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Mayhem Largemouth Bite

Posted by on July 17, 2014

When the tide turns, run with it.

The line on my reel needed changing. I stood at the tailgate, while parked at the boat ramp, and ran the old line off. In three hours I will be ever so grateful I had taken the time to check the line and put on new.

Largemouth fishing view

 

While I tended to my tackle, a bass boat raced into the cove next to the ramp. The young gentleman cut the motor, dropped the trolling motor and began to fish a buzz-bait.  His bikini clad partner watched. “It figures, he has the whole river to fish and he’s got to pick my spot.” I mumble under my breath.

Fishing in a canoe or kayak limits your travels somewhat when compared to the 60 MPH big fancy bass-boats. But that’s fine by me. The canoe cost me less than what he’ll pay in fuel on just a few fishing trips. I’ve owned power boats in the past, but found I rather enjoy the simplicity and quietness of a paddle.

With two rods rigged. One with a soft plastic top water frog and the other with a soft plastic 5” worm, I push off the bank. I stand in the canoe and slowly paddle past the other fisherman. Looking over the water, I choose where to start my casting. Gauging the weed lines and the early evening shadows, I pick my spot. On the third cast, the water explodes. I sink the hook into the jaw of a feisty largemouth bass. He makes a show of it with several jumps before I am able to bring him alongside the canoe.

lipping Largemouth
I quickly remove the hook, hold him up to admire his brawn and then toss him back into the water. I hear a faint female voice, “Hey look the old guy in the canoe just caught one”. I could have taken issue with being called “the old guy”, but I just smile and continue to fish.

The tide is dead calm. I work back into a tight creek lined with foxtail weeds and spatter-dock. I miss a few top-water bites using the frog. When I reach the end of the creek, an hour or so later into the evening, I had missed five or six bites and only caught the one.

 

Things then got wild. The tide began to feed into the creek. Quickly in four casts I miss three fish on my top-water frog. Unhappy with things, I set down the rod and reach for the rod rigged with the worm. I cast in the current line as it sweeps around a bend in the creek. The worm drops, the water swirls and the line races. I lean back on the rod and set the hook. The beast jumps from the water, then drives toward a sunken log. He’s stuck. I sit down in the canoe, hold the rod in one hand trying to keep the tension, but not so much to break the line, reach for the paddle and try to get up current of the fish. We play tug of war. I can feel the line rubbing  the log. I give a little and that does the trick, he tries to swim free and I am able to bring him boat side.

Largemouth next to tea bottle

For the next forty five minutes, I experience the best largemouth bass fishing of my life. In a span of less than sixty yard of creek I land countless fish from two to over four pounds. The tide returning up the creek turned the fish on to feed. I was at the right place at the right time. Before the sun set, I had my fill, looked to the sky, gave thanks and paddled the short distance back to the ramp. I never did see what happened to my friend in the bass boat. He had left.

Andy holding largemouth

As I toss the canoe onto the top of the truck and place the two fishing rods in the rod holder, I am once again reminded how much I enjoy my quick after work fishing trips. Yep, that’s why the canoe or kayak seem to always be on top of the truck.