02-07-2012, 01:11 AM
I went to one of my favorite ponds near my apartment yesterday to try to catch LADY. A bass we named since she has broken many of our lines over the last 10 years and only a few have even got her near the bank before she jumped and would get free. No one has landed her. The name LADY is because this pond is right behind a church here in Marked Tree. The name was taken from Saturday Night Lives "the church lady" skit.
Well I was fishing the pond yesterday trying to get her to strike on a large white spinner bait that I have hooked her with three times over the last 10 years. Each time she broke my line and I usually have at least 10lb test sufix siege.
A guy showed up on his four-wheeler (I've seen him there only a couple of times over the years) and he ask if I was catching any then he said, excitedly that he had caught an 11 pound Large Mouth here last week. It had to be LADY. I don't know the guy other than occasionally seeing him at a pond or the spillway fishing and say hi casually.
I said to him, "You released her right?" and he replied, "Hell no you kidding? I took that fish home and we had a good dinner."
My Heart dropped. I literally had to sit down. I ask him this, "You really kept that Lunker bass and didn't release it? You realize this pond is small and it was probably the largest bass in here and we needed it here to spawn."
He replied, "All I ever catch out of here is two or three pound largemouth and some good crappie, you don't think I would put a huge fish like that back do you?"
I packed up my gear and left with the sickest feeling I've had in years deep down in my stomach. I looked back at the Church pond as I was driving away and it just didn't even look the same. A LUNKER bass that survived against huge odds to become the dominant fish in that pond and had no predators above it was gone. Well only one predator, a human, took it's life and forever changed a pond and most of the excitement of fishing it. The chance to catch LADY.
I have taken home bass from time to time but only in the 3-4lb range and usually only one or two a year for table fare. I would never take a LUNKER that a whole town has named because she had continually beat us all when we hooked her.
I feel like I lost an old friend hearing that guy tell me he took LADY home and cooked her like a bream or crappie for dinner.
I don't know how to end this story other than to ask each of you to never take a prize catch like that out of a pond or lake. They have survived against huge odds to reach that age and size and deserve to spend the rest of their days swimming those waters that they rule.
[signature]
Well I was fishing the pond yesterday trying to get her to strike on a large white spinner bait that I have hooked her with three times over the last 10 years. Each time she broke my line and I usually have at least 10lb test sufix siege.
A guy showed up on his four-wheeler (I've seen him there only a couple of times over the years) and he ask if I was catching any then he said, excitedly that he had caught an 11 pound Large Mouth here last week. It had to be LADY. I don't know the guy other than occasionally seeing him at a pond or the spillway fishing and say hi casually.
I said to him, "You released her right?" and he replied, "Hell no you kidding? I took that fish home and we had a good dinner."
My Heart dropped. I literally had to sit down. I ask him this, "You really kept that Lunker bass and didn't release it? You realize this pond is small and it was probably the largest bass in here and we needed it here to spawn."
He replied, "All I ever catch out of here is two or three pound largemouth and some good crappie, you don't think I would put a huge fish like that back do you?"
I packed up my gear and left with the sickest feeling I've had in years deep down in my stomach. I looked back at the Church pond as I was driving away and it just didn't even look the same. A LUNKER bass that survived against huge odds to become the dominant fish in that pond and had no predators above it was gone. Well only one predator, a human, took it's life and forever changed a pond and most of the excitement of fishing it. The chance to catch LADY.
I have taken home bass from time to time but only in the 3-4lb range and usually only one or two a year for table fare. I would never take a LUNKER that a whole town has named because she had continually beat us all when we hooked her.
I feel like I lost an old friend hearing that guy tell me he took LADY home and cooked her like a bream or crappie for dinner.
I don't know how to end this story other than to ask each of you to never take a prize catch like that out of a pond or lake. They have survived against huge odds to reach that age and size and deserve to spend the rest of their days swimming those waters that they rule.
[signature]
