BIG FISH
Lots of anglers seek big fish almost as a matter of trade. They've experienced smash days on the water...have been there, done that. They can wait hours and even weeks for one big bite, habitually finding themselves on premier waters, at prime times, fishing in a way that few are willing to rise to because of the sacrifice it takes. They live for exceptional fish, and are satisfied with few others. After all that build-up....I'll be the first to tell you, I'm NOT that angler.
That's not to say I don't respect those anglers or that way of fishing, because I really do. There was a time when I lived by those ideals, tested my own mettle to achieve big fish fame-dom. Striving to be the best, to catch the best, to a fault, is something that's kind of hard-wired into me. Yet, these days I find myself taking what pleasure I can from whatever the day may give me.
BIG FISH STORIES
On a recent trip, that was a 10 year old's very first big fish - a near 20lb. bigmouth buffalo that pulled like a school bus and kicked like a mule when it hit the boat floor. A "junk-fish" by some people's standards, few things but a sturgeon would've pulled like that fish did on that day. We caught walleyes sure, even a few "keepers" - but his little chest puffed out 3 sizes bigger that day because of what surrounding boats thought was just a carp.
Perhaps what's better, is that we weren't trophy hunting. We were dropping baits around big schools of shad, looking to catch anything that ate. Eat they did, from smallies to walleyes, and buffalo to white bass, we had a great time, and even caught a big fish. More a family cruise in the fall sun, we enjoyed ourselves first and foremost, stowing the rods when light fell behind the bluffs in favor of dropping leaves and hoodie weather around frying fish back at the campsite.
3-days prior was a different trip altogether, and led to the big fish pictured. I was scouting that same bite, looking for the best bite I could, and fishing hard. The big girl, a 29" old female, ate off a 24' current break behind one of the largest rafts of river shad I've ever side-imaged. At first, she just stayed deep and rolled, almost catfish like. Then, she came unglued, and rose beneath the boat, revealing a white tipped tail but with no sight of the buried #7 purple wonder puppet minnow in her mouth.
CATCHING MORE BIG FISH - A STRATEGY
And so it goes, at least in my experience with big fish. You can hunt them like a trophy whitetail, with time on the water seeming to be that which separates the best from the rest. These fish just show up randomly sometimes, but that's not to say that catching a big fish happens at random. Doing the right things at the right times, with the right equipment for the job increases your odds not only in contacting a big fish, but in actually landing it when your chance comes. Ultimately, those details are the great equalizer, as so many anglers have brushes with big fish without ever knowing. Connecting, then making good on your opportunity when it counts is what ends up mattering most.
Which brings me to the white-out rod in the portion of the shot. It's a proto-type I'm testing for St. Croix like I have many rods before it. It's the best rod I've ever tried for this very application - working that bait to perfection, offering incredible feel and dexterity through the handle portion, and pinning that fish better than a gold-medal olympic wrestler. After fishing with it for several trips and many hours, I filled out a 45 minute questionnaire that's about as rod-nerdy as they come. Fun stuff for a guy like me, and hopefully some valuable information when combined with other anglers' data, such that the engineers can make the next revision even better - if that's possible.
Someday soon, you'll get to fish it too, but until then, no matter what your stance on big fish is, your angling pursuits or passions may be, know that I've found being ready is perhaps your vert best big-fish strategy. Rig right, use quality components and materials throughout, while utilizing the best tools for the job at hand. So many times, it seems like the rest just takes care of itself.