THE ROCK

[gottaflylee]

This is a true story that happened to me this week.
What is it that makes us get up out of a warm house or truck to fish for Speckle Trout on a cold overcast day, for me it is the allure of finding a fish in double digits, along with that first strike on the MirrOlure. The one that is a tic and then comes the "Ker-thump" and the rod is almost pulls out of your hand, rod bent over and the reel drag screams as the sow Trout comes to the top and wallows trying to rid her self of the lure in her mouth, doesn't get any better that this inshore and in the fall I am about worthless trying to find the big ones. Could I catch more fish on live bait or grubs, I'm sure I could, but not with the force that they his the MirrOlure, that is where I'm at, looking for big fish.

As I sat in the restaurant, we discussed what the weather man was calling for that day, over cast sky's in the morning, clearing in the afternoon, no rain and a good north wind at 15 kts, top of the tide at first light and then falling. I sat there, after asking a few of the boys if they wanted to go with me to hear they all had other things to do. As I sat there finishing my coffee, I was mapping out in my head where I would start and fish as the tide fell out.

Loading the boat with 12 rods, all with different MirrOlures in the rain and a stiff wind, I chuckled to myself that the weather man missed this one. I cruised down the no wake zone and my mind wondered back to days as a kid, fishing with DaddyPop for big Trout on MirrOlures. I flashed back to a place that he had taken me as a boy that is still there but has changed with the on-slot of new houses and docks that had been built, but the Oyster rock was still there and the big trout of the past, that he pulled off that rock called my name.

The water was clear but stained and I tossed out a hot pink (HP) MirrOlure and the one with Chartreuse sides, orange belly and black back (705) to troll the marsh edge to see if I could find fish. Soon the HP MirrOlure rod bends and the reel singes it approval as she wallows on the top, nice fish I thought. Grab the other rod and wind it up to the boat and feel a bump, I have found them. Grab the rod with the Trout and work it to the boat and look down to see that I had not gotten the cast bucket off the net and in the process, I lose the Trout.

Now knowing where the fish are, I let the boat blow down with the wind to where I can just reach the fish with my cast. Being shallow water, I reach for the rod with the MR18- 60 that worked so well for the guys in the MirrOlure school this week and fired it down the left side of the marsh. Twitch, pause...twitch-twitch, pause, twitch...bump...ah, tail slap, oue, nice fish I thought, pause, twitch. Nothing as I work it back to the boat. Hum, color change maybe as my mind rushes things. I fire it back the same MirrOlure to the area of the bump, landing it in the pocket of the marsh.

Twitch, pause, twitch-twitch pause, the tail-tail tap and then the "Ker-thump" of a great fish. The little 6' Saint Croix rod bends hard over as the rod is almost pulled from me, my arm is pulled forward and the reel sings its first zingzzzz. She wallows to the top trying to throw the MirrOlure that is under her chin and just behind her head. From the boat I can see her purple back and her spots, she is big, in the double digits weight wise, the one that I look for each year. Zingzzzz the reel spits out as she rolls on the top again, "what a fish" I think as this is the fish I seek each year. She is at least a 32 to 34" fish and is doing her best to throw the hook. Znigzzz, zingzzzz the reel strains under her weight, the 12 pound test mono stretching to its limit as she still on top trying to shake her self free.I notice a door slam and the home owner heading to his dock to see what is going on.

As quickly as she hit, she goes down and makes her run away from the boat, line ripping through the water and the reel screaming, trying to slow her down. She was as strong as any Red Drum on the flats as I have had on. I step up on the cooler to get a better angle and to try to turn her from the marsh when she makes a hard right turn and shoots off toward the rock bed, oh crap, not good. I head to the center console and raise the rod as high as I can, but she is to fast and strong and I am to slow. As I step up, I feel the first of the Oysters rubbing my line and I strain to get the rod higher but she is pulling so hard that it is hard to keep the rod held up high. Suddenly the rod goes up and the line so slack, as quick as it started, it was over. I step down thinking that the 12 pound test was cut, but not the case as I got to the end of the line, it was the 20 pound braid, chewed and frayed as it slid across the Oyster bar.

By now the owner of the house was on the dock and yelled to me "that was a nice fish, what was it?" I looked up as I set down, " the one that got away, sir, the one that got away"

[Jesse Lockowitz]

great read lee. hate to hear it that she got off. but, it keeps ya going back and makes ya wanna go back with a vengence.

i cant wait for my vacation hehe.





Jesse

[brandon558]

thought i was there with you for a minute..its happened to me too many times.

had a hard time finding them today but did catch a nice fat one. another week or so it should be perfect.

[ice cream man]

Capt. Lee ........ great read, explains why I fish & felt as if I was on the boat with you ...... ICM

[WildTurkey]

Hey ICM.... Lee is surely the Mirrolure guru! Maybe you and I need to get in the next Mirrolure class! I certainly have alot to learn about fishing those things and it's apparent that Lee has been doing it successfully for a long time. Hope you been doing well also.

Bill Douglass

[SeaBiscuit]

Almost as good as caught brother Lee. You got to see what remains a ghost for most of us.
Thanks for the story.
SeaBiscuit

[clt_capt]

She didn't get that big without being able to put up a fight. Thanks for sharing.

[shore-power]

Wow great story Capt. Lee. Gotta get down there and let you show me how its done.

[BYRD]

Man what a great story! Felt like I was there with you. Sometimes losing a nice fish is just more motivation to keep after it. Sorry to hear it got away. Would have liked to seen a picture of that beast.

[btglenn]

Love the stories bringing back the good ole days Lee

The way you described the rock sounds an awful lot like a rock I like to fish, so hopefully I will have your mr17 back to you before the season is over...

Good luck up north, im sure there are plenty of mirrolure hungry big mommas up that way