David Russell Posted September 12, 2009 Posted September 12, 2009 I got back into fishing a few months ago after a long hiatus. (I was a mere kid the last time I fished prior to this year.) After several outings, so far I'd only managed a dink LMB (Lake Royal, VA), a decent rock bass (Chesapeake Bay) and a smaller spot (neighborhood lake). Last month, my wife and I moved from DC to Alabama. Bass nirvana. The move had nothing to do with fishing, but it sure is great to be here. I finally got a shot to hit a good local fishery, Lake Purdy, about 10 minutes from my home. I killed my alarm at 5:30 and thus showed up to fish about 7:45. Not a good start to the day. But the fellow behind the counter (was it Greg?) allowed me to keep the boat rental an extra hour for no added cost. Nice! In the end, that extra hour was exactly what I needed. The fellow in the tackle shop recommended several baits and several points for me to hit. I gave that a shot first. I had one or two close calls, but didn't land anything. By 10:30, I was growing impatient. I REALLY needed to catch something, bad. I know I'm new to this, and I need to learn patience (boy, do I need to learn patience.) But I just needed that confidence boost. I said a prayer and then told myself I should pray for more important things rather than asking God to give me a fish to catch. But it had already been prayed, so I didn't take it back. After another half-hour, I was nearing my noon boat return time, so I decided to slowly scout around and use the last hour of the day to get a feel for more of the lake. (I'd only fished a small portion of the lake thus far.) I scooted back past the dam and noticed a few good laydowns spread very sporadically along one shore. I didn't even want to fish it. But at the last second I decided to hit it. I had been on finesse baits for most of the morning (at the advice of the tackle shop manager) and decided to go back to my standard: jig with a craw trailer. So far every fish I'd caught, though small in size, had been caught on this combo. In fact, I learned about setting up a jig this way by reading these forums! Normally, I roll with a black and blue setup. But I changed up to a bright orange jig (not that I know what I'm doing, I just thought I'd try it) with a green/orange craw trailer. I had no trolling motor, but the wind was favorable and was scooting the boat along the bank at a steady pace and mostly steady direction. About half-way down this short bank, I threw near a small laydown and started pulling it back to me. About 8 or 10 feet out from the laydown, I felt a tell-tale vibration. I'd been hitting brush along the bottom all day and thought that was the case again, but I set the hook anyway and to my astonishment, there was a fish returning the tug on the other end! WOOHOO! And, thankfully, this was no dink! This spot was mammoth! Okay, not mammoth to most, but to me, it's mammoth! I needed this BIG time. Thank you, Lord! I was so stoked, I reeled way too fast. Then I remembered I needed to let the fish fight a little and enjoy the process of catching one. My adrenaline was max and I had a blast. A few moments passed and I lifted this well-hooked beauty into the boat. Thankfully, my phone was nearby and I was able to snag some photos of the event. More than anything, I'm glad I wasn't skunked. And I'm also glad I got my money's worth out of that boat rental. But I also learned some valuable lessons that I hope to carry with me on the next outingwhere I hope to catch many more fish. Wow. I love bass fishing! Quote
Shimmer Posted September 12, 2009 Posted September 12, 2009 That's a very nice lookin fish, love the colors. Quote
Super User skunked_again Posted September 12, 2009 Super User Posted September 12, 2009 thats a nice fish and a great pic. those are the types of pics that make my desktop until the next nice fish. Quote
Super User Dan: Posted September 12, 2009 Super User Posted September 12, 2009 congrats dude! It only gets easier from there. If I may ask, are you saying you caught a spotted bass from a pond here in NoVA? Quote
90x Posted September 12, 2009 Posted September 12, 2009 that's the most beautiful fish I have ever seen :'( Quote
David Russell Posted September 12, 2009 Author Posted September 12, 2009 Thanks for the kind words everyone! It's great to have such a solid community surrounding bass fishing. congrats dude! It only gets easier from there. If I may ask, are you saying you caught a spotted bass from a pond here in NoVA? The fish was caught out of Lake Purdy near Birmingham, Alabama. Quote
endless Posted September 12, 2009 Posted September 12, 2009 man nice catch such a bright pattern. man i dont think i seen a pattern so bright nice. way to go. Quote
Super User A-Jay Posted September 12, 2009 Super User Posted September 12, 2009 Congrats Man, Some really good looking bass ! Great coloring. A-Jay Quote
Super User Dan: Posted September 12, 2009 Super User Posted September 12, 2009 Thanks for the kind words everyone! It's great to have such a solid community surrounding bass fishing. congrats dude! It only gets easier from there. If I may ask, are you saying you caught a spotted bass from a pond here in NoVA? The fish was caught out of Lake Purdy near Birmingham, Alabama. I meant this one: After several outings, so far I'd only managed a dink LMB (Lake Royal, VA), a decent rock bass (Chesapeake Bay) and a smaller spot (neighborhood lake). Quote
David Russell Posted September 13, 2009 Author Posted September 13, 2009 I meant this one: After several outings, so far I'd only managed a dink LMB (Lake Royal, VA), a decent rock bass (Chesapeake Bay) and a smaller spot (neighborhood lake). my mistake. I wasn't clear enough about that. The neighborhood lake is behind our home Alabama, where the non-keeper size spot was caught. Quote
Super User Dan: Posted September 13, 2009 Super User Posted September 13, 2009 I meant this one: After several outings, so far I'd only managed a dink LMB (Lake Royal, VA), a decent rock bass (Chesapeake Bay) and a smaller spot (neighborhood lake). my mistake. I wasn't clear enough about that. The neighborhood lake is behind our home Alabama, where the non-keeper size spot was caught. Ok, just making sure. Congrats again, dude! Quote
Koop Posted September 13, 2009 Posted September 13, 2009 Beautiful looking color on that fish! Congrats! Quote
looking4structure Posted September 13, 2009 Posted September 13, 2009 That's the most colorful bass i have ever seen.Nice catch Quote
NewAngler Posted September 14, 2009 Posted September 14, 2009 That's the most colorful bass i have ever seen.Nice catch x2 great post and what a beaut! Quote
Grady Russell Posted September 14, 2009 Posted September 14, 2009 That is a nice bass, son! Remember, the first disciples needed help and Jesus blessed them with an overflowing boat load of fish. It is also important to remember that fishing was such a part of the early disciples' lives that it became the symbol of their faith. The sign of the fish was drawn in the sand to communicate with other believers. Also, ICHTUS, was a Greek acronym to remind early converts of their Savior. Iesous Jesus, Christos Christ, Theou of God, Uios the Son, Soter and Savior. When Jesus appeared to his disciples after his resurrection, he had cooked fish for them. Who do you suppose caught those fish? Happy fishing, David! We are all enjoying your catches. (Luke 5:10) Dad Quote
SammyLee Posted September 14, 2009 Posted September 14, 2009 Man, I wish I was as healthy as that bass. What a beauty! Watch out now, this bass fishing makes drugs seem like child's play. I go to sleep thinking of them swimming around a half block away and how I'm going to catch them tomorrow. And I just love the fish themselves. Such lookers and fighters. I caught one Friday that hit and fought like a pit bull on a cat. It was vicious. Quote
Super User T-rig Posted September 16, 2009 Super User Posted September 16, 2009 Beautiful spot! The colors remind me of this crank : Quote
David Russell Posted September 17, 2009 Author Posted September 17, 2009 Wow, thanks again everyone. I'm starting to think I should have kept it! T-Rig, that crank does look a lot like that bass! Quote
slider head Posted September 17, 2009 Posted September 17, 2009 That's a very nice lookin fish, love the colors. X2 beautifully colored! Quote
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