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Started By
Message
That moment when you think you just won $80,000...
Posted on 3/31/25 at 8:40 am
Posted on 3/31/25 at 8:40 am
Fished the Hummingbird/MinnKota Big Fish tourney on Eufaula this past weekend. In practice I find a nice deeper channel running into a perfect spawning pocket that a boat can't get into due to tree limbs blocking the way.
Perfect little hidey-hole for a big ol hawg to slip into to spawn.
Forward to Saturday morning, Perfect overcast , no other boats nearby, time to make it happen. Pull out a folding handsaw and get to work. After 20 minutes of sawing limbs we slip into the spot and park the boat with the big motor down ( no powerpoles). Let our commotion settle down for 10 minutes while I eat a sammich and pondered the honey holes potential.
Finish up, pick up a spinnerbait and flip it just past a stump in the middle of the pocket. Two turns of the handle and an absolute freight train of a fish hammers it and the water explodes. I holler for the net as the monster takes my heavy spinnerbait rod and doubles it up like sphagetti. One hard charge after another in the heavy stained water and I finally work her near the boat. One last run under the boat as I try to keep the line off the trolling motor and she finally turns. My partner nets her and brings our $80,000 fish onboard
.....only to discover our tournament wnning largemouth has whiskers. A rush of emotions to include broken hearts, laughter and God's ironic wicked sense of humor prevail in the moment.
Wife told me later she had prayed for me to catch a big fish that morning. I tell her the Big man was listening but to maybe specify a "bass" next time.
So anyway that is how a 9 lb 11 ounce channel cat broke my heart this weekend as my dreams of 80 K were smashed even harder than the spinner bait she inhaled.
As a sidenote we caught 40 plus bass this weekend but the only 4lber was too late to make it to the weigh-in.... even in a Bass Cat. ;)
Perfect little hidey-hole for a big ol hawg to slip into to spawn.
Forward to Saturday morning, Perfect overcast , no other boats nearby, time to make it happen. Pull out a folding handsaw and get to work. After 20 minutes of sawing limbs we slip into the spot and park the boat with the big motor down ( no powerpoles). Let our commotion settle down for 10 minutes while I eat a sammich and pondered the honey holes potential.
Finish up, pick up a spinnerbait and flip it just past a stump in the middle of the pocket. Two turns of the handle and an absolute freight train of a fish hammers it and the water explodes. I holler for the net as the monster takes my heavy spinnerbait rod and doubles it up like sphagetti. One hard charge after another in the heavy stained water and I finally work her near the boat. One last run under the boat as I try to keep the line off the trolling motor and she finally turns. My partner nets her and brings our $80,000 fish onboard
.....only to discover our tournament wnning largemouth has whiskers. A rush of emotions to include broken hearts, laughter and God's ironic wicked sense of humor prevail in the moment.
Wife told me later she had prayed for me to catch a big fish that morning. I tell her the Big man was listening but to maybe specify a "bass" next time.
So anyway that is how a 9 lb 11 ounce channel cat broke my heart this weekend as my dreams of 80 K were smashed even harder than the spinner bait she inhaled.
As a sidenote we caught 40 plus bass this weekend but the only 4lber was too late to make it to the weigh-in.... even in a Bass Cat. ;)
This post was edited on 3/31/25 at 8:56 am
13
Posted on 3/31/25 at 8:45 am to AUTimbo
My Nephew fishes the college bass circuit. This happened to him as well, except it was a 25-30# flathead.
Posted on 3/31/25 at 9:08 am to AUTimbo
My heart has been broken by a goo multiple times. Oh how they love to hang out on the river channel edges at Toledo looking for a Carolina lizard.
Posted on 3/31/25 at 9:28 am to AUTimbo
Fished last Wednesday on a local lake. Caught a few on plastic then had a big one haul off with my line. Thought I had a DD, but it was a BC (blue cat). Kinda new because cats rarely breach the water while the fights on. Got my heart betting deaux.
Posted on 3/31/25 at 10:39 am to AUTimbo
you lost me at "spinnerbait" totally didn't read another word.
Posted on 3/31/25 at 10:41 am to AUTimbo
I hooked a 25lb stripper on a black chatter bait at night a few weeks ago, knew I had the state record Bass until it ran by the boat and all we saw was silver.
Buddy swiped / missed with net and she was gone .
Bout shite myself when that thing hit like a freight train
Buddy swiped / missed with net and she was gone .
Bout shite myself when that thing hit like a freight train
Posted on 3/31/25 at 11:52 am to AUTimbo
I was fishing Rayburn with my brother and a friend, but not a tournament The three of us were pitching jigs into some brush. My brother hooks into an absolute beast! All of us are pumped as his rod is doubled down and the other guy is grabbing for the net. The fish makes a jump out of the water and all three of us sink into the bottom of the boat when we notice it’s a catfish. About a 15 pounder. I’ve never seen catfish jump like this on the line.
He ate good, though.
He ate good, though.
Posted on 3/31/25 at 1:01 pm to AUTimbo
i enjoyed this story, good memory for you down the line. thanks for sharing! 
Posted on 3/31/25 at 3:49 pm to One More Shot
quote:
you lost me at "spinnerbait" totally didn't read another word.
It’s what us relics used back in the day before you whippersnappers started throwing chatterbaits.
Funny how 35 or so largemouths that came over the side of the boat seem to like a spinnerbait more than a chatterbait…..I guess they didn’t get the memo
Posted on 4/1/25 at 7:56 am to AUTimbo
quote:
even in a Bass Cat.
Is that an Eyra? I dream about getting one.
Posted on 4/1/25 at 8:30 am to AUTimbo
Not that dramatic but on a few occasions I've had a choupique blow up a top water hard enough to feel my heartbeat in my forehead.
Posted on 4/1/25 at 10:17 am to NewIberiaHaircut
quote:
Is that an Eyra? I dream about getting one.
Yep
Terrific boat. She will scoot. Personally had.her to 78mph solo but tech rep took me out and we got her to 79.8. Capable of 81-82 solo but I haven't let her go that last 5% of trim to do it yet.
Boat is fantastic. Sits a bit nose high since I have 3 regular lead-acid trolling motor batteries but will lighten up whenever I move to lithium when they are done.
Only knock is she's A bit tippy up front in waves. I haven't moved the pedal to the back position yet but probably will soon since my balance is not what it use to be these days.
Posted on 4/1/25 at 3:09 pm to AUTimbo
Sounds like a spot I found on Santee once. Reached up to grab the limb and pull it out of the way right about the same time I saw that dinner plate size Japanese wasp nest that looked like it had a gazillion wasps perched in the launch position looking directly at me. Yeah, I eased on back out of there and found another spot.
Posted on 4/1/25 at 5:51 pm to BFIV
Damn, we looked for moccassins before starting the sawing. Didn’t think about wasps/hornets.
Now where on Santee was that spot?
;)
Now where on Santee was that spot?
;)
Posted on 4/1/25 at 8:39 pm to The Torch
quote:
I hooked a 25lb stripper
Did you mean 250 lb?
Posted on 4/2/25 at 6:23 am to AUTimbo
What a great story..
Imagine being this fkn childish.
We wrecked 'em last weekend on a 1/4oz War Eagle Spinner.
Blue Herring
quote:
you lost me at "spinnerbait" totally didn't read another word.
Imagine being this fkn childish.
We wrecked 'em last weekend on a 1/4oz War Eagle Spinner.
Blue Herring
Posted on 4/2/25 at 9:07 am to GeauxTigers0107
quote:
a 1/4oz War Eagle
My fav in any size!! ;)
Posted on 4/2/25 at 1:13 pm to AUTimbo
At least it wasn’t a choupique
I’ve had lots of lunkers turn into those slimy bastards at the boat.
I’ve had lots of lunkers turn into those slimy bastards at the boat.
Posted on 4/2/25 at 2:05 pm to Slickback
quote:
I’ve had lots of lunkers turn into those slimy bastards at the boat
True dat
Only difference with them is alot of times they will start rolling halfway through the fight and you know it’s a grinnel (mudfish, bowfin,chopique etc)
This SOB had me fooled all the way to the net.
Posted on 4/2/25 at 2:35 pm to AUTimbo
The places I go require chainsaws and push poles lol, those little pruning shears would get left in the truck
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