Monster Bass Always Be Prepared

True Story

Photo by Rusty Watson on Unsplash

Today my wife was invited to go shopping with some of her friends. She was going to be gone for a few hours and I would be on my own. The sun was shining and the temperature was in the 80’s. Even though the time of day was approaching noon, I decided to do a little pond fishing for largemouth bass.

Florida largemouth bass are known for their specific behaviors and preferences. Like many other bass species, they tend to be less active during the peak sunlight hours around noon. This is due to the heat and high light conditions, which can make the bass more challenging to locate and entice. However, it's not impossible so I held out hope that I might feel the tug.

I decided to take my 6 wt. Orvis RECON rod and my Clearwater reel outfitted with Hydros Bank Shot Float line. I hadn’t used the rod in a while. Normally I reserve it for trout because it is a precision casting rod. But, today I wanted to feel it in my hand again.

Lately, I have adopted a minimalistic approach to these shorter outings. Rather than bring every conceivable fly and tippet I might use, I pack light. For this adventure, I grabbed my fly box of poppers and a spool of 5X tippet. The pond I normally fish has bass in the 2-3 pound range. A 5X tippet has a breaking strength of about 5-7 pounds. I figured that was probably going to be fine.

On my way to the pond where I normally fish, I stopped to help a friend with a chore. He told me of another pond in the neighborhood I should check out. It sounded like a beautiful spot and one that might hold fish. I decided to explore it and see if it could be productive.

When I arrived, I was immediately struck by how pretty the location was. On the far bank was a golf fairway and green. Beyond the aesthetic appeal, self-contained golf course ponds offer additional benefits for bass anglers. They are typically a regulated environment with predictable water conditions, temperature, and vegetation growth. There is often a variety of structures that can protect bass. And most important, there is typically far less fishing pressure. This pond checked all the right boxes and I started to get excited that the day might be exceptionally productive. I never like to get my hopes up, but they were certainly rising.

I rigged up my rod, added some 5X tippet, and tied on one of the bigger poppers I had using the theory of going big or going home. I also opted for a larger white popper because I saw fish rising around 70-80 feet out from the shoreline and the water was clear. The conventional wisdom is to use a color with high contrast when fishing in bright sunlight. Something in the chartreuse, yellow, orange, or red family. So, my selection of white was not textbook. But, it was my biggest popper.

My favorite knot for a bigger popper is the Palomar. This knot is known for its high strength under pressure. It is also an easy knot to tie. I like the Palomar better than the traditional cinch or even the improved cinch knot.

Once I was ready, I took a good look at the shoreline for any obstacles or challenges I needed to be aware of. I try to make a practice of doing this to ensure safety and improve line management.

My first check was for alligators. It is alligator mating season in Florida and golf course ponds are a favorite sunning spot for these creatures. The mating season is late spring and early summer. Being extra vigilant helps you avoid becoming a Darwinian statistic. Male alligators can be more aggressive during this time as they compete for mates. Females are known to be highly protective of their nests and babies. Fortunately, I didn’t see any alligators near the shoreline or in the water.

The next check was for casting obstructions. There was a grass line that could be problematic if I stripped my popper too close to it, or if the wind caught it. I also saw several small bushes that could tangle my line, so line management could be a challenge if I didn’t pay attention to it. And, wasps were flying next to the ground where I had the easiest bank access. I definitely wanted to avoid getting stung.

The last check was for opportunistic plays. This pond has a pipe running into it creating an artificial structure for bass to hide and ambush from. At one end of the pond, the far bank grass line was about 50 feet, well within my casting distance. The shadow from grass lines can break up the silhouette of a bass allowing it to be concealed from prey. Casting to either of these spots could be productive.

I started with casting to the locations where I saw fish rising. The distance was manageable and it presented an opportunity to shake the kinks out of my cast before precision casting was required. Of course, every time I cast to a set of rings, a fish would rise in another location. Casting to a rising fish can be very effective, particularly if you guess correctly on the direction the fish is moving. It can also be very frustrating and remind you of a game of whack-a-mole. I played the game for about 30 minutes before deciding to try casting around the intake pipe.

Sometimes reading the water can be a good thing, and sometimes it can be frustrating. Fishing an intake pipe should be exceptionally productive. I must have cast another 30 minutes up and down the pipe and each time stripping my popper over the pipe. I concentrated on making that popper POP with each strip. I adjusted my stripping cadence. I did everything I could think of and didn’t get a single look from any fish in the area. I knew there was bass in the pond because I saw them rise earlier. In my mind, I started chalking the day up as one of those good practice days. My expectations of catching anything dropped and I started looking at the time to see if I should abandon this pond for my regular one. At least there I could be reasonably assured of catching fish.

Before packing up, I decided to try the section where I could cast close to the grass line on the far bank. As I walked in that direction a lone cloud started to cross over the high sun. I pitched a few casts in the spots I wanted to hit. There was a slight breeze, but the RECON rod delivered the popper accurately.

As soon as I figured my luck had run out, the sun went fully behind the cloud and BAM my popper took a deep dive. I reflexively set the hook and then felt the pull of the bass as it swam for cover. I knew immediately this was a good hook-up. All I needed to do was keep calm and work the fish in.

The guidance of my favorite Guide, Captain Debbie Hanson, came to mind. "Whatever you do, keep a bend in your rod." My 6 wt. had a deep bend and the fish was reacting to the unwanted pressure. I started to look for a break in the nearshore grass line where I could more easily land this bass. As I started to move it in that direction, the fish decided to jump.

This was the biggest bass I had ever had on the end of my rod. The fish’s maw was huge and it was determined to win the battle. My guess was it weighed between 6 and 8 pounds. I knew I had the hook set well and felt good I had the upper hand.

When the bass splashed back and dove, I suddenly felt the tip of my rod fly back over my head. All pressure had been released and I was staring at the end of my leader. No fish and no popper. My 5X tippet had reached the break point and I lost the biggest bass of my life.

Was I disappointed? Of course. I would have loved to bring that bass to hand. But, God had just allowed me to experience the dance with a marvelous bass. I had felt the power of a tug from a fish that size. Rather than be sad, I was excited for what might have been.

Now that I know where that leviathan resides, I will be back to that pond. We will hook up again. But the next time we dance I will have 1X tippet on my line. If I lose the battle then, it will be because the fish outsmarted me and not because my setup was too light for the challenge.

Lesson learned.