As we fish these Mother Lode tournaments, we can only speculate which ones will produce big weights and which ones will be a battle of the largest small bag. This past weekend the American Bass event was previously scheduled for New Melones and then rescheduled for McClure based on the fact that some lakes not issuing permits. So, our initial thoughts of course would be “there goes our shot for a big bag” as McClure has been a grind just to get close to a 10-pound limit.
With these preconceived notions in mind my tournament partner Rob Betsch and I strategized to go out and catch the biggest weight we thought we could. And could have never imagined what was about to happen. With a solid game plan, we headed to our starting location, spinning rods in hand We worked the area for 15-minutes and caught one decent keeper weigh close to a pound and a half. However, at the end of this stretch we had established one select swimbait cast, that had previously produced a 4-pound follower leading a week prior.
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I made the cast with the bait of choice based on the angle and structure that was in front of us. I said two things after the lure splashed down. First was “that was the cast I’ve been dreaming of” followed by “I’m either going to get stuck, or stick a good one”. As I patiently and purposely retrieved the lure we were both on high alert. Then suddenly a lightning bolt of a strike hit, I swung back and the fight was on. Typically, with a large bait and heavy line a rod down grind the fish to the boat method of landing works best. But on this fish, I couldn’t makeup much ground and felt as if the line was going to break if I applied anymore pressure. I had to back off the drag and actually play the fish wisely. At this point I knew it was a true giant and not the 4-pounder we had seen previously. It surged deep peeling drag, threatened to go back into wood and ultimately ended up in shallow water behind some sharp rocks. Unlike most of these behemoths it never broke the surface. Our first true look at it out of the water was in the net as Rob hoisted it aboard.
We removed the hook and put her in the live well immediately without really understanding the true size. However, we both agreed it was at least a Double-digit fish. After a series of fist-bumps and hollers we went back to the next area. It was hard to gather composure and we couldn’t stop talking about what just happened. Now we just need to fill out a limit as big fish and pretty much all the weight we needed was accounted for. We went back to finesse techniques and picked up another small keeper.
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It was down to two more keepers and the goal (and then some) was reached. The decision was made to head to another area we knew we could catch a few more keepers. And, along the way, we noticed another spot that we had caught a 4-pound fish during pre-fish, and it too was setting up correctly for the big bait presentation. We called an audible and decided it looked too perfect not to stop and make a cast or two. This is when things went from crazy to insane. I pulled up for what I thought would be the perfect cast. In fact, after I made it, I said out loud again “that was the perfect cast”. A dozen cranks into the retrieve, the bait got slammed. The fight was on again, but this time it was a short grind to boat battle. The fish went into the net and appeared to be well over 5-pounds. Completely shocked and shaken, I made the same cast and stuck another that appeared to be over 5-pounds as well. That’s three big fish on three consecutive swimbait casts. From chattering and rambling in excitement after the first catch to speechless after the third. All this chaos took place long before 9:00. I can say it was the longest day on the water from this point on. We could only guess our weight and were confident that the three fish combined was well over 20-pounds.
At the scales the big fish went a whopping 12.19-pounds! The second largest was over 7-pounds and the third largest over 6-pounds. With a final weight of 27.74-pounds. Needless to say, we found the change of dates from Melones to McClure a pleasant surprise. In hindsight I can only attribute these catches and the magic of the day to good planning, good fortune, proper execution and most importantly an excellent team partner. Because without these things none of this greatness would ever have been possible. When it’s your time and your day, hold on!!
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