ScreeminReelz
02-26-2004, 10:24 AM
So I was out this morning jigging up some small 'eyes when something bangs my jigging rapala. I missed the fish but kept jigging, thinking to myself how that didn't feel like a walleye hit. After about 5 more pulls the fish comes back - BAM! - I set the hook and it's like I hooked the bottom. The drag cut loose as I jerked up and I'm thinking dang that's a heavy walleye! I start bringing the fish up out of 20' of water and it comes up pretty good, that is until it gets to the hole. It starts ripping out drag but I can see the fish as it cuts back and forth across the hole. Big...Gold...Gotta be a huge walleye. I'm almost peeing myself at this point - "get the gaff", I'm telling myself, but in my excitement I can't find it. I finally finnagle the fish up to the hole and it gets stuck just past the head as I pull it up - it won't fit through my 6" hole! Huge smallmouth. I give it a lipper and squeeze it up through the hole and it looks like someone put a basketball needle in her thingie and pumped her up to 45 psi. Total wallhanger smallmouth and season's closed on bass and I have NO CAMERA! So I know that no one will EVER EVER believe me when I tell them that this was the biggest smallmouth that I have EVER caught or seen in real life. I measured it at just over 20 inches, which is pretty nice for a smallmouth, but she was FAT. Had to have been 17 or 18 inches in girth and weighed at least 5.5 to 6 pounds. I danced around like a little girl for a minute then turned the beheamoth loose, then the flag went up on the tip-up. What a great day...:D