Smallie smashin with Bronzeback Bomber (long read + pics)

[Masshole Mike]

After two fairly unproductive LM outings with Paul (Bronzeback Bomber) in the last month or so, it was finally decided that a trip to his smallie honey hole was in order. We decided on yesterday for the trip, and Mother Nature finally cooperated and provided us with what looked to be a great forecast.

I left my house at 2:30am to meet Paul at 4, and from there it was another 45 minute drive to get to the pond. We were on the water and fishing by 5am, and Paul started the morning off right baggin a 3 1/2lb largemouth (I say it was closer to 4...) on a topwater up tight to shore. Unfortunately this would be the only fish for hours, and Paul's only fish of the day.

As the sun came up we started counting the boats on this 300 acre pond, and from where we were we could see 9 or 10 other boats. As noon time neared, so did the storm clouds. It began to rain a little, really just a sprinkle, but I guess that was enough for everyone else as all the other boats raced over to shore and took off for the day, leaving just Paul and I and one or two other "brave" souls.

I couldn't have been happier, because once we got a little bit of cloud cover and a slight chop, the bite really turned on for me. I was throwing a dropshot rig with a 4" Zoom finesse worm in watermelon, dipped in clear JJ's Magic. My first smallie of the day was a good one, probably between 2 and 3lbs, but I'll never know for sure as she came unbuttoned seconds after I hooked her. As soon as I hooked her she ran straight up, jumped about 2ft out of the water and *POP* out came my worm and hook. I looked at Paul, eyes wide open as if to say "DID YOU SEE THAT MAMA?!" and he just sat there with this grin on his face.

A little while later, having not hooked into another one, I decided to replace the worm that first fish had beat up. As I'm dipping it in JJ's I say to Paul "I'm Babe Ruth'in this one... I'm callin it. Fish on, right here...." and cast out as he chuckles at my comment. The weight hits bottom, I give it one good pop to pick the worm up a little and bam, FISH ON!!! We actually got that fight on video, but I was a little excited and quite a few 4 letter words might have slipped out, so we won't be posting that one ;D She was a good 2 1/2-3lber, too. Maybe we can figure out how to bleep the videos or something!

We had been fishing the point of an island where it dropped off from about 4-6ft of water down to about 20, and as we worked around the island and came back to that point, I hooked into another good one. She came up and jumped, and I thought for sure this was going to be my new PB smallie. After a good fight (which we did get on video, minus the 4 letter words this time!) I landed her and pulled out the trusty digi scale. She weighed in at 3lbs 7oz and is the second biggest smallie I've ever caught.

From about 12:30 until we got off the water at 5pm I managed to boat about 12 smallies, ranging from 1 1/2 to 3 1/2lbs. We also saw half a dozen other 3-4lb smallies just cruising but weren't able to coax them into biting. At one point Paul was casting a dropshot rig with a 6" worm at a monster smallie, and every time his bait dropped the fish would turn direction and lazily start swimming away. I decided to throw mine out and see if she'd hit it, and sure enough as soon as my weight hits bottom I see her dart for it. My line goes tight and I reel up on her, and all I got was an empty hook. She peeled my worm right off. SON OF A....

And just as a side note, I ALMOST got my first swimbait fish. As we were heading back to the shore at the end of the day we were both throwing a Mattlures East Coast Perch to kill time, and as I'm reeling in one cast my line just stops dead for a second, then starts moving again. I say to Paul "I either just got hit or I hit bottom" and as I look down to see my perch coming towards the boat, right behind it is a 3-4lb smallie. I kill the bait and the smallie just watches it drop. Couldn't get her to bite it, but it gave me a little confidence that these things do actually work.

All in all I had a great day, I wish I could say the same for Paul. He did manage that one good largemouth but other than that I think all he caught was a mild sunburn and a lot of flack from the back of the boat. Thanks for a great day out on the water buddy, can't wait to do it again!

3lb. 7oz that had a big ole chunk taken out of her...

Put up a heck of a fight for their size. I'm told a good day at this pond is usually about 20 of these with a couple 3's and 4's mixed in, maybe a 5 or 6 to boot...

Peep the mad MS Paint skills.

[thetr20one]

Great fish!! but drop the photoshopping please. Nobody is lookin to steal your spot where you have been catching average smallies. It takes away from the pics big time!!!

[daviscw]

Nice fish! I enjoyed the "photoshopping".  ;D

[Masshole Mike]

Great fish!! but drop the photoshopping please. Nobody is lookin to steal your spot where you have been catching average smallies. It takes away from the pics big time!!!

Dude... the guy in the yellow house asked me to do it.

[slomoe]

Nice fish Mike! Sounds like a good time.

[roadwarrior]

Great post!

8-)

[bpm2000]

nice - next time dont kill the swimbait but keep up the retrieve or even try speeding it up.  Yet another reason to try hard baits u can 180 back in their face.

[Gary D.]

Nice battle wounds on that fish

I guess you have Northerns in that lake, LOL

[electrikal]

Nice Pics. That's what can happen if you ride out the weather.

[HOIST-N-HAWGS]

Gheeeeeeeeeees, how did I miss this one? :-/ A bit late w/the post mikey ;D

[GRIZZ]

.... good post Masshole Mike

[A-Jay]

Nice fish with even nicer camera work.

It's like the best kind of reality show there is !

A-Jay

[BassinWill301]

Beautiful Smallmouth.  Those have to be multi-million dollor houses on the horizon, they were so expensive looking .