A tale of two fish

by Mark Denovich
(Pittsburgh, PA, USA)

I had a chance to fish a small lake at a local park. The lake features bluegill, crappie, largemouth and dozens of enormous (average > 36") carp. Between the carp and the geese it's often hard to see beyond a 8" down.

I was using the Suikei 39 fishing a size 14 black wooly bugger with a hot orange tungsten bead. It was windy, so I had my first chance to use the titanium line. I had no problems with it, and fared far better than my friend using #3 level line, also on the Suikei. With recent hard rains, it was extra murky. Fishing was largely by feel.

First bass was a bit of a surprise, I felt a solid take, and I set the hook expecting something big. After nearly launching him into orbit, I found I had caught my smallest ever largemouth.

10 minutes later I was experimenting, letting my bugger drift freely down trying increasing amounts before beginning to retrieve it. On my deepest drop yet, I began the retrieve only to find I had snagged the bottom... until the bottom started moving. It then went for a run and I found I had hooked into a very fat largemouth bass. I was fishing 5x tippet and had no issues muscling this bass to shore. I did have big help from my friend who manned the net.

“The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten” - Benjamin Franklin

"Be sure in casting, that your fly fall first into the water, for if the line fall first, it scares or frightens the fish..." -
Col. Robert Venables 1662

As age slows my pace, I will become more like the heron.