Monday I decided to take a shot at it again about two in the afternoon. It was overcast and windy, with waves hitting the frontage pretty hard. Many fishermen don't realize a lot of fish species like the rough water. Stirred up water clouds it and confuses the bait fish, making finding a meal easier for the predators.
I hooked on a smaller Rattlin' Rap (the only one I had left) and gave it a hard cast along the shore about ten feet out. Nothing. I fan casted until I had turned toward the other side of the pier. One long cast and on a fast retrieve the lure just stopped. It felt like a snag until I realized the line was moving. I was sure it was a Northern or Muskie the way it stayed down and dug in. I was surprised when it turned out to be a Bass and not as huge as it felt. It must have been the waves making it feel stronger. Of course my net was about twenty feet away so I gently lifted it to the dock with the line, hoping he wouldn't flip and break the line. The next problem was he had just inhaled the bait and it was barely in sight down his throat. What to do? The limit for keeping a Bass is no more than fourteen inches but if you tear a gill the fish will never live. I got lucky and the lure came out without damage using needle nose. I measured it at eighteen inches, a very nice Bass but not a monster.
I understand the size limit must be strict but I would sure have hated to throw him back knowing he would die. If we didn't enforce the size limit the problem would be people would purposely tear a gill so they could keep the Bass. Sad, but we all know there are some that would.
Anyway, a fun couple days catching bass so if you are a fisherman, or fisherwoman like Fran you may want to try your luck. As I said, they are moving now.
Ken