PawPaw
09-08-2009, 07:09 PM
<p>I just received this email from the son of one of my best friends (My original/first river fishing buddy). This young man (because he's younger than me) I have known since he was a little fellow. I took him and his brother on one of their first deer hunting & turkey hunting trips years ago. He is truly a good fisherman that can hold his own with anyone I know. He has something some of us only wish we had and that something is "patience". This story is one that I just had to share with you all. I have edited out some of the details he had in his email because they were very specific and not a good idea on a public forum like ours here. I hope you enjoy the story.</p>
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<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Arial; color: #000000; font-size: x-small;">Hey Tom,</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">I love all of the fishing updates you've been sending me. Trying to grow a business is pretty grueling so I don't get a lot of time to take big trips. However, your pictures inspired me to buy some waders and fish the XXXXX River around ZZZZZZZ. I wasn't sure what to expect. I didn't know if there were any fish of any size or any fish at all for that matter, but I thought, "What the heck." On the first attempt, I caught 7 largemouths in 3 hours averaging about 12" on the section of the XXXX River that runs through my neighborhood. I went to another spot a few days later and only caught a couple lil bitties. I tried yet another spot a couple of weeks later and landed 8, the largest of which was about 2lbs. I was enjoying myself, but if you know me and fishing I live for the huge ones. I really don't care about catching a lot of fish I want the 10 pounders. So the hunt was on for deeper water and larger fish. Most of the areas I fished tot hat point was knee deep at the deepest point. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr"> </div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">I finally stumbled accross a stretch that was about 4 to 5 feet deep and it looked just like down at Morgan's lake. I just knew it had some big 'uns in there. My brother kept telling me," There ain't no big one's up this far north." But I thought, "There's plenty of bait fish, virutally no fishing pressure and we caught big one's out of Hartwell, so why not?" Right off the bat when I started fishing this deeper stretch I just knew that I was in the right place. 10 minutes into it I caught one that was about 16" with a big ole belly. Then, I caught one that was about 3lbs. About 50 yards on down I missed one that was at least 3lbs. And then I heard it. I looked up just in time to see what looked like a huge bucket someone pushed underwater and sucked all the water into it's mouth. it was only about 30 feet down from me, but it was too deep. I could go down there. So I threw it as far as I could and it landed up under this ole bridge about 10 feet from where he hit. I worked it back in and felt something. Then, my line moved just a tad. I set the hook immediately and it was him!! He fought hard. I got him to the surface about 2 feet from me and he jumped and spit the hook right out of his mouth. He was huge!! I was so upset. I thought to myself that out of my excitment I think I set the hook too soon. I didn't let him take it all the way.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">But it showed me one very important thing. The big 'uns are in here. So when I left I looked at my schedule and planed my next move. I decided to get in further down river and work my way up to see if that area was just a deep pocket and I might be able to get to the place where he was originally. So that's what I did. I got in about 300 yards down river from the place I lost that big one. Within 10 minutes I caught my first bass-a lil 10 incher. A few minutes later I caught a 2 pounder and then another. Oh I was feeling good. Then, the water got deep and I couldn't go any further. I wasn't even close to where i wanted to be. So I looked up and decided if I could somehow get above these huge boulders daming the river it might get shallower. I looked on the steep bank and found a deer trail that took me right where I wanted to go. As soon as I cleared the boulders I saw what I was dreaming of.... BASS HEAVEN!! It wasn't the same place I was before on the previous trip, but I just knew a big one was in this area. It was perfect. One one side there was about a 30 foot stretch of huge rocks just along the bank that dropped into about 6 to 8 feet of water. Just before those rocks a large boulder fell into the middle of the river making the water flow around on either side and creating a very fast moving, churning current right into the deep drop off. I jumped down and carefully crossed in a shallow part and stood in water about ankle deep overlooking the 6 to 8 churning pool just a few feet in front of me. I knew right where he was. I threw my worm in the fast moving current where it was only 12 inches deep and brought it off the ledge. As soon as it dropped I felt a single thud. My heart stopped. I told myself, "There he is, not too quick, let 'em take it." I stood there for what felt like an eternity, but I wasn't goona lose this one. Finally he started moving steadily back up stream, so and I let em have it. As soon as I set the hook I knew he was huge. He didn't come towards me at all. He went deep. I fought and fought just to get him to the surface, but he wasn't budging. Then, he turned and raced right at me. I was scrambling to reel in the slack. And just as quick he turned again and made a run for it. My line started stripping off my reel!! I thought, "This guy is a monster!!" I fought him and finally got him to the surface and when he rolled my heart jumped into my throat. He finally tired and I got 'em up to my feet and saw his mouth for the first time. I lipped him and lifted 'em out with a triumphant yell! I didn't have a camera, a net, a tape measure or a scale. So I held him up to my leg. He was from right about my knee to the ground. i later measured it to be somewhere around 22-23 inches long. That puts him around the 7-8lb range. As I watched him slowly swim away after I released him, it dawned on me, "I have fished this area twice and hooked two monsters!! Holy cow!! What else is in here?!" I haven't been able to go again since that monster, but I am hooked. Look for me to join your river fishermen's group. I have a camera and a scale and a tape measure now. And i plan on posting a lot. I am HOOKED!!</span></div>
<div dir="ltr"> </div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">Oh and where is my secret fishing spot, you ask? (Only Paw Paw knows because this part was edited out for privacy reasons & so it will remain my friends "Secret Spot")<br /></span></div>
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<blockquote>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Arial; color: #000000; font-size: x-small;">Hey Tom,</span></div>
<div dir="ltr"> </div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">I love all of the fishing updates you've been sending me. Trying to grow a business is pretty grueling so I don't get a lot of time to take big trips. However, your pictures inspired me to buy some waders and fish the XXXXX River around ZZZZZZZ. I wasn't sure what to expect. I didn't know if there were any fish of any size or any fish at all for that matter, but I thought, "What the heck." On the first attempt, I caught 7 largemouths in 3 hours averaging about 12" on the section of the XXXX River that runs through my neighborhood. I went to another spot a few days later and only caught a couple lil bitties. I tried yet another spot a couple of weeks later and landed 8, the largest of which was about 2lbs. I was enjoying myself, but if you know me and fishing I live for the huge ones. I really don't care about catching a lot of fish I want the 10 pounders. So the hunt was on for deeper water and larger fish. Most of the areas I fished tot hat point was knee deep at the deepest point. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr"> </div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">I finally stumbled accross a stretch that was about 4 to 5 feet deep and it looked just like down at Morgan's lake. I just knew it had some big 'uns in there. My brother kept telling me," There ain't no big one's up this far north." But I thought, "There's plenty of bait fish, virutally no fishing pressure and we caught big one's out of Hartwell, so why not?" Right off the bat when I started fishing this deeper stretch I just knew that I was in the right place. 10 minutes into it I caught one that was about 16" with a big ole belly. Then, I caught one that was about 3lbs. About 50 yards on down I missed one that was at least 3lbs. And then I heard it. I looked up just in time to see what looked like a huge bucket someone pushed underwater and sucked all the water into it's mouth. it was only about 30 feet down from me, but it was too deep. I could go down there. So I threw it as far as I could and it landed up under this ole bridge about 10 feet from where he hit. I worked it back in and felt something. Then, my line moved just a tad. I set the hook immediately and it was him!! He fought hard. I got him to the surface about 2 feet from me and he jumped and spit the hook right out of his mouth. He was huge!! I was so upset. I thought to myself that out of my excitment I think I set the hook too soon. I didn't let him take it all the way.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr"> </div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">But it showed me one very important thing. The big 'uns are in here. So when I left I looked at my schedule and planed my next move. I decided to get in further down river and work my way up to see if that area was just a deep pocket and I might be able to get to the place where he was originally. So that's what I did. I got in about 300 yards down river from the place I lost that big one. Within 10 minutes I caught my first bass-a lil 10 incher. A few minutes later I caught a 2 pounder and then another. Oh I was feeling good. Then, the water got deep and I couldn't go any further. I wasn't even close to where i wanted to be. So I looked up and decided if I could somehow get above these huge boulders daming the river it might get shallower. I looked on the steep bank and found a deer trail that took me right where I wanted to go. As soon as I cleared the boulders I saw what I was dreaming of.... BASS HEAVEN!! It wasn't the same place I was before on the previous trip, but I just knew a big one was in this area. It was perfect. One one side there was about a 30 foot stretch of huge rocks just along the bank that dropped into about 6 to 8 feet of water. Just before those rocks a large boulder fell into the middle of the river making the water flow around on either side and creating a very fast moving, churning current right into the deep drop off. I jumped down and carefully crossed in a shallow part and stood in water about ankle deep overlooking the 6 to 8 churning pool just a few feet in front of me. I knew right where he was. I threw my worm in the fast moving current where it was only 12 inches deep and brought it off the ledge. As soon as it dropped I felt a single thud. My heart stopped. I told myself, "There he is, not too quick, let 'em take it." I stood there for what felt like an eternity, but I wasn't goona lose this one. Finally he started moving steadily back up stream, so and I let em have it. As soon as I set the hook I knew he was huge. He didn't come towards me at all. He went deep. I fought and fought just to get him to the surface, but he wasn't budging. Then, he turned and raced right at me. I was scrambling to reel in the slack. And just as quick he turned again and made a run for it. My line started stripping off my reel!! I thought, "This guy is a monster!!" I fought him and finally got him to the surface and when he rolled my heart jumped into my throat. He finally tired and I got 'em up to my feet and saw his mouth for the first time. I lipped him and lifted 'em out with a triumphant yell! I didn't have a camera, a net, a tape measure or a scale. So I held him up to my leg. He was from right about my knee to the ground. i later measured it to be somewhere around 22-23 inches long. That puts him around the 7-8lb range. As I watched him slowly swim away after I released him, it dawned on me, "I have fished this area twice and hooked two monsters!! Holy cow!! What else is in here?!" I haven't been able to go again since that monster, but I am hooked. Look for me to join your river fishermen's group. I have a camera and a scale and a tape measure now. And i plan on posting a lot. I am HOOKED!!</span></div>
<div dir="ltr"> </div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">Oh and where is my secret fishing spot, you ask? (Only Paw Paw knows because this part was edited out for privacy reasons & so it will remain my friends "Secret Spot")<br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr"> </div>
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