first bass of the year & a new personal record

[little_stephen]

So I took a chance this week, and on a cool, bluebird sky, very windy monday evening went to the lake to vent some steam from work & enjoy some much needed quiet time. I fished my favorite spot and came up empty handed......and as the sun was going down behind the trees across the lake I decided to take a chance and try a new spot I found while hiking this winter.

Its a clearing in the tree line on the edge of the lake (I shore fish) and it opened up onto what is in the summer a HUGE lily pad field. Right now its just starting to fill in along the shore, but theres a series of stakes that make a retaining wall of sorts meant to keep the mud from the surface from sliding further out into the lake. There was this nice pad bed out there, so i snaped back, loaded up my 7foot IM7 Heavy cover rod and cast my flipin jig to the exact spot I wanted to land in. (Ive been practicing in my front yard with a paper plate and man did it do wonders!)

I let the jig fall, pumped it twice, and started swiming/hopping it back to me. it had just got past the outcast tip of the pads and a bass loaded up on my line!

I reeled her in without much of a fight & found this hefty Ohio sweetheart on my jig. I was standing on a couple of logs in the middle of a muck puddle so I didnt get to measure her properly, but she was 17.5 inches from tail to snout, laid down and measured correctly Id say she was every bit of 18 inches and she was FAT! (given my expierence with other bass in that lake, and her size, Im going to guess she was 4 pounds give or take an ounce or two.)

I am now a firm believer in two things, Jig fishing (my first jig bass) and the idea that the big females come up early to eat up before spawning!

[little_stephen]

if anyone cares. I landed this one on a Booyah Jig with a custom skirt I made, Pumpkin, Brown, & Black with a Beaver Style Trailer In Brown/ Light Pumpkin. with two rattles on it. (My new Bluegill imitator for the dark muddy waters of Sippo Lake) Fished it on 14lbs Fireline Crystal on a Gander Mtn Generic Baitcaster and Gander Mtn IM7 7 Foot Rod.

[Big-O]

Nice Fish Stephen and congratulations for that new PB....

Big O

www.ragetail.com

[Bassin_Fin@tic]

Wtg And judging by the picture it looks about four pounds but still if you know its your biggest then thats all that matters.

Get out there to Mogadore on the grass flats with a spinnerbait! It's that time of year.

[aarogb]

    CONGRATS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[chobeegators]

awesome job!

[Ready2Fish]

nice fish! sounds like a good way to vent to me!

[YNCBASSMAN]

awesome!!  and you did it on YOUR jig, that's got to make it feel even sweeter!!