It’s been 23 years...

[Dirtyeggroll]

Since I’ve visited the 8-lb club, but boy it feels good to be back!

 

It’s been a weird week and a slow one at work, which is a much needed change of pace for me. I also finally got my boat back after some repairs and maintenance and upgrades to some lithium batteries compliments of Capital One (BPS club points).

 

I have been itching to get the boat out to see how it runs with the decreased weight and tune up and found out earlier this week I’d be off on Friday!

With the cold snap we had last week there was only one lake certain to be thawed that I could open up the big motor on, a power plant lake.

 

Due to a bit of compounded fatigue, I slept in a little, later than I usually would like on a fishing day, however I wasn’t really planning on too much fishing, really just a trip to get the boat wet. It also took me longer to load the boat due to all of my gear being out during the repairs (wow I have too much!)

 

I finally made it to the lake around 9 AM. For the first time since I’ve owned it, the boat turned over and stayed started after the first turn of the key! A good start to the day. The motor is 2001 125 HP 2-stroke and previously required some massaging to get warmed up. After backing it off the trailer and parking the truck I was ready to see what it could do. Throttle down and the bow never even lifted, it was immediately on plane! Maybe gained 1 MPH to speed after shedding ~150 lbs of battery weight.

 

The water temp was 60 and the wind was a nice 10 mph but out of the east and overcast so I decided to try to crank some wind blown banks. I cranked and cranked and cranked and threw swimbaits and a jig and didn’t get the slightest bit of positive feedback. No bites. I’d fished for about 3 hours and was about ready to call it quits, after all i was happy to have gone out to get the boat wet. There was one more bluff I wanted to fish because all of the gulls and cormorants had been swirling over it all day. I zipped over there and there were far more birds than I thought. I was also marking numerous returns of large isolated spread out fish. I imagine they were carp, drum or catfish. I started out throwing a chartreuse chatterbait then an orange Flat 75. No luck. Then I decided to do something that @Russ E and @Bluebasser86 had previously suggested at this lake in the summertime, throw a black trick worm. I grabbed my terminal tackle box and pulled out a black @Siebert Outdoors dredge shakey head, screwed a Zoom magnum finesse trick worm on to the lure keeper and buried the hook. I tossed it a few times, getting it wedged between some rocks and successfully shaking it free without having to move the boat to the shore. Then I cast and it was stuck! I shook it a few times to try to free it but it wouldn’t budge. For a second I thought I felt it move but wrote it off to the movement of the boat in the wind. I pulled again, and this time it did move but felt like a big limb slowly coming up. Then it made a hard steady pull back! This lake is known for big flat head and I was sure that’s what it was. I thought, this will be fun. I spend about 2 minutes getting it close to the boat and when it gets close I do a couple of laps around the boat with it before I see it, AND THEN I SEE IT, NOT A FLATHEAD, but a gargantuan football bass. She must have seen me too because then she dove and zzzzzziiiiipppppp goes the drag on my spinning reel, spooled with 10lb powerpro and 6 lb blue label leader.  I keep calm, when she came up her mouth was open and I could see the line disappear into her mouth so I knew she was hooked good. “Where’s the net?... right where it’s supposed to be.” I work her for another lap around the boat and swoop her right into the net! An 8.04 lb behemoth of obese fat mamma jamma bursting at the gut big ol bass!!! Woooooooooo!!! I knew she was every bit of 7 lbs, a number I had been trying to break for the last several years. I get her on the scale and I immediately see and 8, never dropped below and ultimately landed at 8.04! The last time I caught an 8lb fish was when I was 8 years old and caught an 8-8 on a bobber and minnow. Welcome back she says!

 

Nearly 22” long and nearly 20” in girth!

 

Forgive the livewell pic, it was filled shortly after but I think that picture really demonstrates her size, she barely fit!

 

[A-Jay]

Fantastic write up and Great Bass ~ 

Congrats and thank you for sharing 

Glad to hear you're happy with your rig's performance as well.

That's always a load off. 

A-Jay

[Mike L]

Atta Boy!!

Beautiful fish

 

 

 

 

Mike

[jbsoonerfan]

Very nice! Congrats!

[BrianMDTX]

Nice fish and great write-up! 

[dodgeguy]

Congratulations !!! My best is 7-14 and I'm due for an 8. I'm sure I've hooked a few but never landed them.its been 27 years since I caught mine.

[Basswhippa]

Great story and thanks for sharing. 

[NorcalBassin]

Awesome story and congrats on the boat and giant bass!!! That was a perfect post until the pics were sideways. ?

[Dirtyeggroll]

7 minutes ago, NorcalBassin said:

Awesome story and congrats on the boat and giant bass!!! That was a perfect post until the pics were sideways. ?

Yea BR does not like when I post pictures from my phone always says they are too big, and when I downsize them it’s turns them sideways. Idk why BR has such a difficult picture posting mechanism. It’s my only gripe about this forum. Too many steps involved to post multiple pics... I know I know space is $$ and original photos take up a lot. 

 

I can upload them individually as a bigger size and they are fine and oriented correctly.

 

if any mod wants to reorient the pics please go for it.

[Glenn]

Upload your pictures to your photo gallery first. Then you'll be able to rotate them and insert them into forum posts.

 

Hope that helps!

[TnRiver46]

Nice one! Congrats! (Love the ole black trick worm) 

[Dirtyeggroll]

7 hours ago, NorcalBassin said:

Awesome story and congrats on the boat and giant bass!!! That was a perfect post until the pics were sideways. ?

 

7 hours ago, Glenn said:

Upload your pictures to your photo gallery first. Then you'll be able to rotate them and insert them into forum posts.

 

Hope that helps!

Pictures fixed!!! I always wondered how people posted multiple high res images into on post! Now I can finally do it! 
 

Sweet!

[Bubba 460]

That's a fatty ~ congratulations on your new memory.

[senile1]

Excellent write up!  That is a beautiful bass.

[Bankbeater]

Congratulations on that really nice bass!!

[Bird]

That's a hog, congrats. 

[Fishlegs]

Well done. Nice fish!

[Siebert Outdoors]

Awesome fish!  Congratulations 

[12poundbass]

Awesome fish man, congrats! 

[islandbass]

Excellent report and congrats!!! You wrote so well that I felt I was there in the boat. H-E double hockey sticks, I could have handed you the net, lol. 

[shimmy]

Jeez!!!! In Kansas I presume. That is awesome to see a fish roughly 3 lbs from the state record. Just a giant. Congratulations. What an awesome fish.

[Bluebasser86]

That's a great fish for sure. March 7th is the day I caught my biggest from out there, which is my 2nd biggest bass from Kansas. I had to look because it's one of the few bass I took measurements on. Mine was 22.5" but 17" around and 7.76. March THE month for big ones out there. Sure wish the 24.5" fish I caught several years ago there would have been built like they normally are, would have been my Kansas DD fish for sure.  Congrats on getting to the 8lb club in Kansas.

[DaubsNU1]

Congrats!  Great write-up!  

[Biglittle8]

Nice fish! 

[Miabucman]

Congrats and thanks for the awesome write up.