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mastertangler
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06/17/2017 07:56AM   (Thread Older Than 3 Years)
Just spent 3 days fishing Presque isle in Pennsylvania. Very nice place with lots of quality fish. Most of the bass boat guys were fishing the weed shelf which ran out to about 8 ft. I spent a couple days with them connecting with chatterbaits but I could not break the 4lb barrier. Yes those are very nice smallies but I knew their must be bigger ones.

My last afternoon/ evening I committed to fishing far offshore, about 1/2 mile out, in 10 ft of water. I had a decent drift so I used a 1/2 oz jig head and a Big Bite Bait swim bait and let it down. As I drifted I would pop it hard off the bottom about 3ft up and let it sink down. After about 15 minutes I was thinking to myself that "no one does this" and then Kerpow! Unfortunately the strike came at the height of my lift (unusual as most strikes come on the drop) and my hook set was rather weak. But I was close, fishing directly beneath the boat and we had a bit of a tussle including the eye level jump which shook the hook. The fish was at least 5lbs but probably not more than 6 but still what I was looking for. Certainly the biggest smallie I have seen firsthand in at least a decade.

It's the ones which get away which keep me coming back :-)
 
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retired55
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06/17/2017 10:29AM  
Its what dreams are made of..... They keep getting larger every time you think of them!
 
mastertangler
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06/17/2017 11:00AM  
The bass are lucky I don't live near there. I would have that fishery wired in short order and that would include a big livewell and plenty of spot tailed minnows. I would spend much of my time offshore drifting bobbers and spot tails and get on those bigger ones eventually. They can't resist Spot Tails......pretty sure that's cheating!

I think by mid summer the smallies gradually leave and head back out to the big lake. I had one follow by what would of been a very fun Musky in the 36 to
38" class. Then I pulled a big Savage Gear in line Pike replica for a few hours......cool looking lure. Not sure what I would of done with one 1/2 mile out if I hooked a big one.
 
06/17/2017 11:07AM  

MT,

I am feeling your pain ... but also your excitement. Nothing like a giant smallie jumping high above the waterline ... well maybe catching a 10 lb. 30 + inch walleye. LOL
 
mastertangler
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06/17/2017 11:23AM  
quote Wally13: "
MT,


I am feeling your pain ... "


Actually Mike losing that fish had a feeling of satisfaction with it. I knew the really big girls had to be somewhere and even though it would of been a nice pic it really wasn't all that painful. It was like "OK, they are way out here" plus I got her to eat.

Nothing at all like losing that BWCA smallie which I had on her side just out of reach. In my mind I was already weighing her and when she got enough energy for one last jump I kept saying "no, no, no" and sure enough she flipped that little jig out of her mouth. That was some real pain.......I closed my eyes and hung my head for about 10 seconds and never said a word. I think the correct word is "crestfallen". Then I went about retying.
 
Mnpat
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06/17/2017 01:59PM  
I still think about the lake trout I lost in March. 35 minutes I fought it until I saw it. Then the hook bent straight and it was gone. It is nice to know that fish that big live in the bwca.
 
Lotw
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06/17/2017 02:45PM  
I've lost a lot of big fish, most are no big deal. One in particular does haunt me still. It was about 5 years ago and I was fishing lakers through the ice. My tube jig got railroaded followed by drag smoking runs. It took a bit before I saw her.... a Muskie that would dwarf my personal best of 54"! I'm not sure on length but it definitely had it on girth!
I had her started into a 10" hole several times before losing her, they just don't have many nice handles to grab!!
It would have made a great picture and I really would have loved to get a measurement on her.
 
mastertangler
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06/19/2017 07:33AM  
LOTW it would of been nice to have had a boga grip along. Seems like that would be an ideal ice tool. Sounds like one scary big fish. I wonder if you could of gotten her through the hole without hurting her? Maybe it was for the best.
 
Lotw
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06/19/2017 09:38AM  
I think that had I been able to grab her she would have fit. My buddy reached a couple of times but pulled back . I still tell him that I would have sacrifice my hand to land his fish!
There's no doubt in my mind that it was better for her to remain on the bottom side of the ice. I am definitely happy that we got to see her!
 
mastertangler
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06/19/2017 02:16PM  
Easy to look back and think what should of been done but it occurs to me a good pair of gloves might have come in handy. Thrust your hands into that menacing maw and grab hold of that lower jaw (all while shrieking like a little girl > "oh momma" ) and slide that beast up on the ice. Probably would take at least 2 guys to lift the fish overhead to perform the ancient but obligatory pike dance before depositing her back into the icy depths.
 
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