turned to fish off the other side of the boat. I saw a stump or log out near deeper water and cast my red Burke Buckshot worm to it. The father started moving the boat foreward, so I reeled down on my line and thought I was hung on the stump. Next thing I knew, my rod bent into a deep C bend and the biggest bass I'd ever seen exploded to the surface. The bass burnt drag and I kept pressure on the rod. When I reeled it up beside the boat, my neighbor's father slid the net under the bass and hoisted it on board. The first words out of my mouth was d**n what a fish! It was 22.75 inches long and a little over 6 pounds. They took my picture for the bragging board at the boathouse. As great a feeling as catching a big bass was, I knew I wanted to catch even bigger. It still drives me. Jim

I used to work at a tackle shop near a 13,000 acre impoundment in central North Carolina. One morning a couple of retired guys who were regular customers came in to buy some minnows, hooks, and drinks, ice, & munchies for a day fishing at the lake. They were in a large 1970s American made sedan. As they loaded gear into the trunk and slammed the trunk, the guy driving realized that he doesn't have the keys. They search their pockets, check the trunk, and come back in the store, hoping the keys were on the counter or something. But no such luck. They decided the keys must be locked in the trunk, so they go wake up the shop owner (he worked late the night before and went catfishing after), who is aout half hug over and tired out. They borrowed some tools so they could remove the back seat and maybe get the keys out that way. They took out the back and bottom of the seat, borrowed a spotlight to help see in the trunk, then they cut off and rigged up an old cane pole with a dull fishing hook on the tip, so they can move thigs aroud in the trunk. They'd been at this for 2 and a half hours and still hadn't found the keys. The minnows are dying, the ice is melting, it's late morning and they're still no closer to the lake. Finally, after much swearing, sweatting, & cut kuckles, they pop the trunk latch open. But the keys aren't there! As the driver's buddy walks around the open driver's side door, he finds the keys sticking out of the door lock... Turns out they were there the entire time when the driver went to get the minnow bucket out of the car.... They said screw it & went home. Jim

@A-Jay your posts here have helped rekindle the fire for night fishing under me. I have not caught a big bass night fishing...ever. I've been in the boat when a 10+, a few 8s, and loads of smaller bass have been boated, just none have been on my line. My biggest so far has been 3.75 lbs.. I will set aside time to try to conquer that demon this year. Jim

Thank you for your service to all who posted. Your sacrifices are appreciated. All 3 of my brothers served, with the youngest in Desert Storm. I smoked the asvab and passed the physical, except for the hearing part. They thought the machine was screwed up and recalibrated it. I went back and ran through the test again. It turns out I really do have the hearing of an 80 year old man and they wouldn't take me. Jim

I learned on a flasher back in the 70s, which seems so primitive these days. I like to section a lake, then pick features similar to ones I familiar with on other lakes in that section to focus on. Once I find the right depth in that section, I can usually find fish on similar structure on different parts of the lake. Even as good as today's electronics are, a quality topographic lake map gives lots of great starting points to concentrate on. Navionics are your friend. Jim

When I had my Hydra Sports boat, on a few windy days, I fished a point on Buggs (Kerr Lake @N.C./Va. border) where I'd have to run the trolling motor on 24 volt high and still get pushed backward as I drifted acorss a steep point. The bass would stack up on the leeward side of the point & grab shad as the wind driven currents would push them across the point. About all I could cast was a 3/4 oz. Little George and I'd only get a couple of casts in before I'd either catch a fish or would be too far beyond the point to catch anything. What made me give up was when waves started breaking onto the deck of my bass boat. When I'm in the kayak, whitecaps are a no-go. It takes too much effort to move into the wind and it gets downright dangerous if you turn parallel to the waves. I'd rather be safe and live to fish another day. Jim

Thanks for the welcome. As much as I love fishing from my kayak, I sure do miss being able to invite somebody along to fish. I don't know enough other kayakers around here to fish with. I see a lot more kayaks on the water these days, which is nice. The only pic of my P.B. bass is in a photo album at the boathouse where I caught (& released) it. I've had 2 bigger bass on at the same lake and both pulled the hook. Caught it in early March slow rolling a 1/2 oz. double willowleaf spinnerbait on a flat beside the river channel. Sad to say that I've had 5 pounders pull harder too. My 10 fish, 60+ Lb. day was in mid-May, post-spawn. I'd found several sunken trees/logs by deeper water up and down the main body of the lake with jigs in early spring. The third cast on the first log I pulled up to yielded a 7.5 pound bass. On a hunch, I went to the next log down the lake @ about the same depth and boated a 6-10. The smallest I caught that day was 3-15. All on a 3/4 oz. crawdad colored Luhr Jensen Hot Lips deep diving crankbait. I'd burn it down, bounce the bottom, bump the log, then stop cranking, and they'd slam it. Had 10 bites that morning and caught 'em all. Off the water by 1:30 p.m.. It was freakin' magic. Never had another day like it before or since. I have a picture of my biggest from the kayak (so far). I didn't weigh her. It was 8+ caught on a Glass Shad Rap with a black back. Pulled it alongside a hump by a forked channel and she stopped it dead. She pulled the kayak sideways and burnt 20+ feet of drag on 3 runs before I got the net under her. Image is not on this laptop, so I'll have to dig it up and paste it later. Jim

Smallmouth are the hardest to catch for me because there's only largemouth where I fish. I can catch Roanoake Bass near me, but there's no smallmouth. Jim

I use VMC swim bait jig heads (1/8, 1/4, or 3/8 oz.) with either a Zoom Fluke or Keitech Easy Shiner fished through and below suspended shad in the summer. Don't have FFS, I just pay attention to shad and the depth they're holding. Jim

Hey All, Jim here. Got tired of lurking and decided to take the plunge. I'm in the piedmont of North Carolina. 63 yeras old, been fishing since I was 3. I worked at a few tackle shops/outdoor stores in my 20s. Fished club tournaments and guided on local lakes in my free time when I wasn't hunting. Haven't fished for money in a long time, though I did pretty good when I did. Dedicated turkey hunter. Hunted deer over 30 years, but don't have that in me much these days. Never boated a bass over 10 pounds, though I've had a few on. My P.B. @ 9 lbs. 14 oz. is the biggest I ever brought to the scales. My best day bass fishing was a 10 fish day that weighed just over 60 lbs...all on deep crankbaits, post spawn. Looking forward to meeting some folks and learning techniques that work in your area. Happy to share info on what's worked for me. Sold my bass boat years ago. My rig these days is a W.S. Pungo kayak. I've been catching more and bigger fish because I cover water more thoroughly. Jim