It started when we pulled up on the north side of Boy Scout Island
at 8:00 AM. The water was calm, no wind, making it easy to spot the largemouth
bass chasing shad on the surface.
First cast and a 1 1/2 pounder jumped all over my little 3"
white Bass Assassin.
That size largemouth is fun on 4# and 6# test spinning tackle.
For the next hour or so we caught and released 8 fish.
A lot more came unbuttoned on the way to the boat.
This was Tomoe's first bass. Not bad for a beginning angler.
As the day progressed her casting skills got better and better.
After the action slowed, and because Yasuhiro wanted to
catch peacock bass. We started working the shoreline.
And the peacock bass were every where. Almost every log
and brush pile held a dozen or more big peacocks,
suspended right at the surface sunning themselves.
Just sunning, not the least bit interested in our lures.
But not to worry, I had live bait.... Still no luck. The fish
would just sink slowly down out of site when a live bait was
presented to them. This went on till around 1:00 PM. Nothing.
Then, like someone flipping a light switch.... the action
started. Wild, catch a fish on every cast, kind of action.
Fish after fish after fish.
Peacock bass, red devils, catfish, everything wanted to eat.
Yasuhiro, hooked into some trophy size peacock bass.
Just toss the live bait near a log and they came charging
out to eat it. Instant hook up. But then on the first run,
the line would break. I had 10# test on the spinning rod
he was using.... usually more than enough to handle
even the 3 to 5 pound peacocks... The Palomar knots
were good. I was beginning to think the line might be bad.
No problems landing the under 2 pound fish. Tomoe was
not having the line breaking problems, and one of her
catfish must have weighed over 7 pounds. It was only later
when I was putting the rods away that I discovered the problem...
the drag on the real he was using... was locked down tighter than Fort Knox.
No big 6 or 7 pound peacock bass landed today...
but more than enough of the 2 pounders to make
it a fun and exciting New Years Eve.
