Another Father Vs. Daughter Challenge 07-10-09

Shark Bait Scores Again

My daughter and I had another face off today. She started with a spinnerbait and I with my first homemade crankbait. After no fish through the first 15 minutes, I switched to my drop shot rig and casted it out with a 3” Senko, wacky rigged.

As soon as my weight reaches bottom, my daughter snags her lure in the riprap and is unable to free it. She hands me her rod and takes mine and during the exchange I can’t help to think a smallie is going to nail the Senko.

I manage to free it after a few good tugs and my daughter says, “I got one!” as she started reeling up the line. It was probably about 10” long, no big deal, but it also meant one to zero, and the zero was mine.

We moved to another spot. She rakes in another one with a locally made French fry type of bait.

This is her second bass of the day. She still doesn’t want to lip them with her thumb.

Finally, I connected with my drop shot rig about five minutes later, with a teeny-weenie 7” (shucks) but at least I’m on the scoreboard.

At the third spot, my daughter hooks into a big one that took her rod and reel to task. Unfortunately, it came unbuttoned after a very good fight. I picked my rig with the “shark bait” crankbait and after a few fruitless casts into the wind, I made one into the wind and worked a section between where the sunlight and shadow met. When the crankbait got into my visual range, I paused it and a smallie came up from the unseen, latched onto the back treble and headed back down. It was a decent strike. The way it swam back down made it seem like either it didn’t know it was hooked or it didn’t care. I suppose until its swim back down and my retrieving made the line taut. After that, it got feverishly upset and displayed its feisty side. As feisty as it fought, it was no match for my gear and it was quickly brought in.

Another noteworthy entry for my fishing journal. Shark bait, as I call my weird looking crankbait, has appeal to both trout and bass.

She decided to call it quits for the day to munch on some snacks and read her book so the battle officially ended in a tie.

I decide to continue fishing for just a wee bit and brought up another smallmouth. After that, we packed up and headed home.

The only thing left to say was best said by Ice Cube: “Today was a good day.”

-ib