# Now That’s a Bass – Freshwater Fly 3/1/09



## HaMm3r (Dec 11, 2006)

*Now That’s a Bass 2 – Freshwater Fly 3/1/09*

The second spot of the day was a pond where I’d seen bass before, but I’d never attempted to wet a line there. Unfortunately, it also came up short and I was driving to my third and final location only fifteen minutes later, but by this time, I was thinking it was already too late.







The passing front had likely shutdown the bite and pushed all the fish into deeper water, yet I was determined to make one last attempt before heading home.









Now, when I fish this final body of water I normally park adjacent to a small field, which is roughly 10-12 feet higher in elevation than the water’s surface. Near the lake, the ground drops away at approximately a forty-five degree angle, forming the steeply inclined banks of this pond, and I will usually hike down and around to the far shore before making a cast.







However, today as I reached the crest and looked down upon the windblown surface below, I noticed a large, dark silhouette directly below me.









I quickly took stock of the situation and dropped the spinning rod in the grass where I stood, then turned and sprinted back to the truck to grab my 5wt fly rod.







I must have been a sight, running across the field in the wind, while trying to assemble my gear and strip out line at the same time.







Thankfully, the gamble paid off and the fish was still there when I got back.









Grumble...mutter...2000 characters...  Continued in PART 3!


----------



## HaMm3r (Dec 11, 2006)

*Now That’s a Bass 3 – Freshwater Fly 3/1/09*

From the top of the hill, I only needed to make a twenty-five foot cast to reach the fish, but with the wind howling through the guides, even that distance was a challenge to make with any accuracy.







It took me three casts to get the fly in the right spot and as the White Eyed Rabbit Zonker> descended slowly into the depths, I watched the big girl turn and look at it.







One short strip, followed by another, and from out of nowhere a much smaller male bass darted forward and struck the fly!







Dang it!









Fortunately, I got lucky and realized it was the wrong fish and managed to avoid setting the hook.







He spit it and I retrieved my line to make another cast. As before, it took a couple of attempts to get the placement right, but as the fly settled the larger fish once again turned the right way.







I stripped six inches of line and she nosed up to it







, six more and she slurped it up!







I was ready and strip set hard, then yanked the rod skyward just to be sure!
















Fun, fun, fun!







She ran up and down the shoreline, making several impressive jumps, but never tried to head for deeper water.







Consequently, I managed to handle the whole battle off the reel, and only flirted with line burn one time. 

See PART 4 for the finish.  2000 characters...this blows...


----------



## HaMm3r (Dec 11, 2006)

*Now That’s a Bass 4 – Freshwater Fly 3/1/09*










Yes, that was an awful lot of writing (_and reading_) (*and a lot of needless posts* ) for just one fish







, but she was my biggest bass on fly to date, and to have done it in such adverse conditions and on my own fly pattern makes it worth going on about!























Jan, I sure hope the character limit was a typo, and you meant 20000 instead of 2000, cause this is wholly inadequate!


----------



## Brett (Jul 16, 2008)

*Re: Now That’s a Bass 4 – Freshwater Fly 3/1/09*

YeeeeeHaaaaawg! ;D


( fish copulation, gambusia get it done that way ) 

2000 letters or less ain't gonna make it...
I like being verbose.....
pttthp!


----------



## tom_in_orl (Dec 9, 2006)

You could have just replied to yourself instead of making me merge threads ;D I am sure imackitysmack will fix it soon. Thats an easy one to over look when doing an upgrade. 

BTW, nice bass.


----------



## iMacattack (Dec 11, 2006)

ok, type away!

```
Max 20000 characters
```


----------



## Canoeman (Jul 23, 2008)

I think 20000 will cover it. 

What a post. You displayed great determination and inspiration. While some of us were watching TV, you were out catching a trophy in a gale... on the fly, no less. Damn you NASCAR.


----------



## HaMm3r (Dec 11, 2006)

*Re: Now That’s a Bass 4 – Freshwater Fly 3/1/09*



> YeeeeeHaaaaawg!     ;D
> ( fish copulation, gambusia get it done that way )


 ;D I knew you'd find something! ;D You should know that when I write these things, I now actually consider whether or not Brett is gonna call me out on any stated "facts".  



> You could have just replied to yourself instead of making me merge threads ;D I am sure imackitysmack will fix it soon. Thats an easy one to over look when doing an upgrade.
> 
> BTW, nice bass.


Uhhh....sorry, I'm kinda new to this whole interweb thing.  Thanks for fixing it and the kudos. 



> ok, type away!
> 
> ```
> Max 20000 characters
> ```


Yeehaw! Thanks Jan. 



> What a post. You displayed great determination and inspiration. While some of us were watching TV, you were out catching a trophy in a gale... on the fly, no less. Damn you NASCAR.


I'm humbled by your words. :-[ You make it seem much more noble than it was. I'd spent the better part of the day inside, playing with the kids, but then the daughter invited two friends over. Three eight year old girls are enough to drive any man out of the house, in favor of the relative peace and quiet of a wind storm.


----------



## Green_Hornet (Nov 1, 2008)

Great job! Nothing like a big ol Bass on a fly!
I think the 2000 limit was so you guys can pad yer post count! ;D


----------



## skinny_water (Jun 11, 2008)

Holy Skittles Batman. Time for me to get to work. 

Did I hear somewhere that this was going to be the 09 contest??? LOL


----------



## deerfly (Mar 10, 2007)

*Re: Now That’s a Bass 4 – Freshwater Fly 3/1/09*



> Yes, that was an awful lot of writing (_and reading_) (*and a lot of needless posts* ) for just one fish
> 
> 
> 
> ...


you've been duly rewarded for all your efforts, congrats on a real  trophy.


----------



## HaMm3r (Dec 11, 2006)

*Re: Now That’s a Bass 4 – Freshwater Fly 3/1/09*



> you've been duly rewarded for all your efforts, congrats on a real  trophy.


Thanks Eric!  Now I gotta get a double digit one.


----------



## deerfly (Mar 10, 2007)

*Re: Now That’s a Bass 4 – Freshwater Fly 3/1/09*



> > you've been duly rewarded for all your efforts, congrats on a real  trophy.
> 
> 
> Thanks Eric!  Now I gotta get a double digit one.


well, its good to have goals, but double digit bass on fly is a tough one. I think to get one that size would most likely happen more or less by accident when you least expected it. 

I know there was a spell I tried pretty hard at it, fishing areas where I'd either seen or caught big ones on live shiners. Not much luck tho. My biggest was 7lbs 12 oz while fishing a submerged batch of Xmas trees I planted in a local pond over the course of a couple years. Always caught a few nice fish around it but rarely anything over 3-4lbs. After a few months I was out there one morning and dropped a deerhair slider off the left side of the stuff and the fly disappeared like someone flushed a toilet under it.  

I'm sure I've posted this before but here it is again.  :









This was kind of recent too, like 2001 or so. I can't tell you how many times I tried though. Growing up as a kid in Miami I fished all over the Everglades, Tamiami Trail, long airboat rides deep into the big cypress, the big O rim canal, Kissimmi locks, stick marsh, etc, etc on and off since the late 70's as a teenager and never any bigger than that one on fly.  :-? 

I definitely wouldn't try to slow ya down either, but I know a lot fly guys that have tried and still try without breaking the 9lb mark. Maybe if you have access to the right kind of bass water you can pull it off. Sure is fun as heck trying either way. I've never tired of fly fishing for bass and I've been at since I was around 9-10 years old.


----------



## HaMm3r (Dec 11, 2006)

*Re: Now That’s a Bass 4 – Freshwater Fly 3/1/09*



> > > you've been duly rewarded for all your efforts, congrats on a real  trophy.
> >
> >
> > Thanks Eric!  Now I gotta get a double digit one.
> ...


Well, that's gotta be the most unmotivating motivational post I've ever read! :  Although you have shared that pic before, it's always worthy of another look. [smiley=thumbsup.gif] However, if you knew how much you look like my father in that pic, you'd probably stop posting it. ;D

I've only ever caught one over ten pounds in my entire life, and that one was just about 30 years ago. I think it's time for another, don't you?


----------



## deerfly (Mar 10, 2007)

LOL, wasn't trying to demotivate you at all, going after something like that is great. I think what happened I was probably musing over the difficulties I've had over the years trying to do the same thing and it came out that way.  :

Honestly, I think getting a tarpon over 200lbs on fly would be easier than a 10+lb bass, although there's lots of similarities there. Unnaturally large size for the species, the really big ones not always found in all the places you find the regular ones, etc, etc. 

Think about how many 10lb bass are caught shiner fishing with 8"-10" goldens? I mean really, not many. Those big mama's are not only rare but selective feeders too. You'd need to throw files the size of a small quail just to get their attention.   

Anyway, awesome bass you got there and I hope you break the 10lb mark way sooner than later. 

Oh yeah, people have been calling me "sir" way too long already and its only getting worse...


----------

