Pretty good day at Lincoln Beach 5-21-20

[PVRanger]

On Thursday morning I went to LB. The water temperature started at 58° and rose to 62° by the time I left around 3:30. I was concerned that the little storm the night before might have put the cats off their feed. Not so. I caught 19 (number 97 for the year) and the 19th one was the biggest fish I ever caught.

I had brought five different kinds of bait and they liked them all. They included white bass, two variations of strawberry chicken, shrimp, and pork. I used my usual Santee rig and FLAIT. Later in the day I gave the FLAIT away to a big cat that didn't want to come to the boat. Dang! Well, now was my chance to try one of TDs big fligs in fire tiger pattern. It worked great, and as I said, it caught on every kind of bait I had. Around 3:00 I had a big piece of my special strawberry chicken variant on the flig when a heavy fish hit. As I got it up near the boat I couldn't get it to come up. Every time I tried to hoist it it took off, taking drag. Finally I got it up enough that I could see how big it was. I had gotten a fish earlier this year that I was sure was a 30"er that turned out to only be 29 and 7/8. I thought this one might actually make it to the magical 30" mark but I didn't want to say it for fear I would be wrong. He got around to the stern corner and I couldn't get him to come to the side of the boat so I could net him. I had to reach as far as I could to get him in the net and then I almost lost the whole shebang. Once I got him in the net I had to lever it over the side. He was definitely the heaviest fish I ever caught. When I got him on the tape he stretched to the 30.5" mark. Well, that goal was met. I put it in the live well and fished a little longer but I just had to get back to the dock and see if I could get a good picture of it. When I docked I asked another fisherman there if he had a scale; he did and let me borrow it. The fish was over 12 pounds. About that time a DWR boat came to the dock. The three-person crew had been out netting june suckers. I showed them the big cat and one of the guys offered to take a trophy shot for me. (Thanks, Shawn). That put a crown on one of the best days I ever had fishing, if not the very best.

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That's sounds like a great day off fishing. Congrats on a monster cat.