(Nov 5, 2009 Alton’s Angle on ESPN/Bassmaster.com)
Just when I thought it couldn’t get any better, I go and catch my biggest five-fish stringer of bass ever: 50 1/2 pounds worth of Lake Falcon largemouth. I still haven’t reached my goal of my best single fish ever, but without thinking about it, I topped my best day ever. I think right now on that spot there’s one big enough to be my personal best, the bass of a lifetime. My lifetime, anyway.
All three of us (Andy Carroll, brand manager for PRADCO, and Ronnie Manrose, senior tackle buyer for Bass Pro Shops) were in amazement. We were just fun fishing and had no idea what was about to happen.
We caught 19 bass over 8 pounds, nine of those were over 9 pounds, and two were over 10 with the biggest being 11-2. When you’re catching them like that you don’t even count 6s and 7s. Most of the big ones ate a Bomber Fat Free Shad in Citrus Shad. None of the fish over 8 ate anything but a Fat Free Shad.
Want to know how I caught it? OK.
The fish down in Falcon are in a classic pre-spawn mode. The first spawn will take place sometime in December, so we’re still about six weeks out. You have fish beginning to move back into creeks and stage in the creek channel dropoffs, and that’s what this magical place is.
There’s a rock point that comes out and drops abruptly from 12-13 feet into 19-20 feet, and it’s solid rock. On real flat lakes like Falcon, anytime you find rock, it’s automatically going to have a drop on it just because it’s hard structure. They like the steeper drops because it gives them protection from cold fronts that may blow through, and it gives them a good ambush point. It’s the kind of place the big gizzard shad and giant crawfish hang out in.
When they’re resting, they pull out over the creek channels, and when the dinner bell rings they move to the rock point. Usually the bell is catching the first one. In the case of this spot, it’s a magic cast. If you’re ten feet left or right, you won’t get a bite. But if you bring it through the kitchen, hold on. It may take 20 or 30 casts to fire them up, but once you do, it’s 15 or 20 minutes of pure chaos, especially with three people in the boat. There are 9 and 10 pounders twisting lines and jumping, it’s something everyone should experience.
I look back on it and still can’t believe it. I posted stuff on Facebook about it, and when I look at it I think, “No way,” it’s that incredible. Ronnie just had rotator cuff surgery, so it was hurting his shoulder to hold that 11-2 up, so I just held it for him. That fish is in my left hand, and the other one is a 9-8. We weighed every big fish. It was a ball.