5/28/16 Twists, Turns, Trophy Sized Fish

My Dad and I got out in the Canoe to look for some Pike. One of my favorite rivers had finally come down enough to give it a shot. The river was still higher than usual though and it made for a tough but fun trip in the fast water. My dad started out the day throwing the jerkbait I had success with last weekend. Before long from the front of the boat I hear "Got one!" However, it was not the Pike we were looking for. Instead, it was a very nice Smallmouth Bass. It was an absolutely beautiful fish! After that, we didn't have much luck at all for the next several hours. Eventually, once again I hear from the front of the boat "Got one!" "Pike?" I ask. "Nope, it's another Bass" he says. What he failed to mention was that this bass was a monster and would measure out right at 20 inches. It was a hefty fish and gave him some good jumps and runs before finally coming to the net. When it made it in the net, I finally realized just how big the fish truly was. It was the biggest Smallmouth that my dad has ever caught and he was happy as a clam with it. My dad is not a guy that typically smiles for pictures and I managed to get a few of him with a grin on his face! Not too long after we released the Bass, I hooked up with our only Pike of the day. It wasn't a particularly big fish, but it hit like a freight train. It also made for a cool picture in front of an abandoned railroad bridge. After that I had yet again another unfortunate first.  I was throwing a spinnerbait and somehow, the top split ring failed and I lost the big willow leaf blade off of the top. That has never happened to me before and I'm honestly not too happy about it. It was a somewhat expensive lure and it won't be of any use to me until I can buy a replacement blade. With that lure out of commission, I swapped it out for a different spinner. I threw a half hearted first cast underneath a tree and immediately got wacked! It was a smaller Smallmouth Bass. during the fight I noticed a large fish chasing the one I had hooked. I told my dad to quickly throw his lure near my fish to see if the other fish would strike. It didn't and abruptly swam off. I unhook the Bass and released it. I threw right back into the same spot and wouldn't you know it, the big fish just absolutely hammered my bait. I'm assuming that it was the same fish. It was a beast and immediately took a huge jump. When it hit the water, it sounded like someone had thrown a bowling ball into the water! The fish gave me a great battle and before long my dad scooped it into the net. This fish was over 19" long and was also extremely well built. It was one of the better Smallmouth I have caught over the last several years. After that the action slowed and we ended up getting rained on. We hid under a tree while it down poured for a few minutes before clearing up again. We didn't end the day with a lot of fish but what we did catch were very large and memorable fish. I'm sure my dad won't be forgetting that 20 incher anytime soon!