{Tidal Potomac Fly Rodders} Re: Lake Of Monsters

Hit the lake again this past Wednesday.

Good assortment of smaller bass (7-12 inches hardy fighters) and some spirited Bluegill.  My big surprise was a whopper of a bass.  He just gulped down my popper, made one jump then just turned into a slab of ham and let me drab him to shore.  He was so big my net was hardly able to accomodate.  I think he was close to 21+ inches long and in the 8-10lb class.  

Example of the plentiful smaller ones and the "whopper.

Cheers

Collin

On Saturday, July 21, 2018 at 1:46:01 PM UTC-4, tatu...@gmail.com wrote:

Location: 38.347883, -77.023483

Time of day: 1200-1500

Partial overcast

Light winds from NE

Someone asked if bass were biting top water lures....well let me tell you a story.

If you have govt access to Navy bases...this lake (Hideaway Lake) has monsters in it.  I had heard in the past there were some big fish in here, and I have caught a few smaller ones over the years.  That changed yesterday.

Hit the shoreline and put my green/white clouser minnow in for a few casts since I didn't see any top water action.  Nothing. 

Grabbed a teal colored popper and tied it on.  I was fishing ~5 to 15' along the brush banks of the pond.  I cast a few and on my third since switching to top water, just as I was about to pull and start to recast...it happened.  Time slowed down, a "white" shadow started to appear under my popper.  Instantly I thought darn snapping turtle is going to take my lure, then quickly turned to …..are there carp in here.  Then this white mass turns into a bass the size of a METRO bus.  It takes the popper and just lays over and starts back down.  I just stood there completely alone in the woods yelping "Holy S*&T, Holy S&^T...what am I going to do".  I have seen some big bass down in Florida, but not this massive.  It starts to fight but it's more like a block of cement than a spirited bass.  He/she comes up near the surface a few times, it's so big it can't jump clear of the water.  By this time I jinxed myself asking in my head how I am going to get it near the shore so I start climbing down and thinking trophy wall.  Just as I start to roll him/her on toward the shore...the popper comes out and the bass slides back into the water.  It was like the scene in JAWS when the shark take down the three barrels.  I stood there like Quint just stunned.  Nobody will believe me.

About 20 or so minutes later as I work the lake...another monster grabs on.  Slightly smaller than the first...probably a SUV vice a METRO bus.  Same thing...start climbing down and out pops the lure.  Now I am pissed. 

I caught a fair share of bluegill (very good fighters from this pond, but average size), and a few smaller bass. 

I tie a dark brown popper on and don't get a single bite.

Still working the shoreline....I switch to a yellow popper. That did it.

Over the next hours...I work the shoreline back and the below pics are two of the larger fish I managed to pull out. 

Overall...a awesome day on a lake that is strictly catch and release (except for trophy fish...which I can say 110% they are in here). 

If you can get here, grab your floating line and popper...fish up and down the shoreline out to about 20' offshore...and have a blast.

So whoever asked if fish were taking top water lures....I can say they are.

Cheers

Collin

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