That Moment Everything Clicked: My Biggest Bass Yet
A few days ago, the stars finally aligned, and I landed my personal best bass.
It’s funny — I’ve been catching bigger fish every year, and I’m convinced it mostly comes down to one simple thing: I go fishing more. Sure, you can always sharpen your technique, but nothing beats time on the water. Every session teaches me something new about the fish, the conditions, and myself. At the end of the day, the old saying still rings true — if you’re not fishing, you’re not catching.
The Conditions Were Perfect. The day started with a strong onshore wind and a solid swell rolling in. The moon was nearly full, pushing big tides and creating plenty of movement in the water, exactly what hungry bass love. I began on the sand, casting metals, but the surf was throwing them around like toys. My light gear (my go-to setup these days) wasn’t quite heavy enough for the conditions.
Thankfully, the Mustad rep had dropped off some samples from Drift earlier in the week. I remembered the DRX Sandeel, but even those weren’t well in the swell. Time was ticking, so I switched to the 10cm Shoal Shad in Silver (15g). It cast beautifully, stayed weedless, and held position in the surf much better.
The Fight of the Day. The tide kept pushing, forcing me onto the rocks and into some boulder-strewn gullies. I took a quick breather; my old shoulders were feeling it, and then I decided to try the smaller 7cm Shoal Shad in a natural sparkling Khaki (8g).
I was working it carefully through a tight 10ft-deep gully when BUMP — my drag went, and the rod buckled. At first, I thought it had wedged into a crack, but then it started moving.
What followed was an intense, heart-pounding battle in very tight quarters. The fish powered away, but the small gully gave it nowhere to go. Every time I gained line and tried to lift it over the ledge, it would surge back into the swirling white water. I was talking to myself, coaching, and trying to stay calm all at once.
Eventually, I knew I had to go in. With the rod in one hand and pure determination in the other, I jumped into the water, wrestled it like an alligator, and finally slid it onto the rocks.
There it was — a thick, dark, magnificent bass. I just sat there for a moment, staring at it with a massive grin on my face.
The Release Knowing both the fish and I were exhausted, I quickly took a few photos and got it back into the water. At first, it just sat there, so I stayed with it, gently moving it back and forth to get its gills working. Slowly but surely, it came back to life.
I climbed back onto the rock and watched as a big swell rolled in. The fish used the wave’s energy, shot over the ledge, and disappeared into the deep. Pure bliss.
Rod: Tyrants Estuary 8ft 6" (7-35g)
Reel: Brown Bear 3000 (sold as the estuary combo)
Braid: Green X8 Ultra Smooth 16lb
Flourocarbon: 14lb EX8
Lure clip: Seadra Mini Speed Clip 10mm
Lure: 7 cm 8 g Shoal Shad (Sparkling Khaki)