Since there seems to be some interest in the story behind my big Smallmouth, I will attempt to tell it the only way I know how, the truth , the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help me God!
I had only been bass fishing for about 5 or 6 years after my wife and I purchased our first houseboat in 1981, I began to fish a little more seriously. I had a good friend that had been fishing for several years, and he taught me a lot of things about bass fishing and kept trying to get me to join their Bass Club. I got my new f/s in 1987 and began fishing a lot more.
In April of 1988, I had Easter weekend off from work, Good Friday through Easter Sunday. We had been catching some good smallies on grubs and using shad and Fantail minnows ( called top skimmers in Tn. ). My buddy fished with me on Friday and Saturday, then he went home Sat. night to be with his young children for Easter. My daughter was already around 16 so she wasn’t really bothered by the fact I was fishing on Easter, although my Dad , who was a minister at the time, wasn’t so thrilled with my decision. Back to the fishing, we had caught several good fish in the 3 and 4 pound range on fri and sat, but Sunday seemed to be a better day, I was using a combination of minnows and grubs, and actually catching more fish on the grubs. I only had 2 or 3 white 3” grubs my friend had left me to use as I didn’t have much tackle yet and had never really used a leadhead jig and grub. He showed me how to fish it on Friday and I really began to like it, mainly because it was catching fish. This is long winded I know, but I will get there eventually.
Sunday, April 10th, 1988, I had fished all day and was worn out, just about exhausted and was thinking about going home. I was in Poor Branch, fishing near another good friend and his wife, as we met on the bank and were talking about our catch, they suggested that we go to Irons Creek to finish out the day. I was so tired, I said no that I was going home, but they both begged me to come on and go over there with them for just a little while and fish a couple of points, so I reluctantly agreed, this was about 4pm. As we sped across the lake I had the point in my mind I wanted to fish when we got over there, but as to my surprise my friends shut down on the very spot I wanted to go. I came right up beside them and told them they were on the wrong spot but they just laughed as I did and I went on to the next point. I stopped short of the point about 200 yards and began to work my way up the bank toward the point against the wind. There was about a 10mph south wind that day and it was blowing straight out of the creek. I worked my way toward the point throwing a white ¼ oz grub to the bank and swimming it back. I was also drifting a minnow on the outside of the boat in about 25ft of water. As I approached the crest of the point I threw all the way across it and let the grub sink about 3 seconds and began cranking it in and tap, tap, and BAM I set the hook. I knew right away this was a good fish cause she was spoolin drag and I had it set pretty tight. She dove 1 time then came straight up, and I thought she was going to jump but she was too fat to get out of the water, she just wallowed like a big hog then took off again, this time she was serious, I think she realized something wasn’t just right, and she was really bulldoggin and pullin hard !!!!. All I could do is hold on and hope the line didn’t break or I didn’t have a heart attack, cause by this time I had gotten a good look at her. My friends were down the bank behind me and saw what was going on, I yelled to them it was a good one and I may need some help, so they cranked up and came to me but by the time they got there I had her in the boat. As they pulled up, they started asking whatcha got ! whatcha got !. I couldn’t hardly talk, my heart was pounding out of my chest as this huge Smallmouth lay on my deck, me and her were totally exhausted. I got no lie to tell ya I almost hyperventilated !!!. My friends said watch out, you are about to loose your rod over the side, I said I don’t care if I loose em all, I’ve got what I want !!!!!!. Then I realized I needed to get her in the livewell. Neither of us had any digital scales, but we were close to Willow Grove Dock, so we went over there tied up the boats in front of the store and went in and asked if they had any certified scales. There were 3 or 4 guys hanging around in there as there is most docks. They kinda chuckled and laughed a little bit when I asked for the scales. They said oh! You think you got something big enough to be certified huh !! I said well, it’s big, I just want to know how big, I think it’s a good fish, they all said, yea right!, we’ve seen them before. I wish I had a movie camera when I started pulling that fish out of the livewell. They all said oh my God! , what a smallmouth ! and they quickly found the scales. These weren’t certified scales, but he said they were very close. She weighed 8lb 4oz on those, about 15 minutes after she was caught. We left there, went back to Hendricks Creek to the houseboats. When we got there I was looking for someone with a good camera to make pictures as I didn’t have one. I found some friends at the dock that gladly made a whole roll of 35mm film, only to find out a week later they had the lens cap on the whole time, dang !!!!!! On my way home, I stopped in Burkesville, KY at a convenient store which had a set of certified scales and on those scales it weighed 8lbs. 2oz. I got a few pics of her when I got home, but she had almost lost all her color and was about dead, (really hated that part). Oh well, I now have the beautiful mount that should last at least my lifetime, and I have her on my living room wall along with a 6lb 10oz sm. I caught in spring of 1987. This was a big fish no doubt, but the thing most people don’t know about that day is I had 2 more fish over 5 lbs 2 over 4lbs several Kys and a 6lb walleye already in the livewell when I caught this big one. My friend had a 6lb, a 6 1/2lb, and a couple over 4, and a few Kys also. So even if I hadn’t caught the big one I had one great day on the Holler. One I will hopefully remember the rest of my life.
I had the fish mounted by David Roemer of Bowling Green. He was voted the best smallmouth taxidermist in the nation by Smallmouth magazine. He is absolutely the best I’ve ever seen, and both my fish are georgous!!!
I now understand he no longer does this, but if I ever get a better one, I’m going lookin for him !! He is a very talented guy.
Larry
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Originally Posted by phoenix
