My Best Day of Fishing EVER

Fiiiissshhhh fry! 

EPIC. Outstanding. Inconceivable (incontheevable), monumental. Add all the adjectives you want. Never in my life, up till now, have I had a better fishing day.

It started at 4am, with constipation (too much info?), and a day off work. I dragged myself out of bed, loaded up with rods, bait, and my googan hat and set off for the lake. I'd had a few days of good luck, catching big drum, even catfish. This time, I had my secret bait in tow and was ready to take it by storm.

Rain had pelted us late in the night and the air to water temperature difference was so stark that when I clambered down the bank, I could feel the warmth of the water when the wind blew. Perfect conditions.

The day started off strong. Caught some channel cats. I experimented with lures and caught a few bass. Then, things got really crazy.

A man and his catfish

I was fishing the walkway thing that extended from the dam, pulling in my sixth, seventh, and eighth catfish. I was about to leave when I saw the silver backs of fish exploding out of the water. It was a massive school of white bass.

For those of you unfamiliar to such things, white bass will chase schools of baitfish, jumping out of the water to catch them. If you're lucky enough to be around, you get to see the water churn and bubble, and see these predatory hunters leap in fours and fives out of the water as they gobble down their prey. I started casting.

The haul 

Boom! One after another I reeled them in. It was so furious that I just tossed them on the bank instead of walking to my keep net. When the bass are busting, you keeping casting. I was giggling with delight, setting the hook in a frenzy. Then, I noticed my catfish line was traveling back and forth. There was a break in the action so I grabbed the bottom rod.

Something HEAVY was on it. I knew if it was a catfish, it was my personal best. It took a bit to get it to the surface and lo and behold, it wasn't a catfish, but the biggest soft-shell turtle I've ever seen. It was a doozy, a real barn door. It was also, incredibly lucky that turtle season doesn't start until July. I cut it loose (punk turtle) and returned to the bass. In total, I caught eight channel cats, around eight white bass, three black bass, a fat bluegill, and a number of other small panfish. I returned home with a basket of fish that easily yielded four or five pounds of meat.