I consider myself one of the luckiest people alive because I have the opportunity to fish almost every day of my life and because I am blessed to be able to fish on one of the best bass lakes in the state, the south Texas fishing jewel Choke Canyon. I have had my fair share of incredible experiences in my bass fishing career, but this trip rates up at the very top.
My clients were Don Andrews of Riverside, Texas (near Lake Livingston in East Texas) and his daughter Janet Powell of San Antonio. When Janet called me to book a fishing trip for Sunday, April 18, she told me that her dad was 85 years old and loved to fish probably more than he loved to eat. When I asked her what techniques he liked most, she indicated that he liked to fish with crankbaits and spinnerbaits but that he could worm fish if he had to. He would prefer fishing with moving baits rather than sitting in the boat waiting for a bass to find his plastic worm.
During our conversation, I shared with her that most of our fish were coming on Texas-rigged soft plastics but that I would try to find an area on the lake holding bass where he could fish with his preferred baits. She also explained that they would be using their rods, reels, and tackle, and I didn't need to worry about providing equipment for them.
I was looking forward to fishing with Don and Janet and felt like I had done my homework for them in preparation for the trip. However, when I woke that morning, I immediately turned on the television to look at the weather channel and was discouraged by the forecast. The forecast included high winds and possible rain. I arrived at the lake, and the wind was already blowing 15 to 20 mph; all indications were it would get worse.
By the time they arrived, the wind had increased significantly, and to be quite honest, I was concerned about our fishing trip. However, after a reasonably short conversation regarding the weather, the decision was made to make a go of it and fish anyway.
As Janet and her Dad were loading their equipment into my boat, I noticed they were bringing top-end gear and looked like they knew how to use it. This was encouraging to know that at least I was fishing with someone who had seen both the good and bad sides of fishing. Now I had to figure out a game plan that would allow us to fish in protected waters and allow them to fish with either a crankbait or a spinnerbait.
I decided to fish in the lake's south shore area because I knew we would have a chance to fish without encountering rough water. The wind had now increased to where it was blowing 25 to 30 mph out of the south and gusting up to 40 mph. There was no need to take any risks. Besides, I wanted to ensure they returned home with all of their teeth intact.
We pulled up next to the bank, and I tried to keep the boat in a position allowing my clients to fish as comfortably as possible. Janet was going to fish with a spinnerbait, and Don tied on a small Bomber Model B02A shallow-running crankbait in a firetiger color. He said, "If the fish don't bite this, then we might just as well go back home."
The wind was blowing us away from the bank and along the top of a long main-lake point. The point was covered with hydrilla along with visible and submerged bushes. We would start in about two feet of water and drift out to where the point ended in about 12 feet. One of the unique characteristics of this point is that it extends approximately a half-mile out into the lake before it drops into deep water. This allowed us to cover lots of water on each pass.
During the early part of every fishing trip with new clients, I like to learn about them and find common areas of interest. Little did I know, but Don was a retired bass fishing guide. That explained the good equipment they were using and how well they could handle the adverse conditions and cast like professionals. Now, you talk about pressure. I broke out in a cold sweat and could hardly hold my rod and reel. He told me that when he was ten years old, he caught a 7.5-pound bass and had never caught a larger one since then. Remember, this guy is 85 years old and fishes like a touring professional.
To make a long story short, by the end of this fishing trip, Don and Janet had the experience of a lifetime. His first bass was a largemouth that weighed in just a little over five pounds, and then he landed an 8.5-pound bass followed by a 7.5-pounder, a 6-pounder, and three more bass that weighed over five pounds. If he had been fishing a tournament, his best five fish would have weighed over 30 pounds. That weight would have won any tournament held on the lake this year. So you talk about a great day of fishing. It was unbelievable, and I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to share in their experience.
Some days, despite even the worst conditions, things can work out better than you ever hoped or dreamed for - this was one of those days. I will never forget this day and be grateful for the experience.
