Ever catch a fish and not know it?

Well, I'm totally embarrassed, but I caught a nice bass today and didn't
know I had it on line until I was ready to pull up my lure to recast it.

With my rods in the car, I took off about two hours early and headed for
Belleville Lake. I parked the car and walked to a shallow flat that is
really a shallow shelf between the shore and the main river channel. This
flat is about 20-25 feet wide and in the summer is weed choked. But this
time of year is a small spawning flat because of its gravel bottom.

I was pitching a 3-1/2" tube with a 1/4-ounce ball jig inserted all the way
inside. I managed to catch several smallies before I decided to make a long
cast to the other side of the channel. The tube settled in and I started
dragging it down the channel break line into the main channel, when I felt a
rock. I lifted the rod and at the same time felt a tap, so I quickly reeled
down and snapped my wrist to set the hook. But nothing was there, or so I
thought. After a sigh, I reeled the slack out of the line. I could feel
weight, but it wasn't moving. I though the lure was fouled up with weeds so
I spun the reel, then let the lure sink back down, lift the rod and spin the
reel again. I did this all the way back. When I expected to see my lure I
was shocked to see about a 2.5 to 3-pound largemouth. At which point she
also saw me and spun to go deep again. All I did was lift the rod and out
she came.

The hook was buried dead center in the roof of her mouth, so it was a good
hookset. I can only figure she must have been moving straight in line with
me. After the hookset, she had to continue to be heading straight for me.
Since there wasn't any tension on the line, she didn't know she was hooked
and I didn't know I hooked her.

I only wish there was a camera pointing at me so I could have seen the
shocked look on my face once I realized I just caught a fish. I bet it was a
comical moment for all those but me!

--
Craig Baugher
Be Confident, Focused, but most of all Have FUN!

Hey Craig -- It's stories like this that should let us know that the PETA gang
doesn't know what it's talking about when it says that fishing is so cruel to
the fish. I've had more than one fish act as though it had no idea it was
hooked. One was a huge catfish that I "played" for 15 minutes before the
fish noticed. After it dawned on the fish that something was amiss, it took
about 15 seconds to snap my line. I was 14 or so and so excited that it took
me a couple of days to quit shaking.

Family, Friends, Fishing,
Rob Storm
http://stormsrestaurants.com