This fish was caught during our first club tournament April 20th at Iron Horse Trail in SE Nebraska. I fished with Ron Murphy, who had never been to Iron Horse before. Since Iron Horse has some unexpected stumps, rocks, and shallow areas, and I had fished Iron Horse quite a bit last year, Ron asked if I would mind running the boat for the day. No problem!
We start out, I head over to a spot I had done well at before. Ron asks what would be a good color. I tell him black and blue is always good! 3rd cast, Ron hooks up with a solid 4lb bass. I'm down by one fish and 4lbs. We try along that area a bit longer then move on to the north end of the lake. I get a solid strike on the jig and it's a heavy fish!!! But, the hooks pops free and the fish is gone. Try that area for another 10-15 minutes hoping for a rematch, but she wasn't up for it. Moving on, Ron hooks up with another nice fish just shy of 4lbs. I'm down 2 fish and 8lbs now. Ron mentions the bite is real light and he's been fishing real slow. I slow down my presentation and it pays off. Light tap on the jig and set the hook! Another heavy fish!! Was able to bring this one to the boat and it weighed 6lbs, 6ozs, measured 22+ (golden rule was not long enough!). This is my Nebraska personal best! We try to pick that area apart some more but no other takers.
A little further down, Ron hooks up with another fish, this one just under 2lbs. The wind really started picking up so we ducked into a cove at the North end of the lake to evaluate the day thus far and decide on techniques for the changing weather. Ron had never used a Texas Rig, so I showed him how to tie one up and I tied one on myself.
We went back out in the wind, waves capping and had some decent rollers for that size of lake. We weren't able to connect with any other fish for the day but Ron ended up taking 1st place in the tournament!!! I took 4th place with my one fish, but did take home Big Fish honors.
It was a nice day out, a great day fishing, and I had an opportunity to make a new friend in fishing while we both shared our knowledge and learned from each other. Can't ask for a better day than that!
Reply With Quote
