Fretthold Baits part 2

[carl schenk]

With the changing of the moon phase I decided to test another Fretthold lure in a different color. Fished Saturday night and it didn't take long before I hooked and landed a 35"er. Only fish of the night. Stronger east winds again on Sunday night had me following Tom down the east river to hide. Unsure where to fish I wound up trolling across and down while Tom went lower and fished upward against the current. I had noticed a spine running down the center of the river so we both worked it for a few hours before deciding to move to the area I lost a fish the last time we were there. Tom motored up ahead of me and caught a high 30s fish. I started a distance below him and worked up through the same area. I'm not a fan of using a rod holder and the feel when the lure got slammed instantly made me think it was good fish. Throughout the fight the fish dogged deep and felt heavy all the way to the boat. Slow but steady pressure soon had the fish coming into view and that's when I realized I hadn't shifted into neutral. I could see it was a real nice fish and I was able to get the net into the water but it took some doing before I was able to lift the fish high enough to bring it over the net. The fish went a bit ballistic inside the net and managed to unhook itself and turn its head upward. I thought for a second it was going to jump but thankfully it bulled into the side of the net and then settled down. Looking down at the head and thickness of the fish I knew it was worthy of a picture and bumpboard measurement although I couldn't see the tail because it remained pointed away from me, keeping its tail under my boat. Called Tom to come grab my camera and got a couple quick pics before measurement. Another 46"er but definitely the heaviest 46" I've caught. Called it a early night and quit. I now have a couple more lures in the lineup..Thank you Mike.