Unbelievable Story

Fishing Time: 7 am to 9 am

Weather:  Sunny, T-70s

Moon Phase:  50% Moon

Location:  Utah Lake (Lindon Boat Harbor)

Bait:  Jig/trailer (black/blue)

Who Went: Me 

Today started with me being unable to sleep and going into work early.  Once I was there I realized I had to wait on a document before I could accomplish anything for the day, so my mind started working...  Nice day, NO WIND, and I've got a few hours to burn.  Went home grabbed my rod and headed to Lindon Boat Harbor.  Now let the story begin...

Arrived at LBH and payed the $2 walk in fee.  Rigged up a black with blue sparkle jig/trailer and began walking the southwest dike.  Tough from shore to know where to cast (I'm used to casting from a boat) but I worked most shoreline without a bite.  I was standing on the sharp drop-off/rock where Rick hooked the monster a few days ago and I ruined his life by letting it slip through my fingertips because we had no net.  I casted out about 15 feet straight in front of me, planning to work my jig straight back to the shoreline to the monsters lair.  Midway through my retrieve I noticed a monster tail glide right along the shoreline near the drop off/rock.  It looked like a big ole channel cat. 10 seconds later I saw the same tail again.  Almost sure it was a channel cat I decided to bring my jig into him anyway just to see if he would bite.  As soon as my jig fell next to the shore where I saw the tail, my line started racing away from me!  Problem was I only had about 5 feet of line out and I had to prematurely set the hook before he pulled the rod out of my hands.  I came up empty handed and kicking myself.  Casted right back to his lair and gave myself a little more slack.  He took it again and this time I was ready.  I laid into him and set the hook.  I was able to get him close to shore when he surfaced.  This is the part you won't believe...

It wasn’t a big ole channel cat, it was the monster largmouth that Rick caught the other day!  Panic set in as the shoreline there is almost straight down.  I was in work clothes so I carefully slid down and dragged him up on the rock, but just as I was trying to lip him, that magician spit the hook again and flopped right back into the water.  Instincts took over and my mind was telling me... hell no, not again!  I slid down the rock right into the lake, my pole went flying straight into the lake, and by the grace of god I somehow managed to literally catch this largemouth in open water with one bare hand.  You could give me 10 tries to do it again and I doubt I would catch him once.  Got him on shore and sure enough it was the largemouth that Rick landed (GUARANTEED)!  Same broad shoulders, same coloring, and caught from the exact same spot.  I couldn't believe it.  The photo's absolutely stink because I had nothing to guage his size with and pictures of holding out largemouth just look dumb, I know this from all my days fishing solo at the I-80 ponds, including my monster I caught out there.  They just all look the same in pics, 5 pounders look the same as 2 pounders.  I also didn't have a scale, but my best guess is exactly what I thought, between 4 and 5 pounds.  Definitely no less than 4.  It was the only fish I landed all morning, but man what a story!