EricM
Well-known member
There I was!! Foggy enough to keep me down to about 11 mph on the trip out to the nuke, yet it was a lovely fall morning. I love this time of year.
Four catfish on three drift attempts make a great start to the day. No giants, but solid fish from 6 to 14 pounds. I re-bait with another chunk of skipjack and start another drift. Immediately there is a tap-tap, which with blue cats usually means a small fish. I lift the rod (using a 4/0 Gamakatsu circle hook, no "setting the hook") and the 6 lb line starts peeling off of the drag. And peeling off. And peeling off. Big fish! Much too fast and long of a run to be a catfish - must be a striper. I look down and the spool is already half empty. Time to follow the fish! About 80-90 yards downstream there is a huge splash on the surface and I am now sure it is a striped bass. The drag is as tight as I dare to set it. I had set it before I left the house at 3 lbs on the bent rod using a jug with water in it. I know to be very careful with the drag and fight because there is only a 3 lb margin between my setting and the line strength, but I've done it enough to be confident.
The fish had no interest in getting close to the boat, and I was in no rush. By the time the fish came to the boat I was ready to see it. HOLY, um, POOP! What a fish! The net was out and ready, and the striper slipped quietly into the mesh. Easily the biggest striper I have ever caught. I took a quick weight (44 lbs) and measurement (44+ inches), snapped a couple of photos, and tried to revive the fish. Striped bass die easily after a long fight, so I worked and worked to keep the fish upright and water flowing through its gills. After a considerable time the fish finally started acting as though it could swim and I released it. Nope, it came back up after a minute. More work and two more releases later, I thought "I wonder what the world line-class record is for striped bass?". I dug the paperwork out and HOLY, um, POOP! It is 44 pounds! This fish would tie the world 6 lb line-class record! I started looking for the fish since it had come up every time I tried to release it, but you and I both know what was going to happen. No fish. I kept going in circles looking for the fish to reappear, but sure enough it had revived and swam away. POOOOOOP.
I told drumking and Bassert about it when they came past an their way home from a successful crappie trip, and I stayed for a while and boated a number of additional catfish. Then, just to make myself feel even dumber than I felt, I looked up the new world record length (a recent addition to the IGFA records) and the fish would have easily beat the last entry. So TWO records shot in the, um, POOPER.
In reality, a terrific day and I am thrilled with my new personal best striped bass and those new memories!!!
Four catfish on three drift attempts make a great start to the day. No giants, but solid fish from 6 to 14 pounds. I re-bait with another chunk of skipjack and start another drift. Immediately there is a tap-tap, which with blue cats usually means a small fish. I lift the rod (using a 4/0 Gamakatsu circle hook, no "setting the hook") and the 6 lb line starts peeling off of the drag. And peeling off. And peeling off. Big fish! Much too fast and long of a run to be a catfish - must be a striper. I look down and the spool is already half empty. Time to follow the fish! About 80-90 yards downstream there is a huge splash on the surface and I am now sure it is a striped bass. The drag is as tight as I dare to set it. I had set it before I left the house at 3 lbs on the bent rod using a jug with water in it. I know to be very careful with the drag and fight because there is only a 3 lb margin between my setting and the line strength, but I've done it enough to be confident.
The fish had no interest in getting close to the boat, and I was in no rush. By the time the fish came to the boat I was ready to see it. HOLY, um, POOP! What a fish! The net was out and ready, and the striper slipped quietly into the mesh. Easily the biggest striper I have ever caught. I took a quick weight (44 lbs) and measurement (44+ inches), snapped a couple of photos, and tried to revive the fish. Striped bass die easily after a long fight, so I worked and worked to keep the fish upright and water flowing through its gills. After a considerable time the fish finally started acting as though it could swim and I released it. Nope, it came back up after a minute. More work and two more releases later, I thought "I wonder what the world line-class record is for striped bass?". I dug the paperwork out and HOLY, um, POOP! It is 44 pounds! This fish would tie the world 6 lb line-class record! I started looking for the fish since it had come up every time I tried to release it, but you and I both know what was going to happen. No fish. I kept going in circles looking for the fish to reappear, but sure enough it had revived and swam away. POOOOOOP.
I told drumking and Bassert about it when they came past an their way home from a successful crappie trip, and I stayed for a while and boated a number of additional catfish. Then, just to make myself feel even dumber than I felt, I looked up the new world record length (a recent addition to the IGFA records) and the fish would have easily beat the last entry. So TWO records shot in the, um, POOPER.
In reality, a terrific day and I am thrilled with my new personal best striped bass and those new memories!!!
