Big Bass at Dunlay

Mar 11 2019

Bruce Bernard

Slot Fish

Member Since :
2013
Number of Posts :
238

Reservation Number : 20524
Property Name : Lake Encino
Reservation Date : 03/09/2019 All Day -
Total Fish/Sizes : Lots
Lures Used : Various

Saturday started off as a bust and ended with my catching an 11.33 pound bass.  My biggest yet!

My fishing partner, John Bedore and I got to our chosen lake at 6:30 on Saturday morning only to find that we would not be able to fish there.  After contacting Steve and explaining the situation Steve suggested that we move to Dunlay to fish a couple of lakes there.  By the time we loaded our gear and headed out it was 10:00 and it took us until 2:15 to get to Dunlay. On the way to Dunlay we stopped at a restaurant to eat lunch and when we returned 3 of my rods had been stolen out of the back of the truck leaving me with only two that the thieves apparently couldn't reach easily.

We banked fished Encino lake  and could see the potential  immediately.  We caught 7 fish fairly quickly and had 2 nice fish on the line that we were unable to land. We had not brought a trolling motor so we paddled around and used an anchor that I had brought to fan cast from various vantage points.  We were catching a ton of smaller fish and a few larger fish mixed in but were having a good time just being outside fishing.  At about 5:30 I made a routine cast and immediately could tell that I had tied into a large fish.  After a 5 minute battle I brought the huge fish into the boat.  I instantly knew that this was the largest fish that I had ever landed, She was huge and the girth was like no other fish that I had seen. We took a few photos and got her back in the water as quickly as possible.

We weighed the fish at 11.33 pounds which is my biggest fish by almost a pound. The beautiful coloration on the fish and the overall size made this on beautiful fish. 

The day was surreal with all of the false starts and mishaps but I want to thanks Steve, Cole and Dave for going beyond the call of duty and working with us to get us on a good lake with very short notice.  What started out as a tough day turned out to be one of the most memorable on the water.

Mar 11 2019

Bob Scheidemann

Slot Fish

Member Since :
2016
Number of Posts :
225

Bruce, Congrats on your PB! What a beauty!

Mar 11 2019

Mark Daugherty

Keeper

Member Since :
2015
Number of Posts :
313

Bruce - thank you for the report (as always) and especially for sharing ALL of the "ugly" details.  I don't know about everyone else in the club, but speaking for myself, there is almost always a mishap of some sort with each outing.  But given the nature of our passion - it's all about staying positive and keeping your lure in the water - you proved that BIG TIME.  What a brute of a bass!

Mar 11 2019

Tom Dillon

Toad

Member Since :
2014
Number of Posts :
516

That's one monster of a sow, even upside down! Congratulations for "sticking it out." and boating a new PB DD, Bruce!

Mar 11 2019

Bruce Bernard

Slot Fish

Member Since :
2013
Number of Posts :
238

Thanks Tom!  It was a good day.

Also thanks for inverting the pic.  I was able to cut and paste yours in place of the upside down one.

Mar 11 2019

David Curtis

Fry

Member Since :
2005
Number of Posts :
47

I hope the rods weren't too too expensive because your smile is worth a million bucks!

Mar 11 2019

Kit Carson

Fingerling

Member Since :
2001
Number of Posts :
56

That's a nice catch. Congratulations!

Mar 11 2019

Keith Barfield

Fingerling

Member Since :
2015
Number of Posts :
88

Bruce, that is one awesome hawg!  Congratulations.  While I am for sure no expert (my PB is 2.5 lbs. lighter), that picture sure looks bigger than 11.33.  The head and belly are huge.  Definitely worth the price of 3 rods!Maybe some of the other members can "weigh" in on this smiley.  

Keith

Mar 11 2019

Blake Posey

Fry

Member Since :
2018
Number of Posts :
21

Im a little confused, apologize if this is a dumb question, but did you catch the giant at Lake Leinweber or lake Encino? Or are they the same thing? thank you and Congrats, that is a monster bass!!

Mar 11 2019

Bruce Bernard

Slot Fish

Member Since :
2013
Number of Posts :
238

Sorry for the confusion.  I fished both Encino and Leinweber (With the approval of the club).  I caught the big girl at Leinweber.

Mar 11 2019

Bruce Bernard

Slot Fish

Member Since :
2013
Number of Posts :
238

Thanks Keith!  I thought she might go 12 at first.  She looked huge when I was pulling her in the boat. Her weight was consistent with the TP&WD weight conversion, however.  I usually check my scale once a year so I think it was fairly close to the 11.33.

Mar 11 2019

Blake Posey

Fry

Member Since :
2018
Number of Posts :
21

thank you for the clarification! Again congrats, what a awesome fish!!

Mar 11 2019

John Shepard

Slot Fish

Member Since :
2015
Number of Posts :
175

Bruce,

That is truly a beautiful fish, and not just because of her size.

Perseverance paid off !!

John

Mar 12 2019

J.D. Danielson

Fry

Member Since :
2018
Number of Posts :
30

What a beauty! I’m sure it was worth the struggle, inquiring minds would love to know…what bait did you catch her on???

Mar 13 2019

Bruce Bernard

Slot Fish

Member Since :
2013
Number of Posts :
238

Good question J.D.!  It was a ZOOM Swimming Super Fluke in Houdini Color.  That is not a lure I normally throw for big fish, but it sure paid off on this day!

Mar 13 2019

William Fetech

Toad

Member Since :
2010
Number of Posts :
758

Bruce. Thanks for the update. Not a lure I usually throw either, but I do have several in my quick access box. 

Bill Fetech 

Mar 13 2019

William Fetech

Toad

Member Since :
2010
Number of Posts :
758

Bruce. Thanks for the update. Not a lure I usually throw either, but I do have several in my quick access box. 

Bill Fetech 

Mar 13 2019

J.D. Danielson

Fry

Member Since :
2018
Number of Posts :
30

Thanks Bruce!

Mar 13 2019

Chris Casner

Slot Fish

Member Since :
2012
Number of Posts :
222

Great fish, congrats on PB and DD.  What a story.