Roy
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LAST EDITED ON Jun-27-09 AT 10:28PM (MST)[p]LAST EDITED ON Jun-27-09 AT 09:56?PM (MST)
Well - the biggest in that pool anyway. Just on a little back-water creek down the street from my house. There are quite a few sunfish, some small catfish and a few small largemouths. The water is at most 4 ft deep (unless there is a flash flood) and most of the time, around 3 inches - so lots of small fish - good habitat for the babies. Anyway, I headed down there this AM before the heat became intolerable (been 105 almost everyday this week) to flip a few flies around. Started off with some small sunfish and a bluegill or two, then I saw this fish lurking under the roots of a sunken tree in the deepest part of the pool - so I made her my conquest.
This was actually not the first run-in I had with this particular fish. Last year I saw her as well, hiding in the shadows and I tried to strike her interest and had her on the line once, but the leader broke and she got away, more wary and smart and a little more sore lipped than before.From then on she ignored my advances and when the water got too low towards the end of summer, she was gone. (So I am not 100% sure this is the exact same fish - most likely not - but is about the same size and haunts the same area with the same agressiveness so it is close enough for me!)
So when I saw her again today, in the same place, I knew I must dance with her, and dance we did!
First, I floated one of the green poppers right by her, she ignored it though she inspected it thoroughly. Next I switched to a hopper imitation, same thing - she nipped at it once, but nothing solid. Meanwhile, a bluegill took it and as I was pulling it out of the water WHAM! She nails the bluegill and explodes on the surface. Since I was already hauling the bluegill in though, I jerked it out of her mouth. But the challenge had been given! It was now a battle of wits and instinct.
I tried to drift the hopper by her a couple more times, but she was now wary of it and retreated back into the shadows upon seeing it. So I switched to a small crawfish imitation. Again, the sunfish were all over it, as were some of the frye, but the bass ignored it.
So now I pulled out my secret weapon, a chartruese and silver google-eyed streamer. As I tied it on I watched her and a smaller bass float back up to the top of the pool to the more shallow end, they were tempting me - daring me to catch one of them. So I cast gently past where I thought they would be and waited for the streamer to hit bottom, then slowly began jigging it back to me across the bottom in short jumps. Right at the point where I thought they would be I felt a bump and saw a slight ripple in the water above the fly, but nothing solid. Two more casts through the pool had me convinced she was ingoring this fly too, then I saw her swim back up under her roots and back herself in - lurking, waiting. I could sense her hunger and only hoped she yearned for a taste of my steel. Before, my strategy had been cautious, lay the fly out and make her come to me - but I now decided to throw caution to the wind and drop it right on her. The first time, she rose to it, but let one of the sunfish chase it, the second time, she ignored it. Then, I dropped it behind her, she turned in a flash to the sound and hit it hard as it was dropping! I pulled the slack and set the hook and the fight was on! Well, not for too long but she did try to wrap the leader around one of the roots, but I pulled her out from beneath the sunken mess and to the bottom end of the pool into the shallows.
So here is a pic - I know, not the biggest bass, but when you are the biggest fish in the smallest pond - that has to count for something! Besides that - she is a beautiful fish - perfect coloring.
Oh - and the best part was watching her swim away - right back to the saftey of the shadows beneath the roots of that half-sunken oak.
UTROY
Proverbs 21:19 (why I hunt!)
Well - the biggest in that pool anyway. Just on a little back-water creek down the street from my house. There are quite a few sunfish, some small catfish and a few small largemouths. The water is at most 4 ft deep (unless there is a flash flood) and most of the time, around 3 inches - so lots of small fish - good habitat for the babies. Anyway, I headed down there this AM before the heat became intolerable (been 105 almost everyday this week) to flip a few flies around. Started off with some small sunfish and a bluegill or two, then I saw this fish lurking under the roots of a sunken tree in the deepest part of the pool - so I made her my conquest.
This was actually not the first run-in I had with this particular fish. Last year I saw her as well, hiding in the shadows and I tried to strike her interest and had her on the line once, but the leader broke and she got away, more wary and smart and a little more sore lipped than before.From then on she ignored my advances and when the water got too low towards the end of summer, she was gone. (So I am not 100% sure this is the exact same fish - most likely not - but is about the same size and haunts the same area with the same agressiveness so it is close enough for me!)
So when I saw her again today, in the same place, I knew I must dance with her, and dance we did!
First, I floated one of the green poppers right by her, she ignored it though she inspected it thoroughly. Next I switched to a hopper imitation, same thing - she nipped at it once, but nothing solid. Meanwhile, a bluegill took it and as I was pulling it out of the water WHAM! She nails the bluegill and explodes on the surface. Since I was already hauling the bluegill in though, I jerked it out of her mouth. But the challenge had been given! It was now a battle of wits and instinct.
I tried to drift the hopper by her a couple more times, but she was now wary of it and retreated back into the shadows upon seeing it. So I switched to a small crawfish imitation. Again, the sunfish were all over it, as were some of the frye, but the bass ignored it.
So now I pulled out my secret weapon, a chartruese and silver google-eyed streamer. As I tied it on I watched her and a smaller bass float back up to the top of the pool to the more shallow end, they were tempting me - daring me to catch one of them. So I cast gently past where I thought they would be and waited for the streamer to hit bottom, then slowly began jigging it back to me across the bottom in short jumps. Right at the point where I thought they would be I felt a bump and saw a slight ripple in the water above the fly, but nothing solid. Two more casts through the pool had me convinced she was ingoring this fly too, then I saw her swim back up under her roots and back herself in - lurking, waiting. I could sense her hunger and only hoped she yearned for a taste of my steel. Before, my strategy had been cautious, lay the fly out and make her come to me - but I now decided to throw caution to the wind and drop it right on her. The first time, she rose to it, but let one of the sunfish chase it, the second time, she ignored it. Then, I dropped it behind her, she turned in a flash to the sound and hit it hard as it was dropping! I pulled the slack and set the hook and the fight was on! Well, not for too long but she did try to wrap the leader around one of the roots, but I pulled her out from beneath the sunken mess and to the bottom end of the pool into the shallows.
So here is a pic - I know, not the biggest bass, but when you are the biggest fish in the smallest pond - that has to count for something! Besides that - she is a beautiful fish - perfect coloring.
Oh - and the best part was watching her swim away - right back to the saftey of the shadows beneath the roots of that half-sunken oak.
UTROY
Proverbs 21:19 (why I hunt!)
