by John Jefferson
THE POSSIBLE STATE RECORD largemouth bass mentioned in the text could not be photographed since it was the Big One That Got Away. And a Rio Grande Cichlid – commonly known as Rio Grande Perch – that would have probably been the state record had records been kept at the time it was caught was not photographed either. It weighed more than the first few record cichlids registered. Pictured is a cichlid courtesy of Chris Johnson that appears in his recent book, Favorite Flies for Texas.
I start thinking about autumn weather this time every year. Around mid-September, it usually cools a little from our extended, hellishly hot summers. Last week’s rain cooled things off for a few days and started my fall dreaming.
There’s not much else to do. The only legal hunting now is varmint hunting, and it’s the wrong time of year.
And it’s almost too hot to fish except early in the morning, late in the evening, or at night. That works, especially around a full moon and a day or so either side of it. One is coming up on Wednesday, July 29. Another will occur Friday, August 28.
I still cherish a Lake Fork trip one year during a full moon. We launched a little after sunset to avoid the heat and find the cove we wanted to fish. I guess bass feel water temperature and the amount of light mean they should delay a little longer. We fished until considerably past darkfall with no results.
My body clock began to override my anticipation around 10:30, and in the dark, I began to lose focus a little. I wasn’t nodding off, but I wasn’t as alert as one could want. It had been a long day and a long drive to Fork through Dallas’ rush-hour traffic.
Suddenly, I felt a yank on my rod that almost jerked it out of my hands! Line was being taken rapidly, and I was just holding on instead of setting the hook. By the time I recovered and attempted to set the hook, the marauder on the other end of my line had dashed deep into tangled vegetation.
I felt the line fighting the weeds as well as the bass for a few seconds; and then the line went limp. The lure was still in the underbrush; but the bass was gone. I sat there staring at the now placid, dark water. ”Disappointment” doesn’t come close to what I felt. To this day, I still believe I had the new state record bass on the line. That was the most powerful strike I had EVER experienced – or ever would.
Although my friend Barry St. Clair’s state record largemouth is still the record at 18.18-pounds, I recommend full moon fishing. And I’m a little better at setting the hook, now.
But there are other ways to dream of fall and get through summertime.
My friend Bobby Edmonson suggests cleaning a gun. That always works. If you don’t have a place to hunt, check out TPWD’s Drawn Hunt list. Applying is cheap. And the odds are better than the Lottery! The first deadline is August 15, so hurry.
The popular TPWD Annual Hunt Permit costs $48 and provides many hunters access to over a million acres of hunting land for most species. Hunting licenses are required.
Letting other hunters and the local TPWD biologist know you are looking can sometimes help you find a lease opening, too.
Hunting opportunities don’t grow on trees, but beating the bushes helps!
JJ
