Sunday, December 9, 2001
Certain moments in fishing are what define the sport for those who love it as I do.
For some anglers, those moments are when they slip their nets under fought-out fish. For others, the highlights are at the dinner table as they relish that first bite of a fresh fried fillet.
My defining moments are the strikes. Nothing sends a bolt of electricity to my nerve endings like the instant when I detect interest down at the hook end of my line.
I enjoy all kinds of fishing, but my favorite species are largemouth and smallmouth bass. And they hit in so many different ways -- all of them special, in my opinion.
Big impact: The strike of a smallmouth bass intent on annihilating a speeding spinnerbait is one of the biggest impacts in freshwater fishing. I like to burn extra large chartreuse spinnerbaits over weed beds just because the smallies hit the bait so hard.
It's not a game for the faint of heart. I use heavy-action 7-foot casting rods and reels spooled with 17- or 20-pound line. The big lures attract 3- and 4-pound smallmouths and they are always heading in the opposite direction at full speed when they smack the bait.
Not every strike in bass fishing is heart-stopping. But they are riveting, nonetheless.
When a big old largemouth sips in a plastic worm flipped quietly next to a stump, the line ticks as though it has come alive. That particular moment is very special; it reinforces to the angler that he or she has done everything right.
What follows is special, too. The angler goes on "point" and jerks hard to push the hook through the plastic and into the meat of the bass's mouth. Then begins a struggle won only with sheer force -- either by the bass or the fisherman.
Speaking of strikes, bass attacks on topwater lures rank near the top.
I've been startled out of my shorts by watery explosions under a Zara Spook and totally fooled by little slurps that turned out to be lunker bass.
One memorable moment last summer occurred when a largemouth slammed my buzzbait at the end of a log jutting out of the water. I was convinced somebody had thrown a boulder at my lure until it started pulling hard and leaped clear of the water attached to the jaw of a 3-pounder.
Thrilling: While I love those strikes, I of course am thrilled to land fish. It's the strike, however, that marks the moment when fishing can become catching.
Think about crappie fishing. You've been watching your float dance steadily on the wavelets for five minutes.
Then the bobber changes its cadence, maybe even sliding against the wind or current. Your senses tell you a slab speck has eyeballed your bait and can't stand it anymore.
So it's all about the strikes.
Preparation followed by presentation puts anglers into position to catch their favorite fish. It's the strike that signals your reward is on its way.