I go out and bank fish MC just because it is close enough (18 highway miles away for me) to get out of the house, parking is handy, an easy way to get a few hours in late in the afternoon.

I have finally started to catch bass out there from the bank, usually 1 to 3 in a couple of hours, so far most/all less than 14" and . . . skinny. These fish don't look as healthy and robust as fish of the same length, say, on Squaw Creek, nor do they fight as hard.

Observations:

1) You rarely see many shad baitfish out there swimming around. TPWD confirms that the reservoir has less than most others in the area.

2) You will often get blue gill bites/pecks on soft plastics up near the banks while bass fishing, so I think these are the primary source of food for bass out there. I suppose the big fish caught recently, both look well fed, may be able to fill up on larger blue gills than the smaller bass can manage.

3) I do think the bass are harvested out there to a much greater degree than many other area lakes.

4) I suppose for a lake of this size, it has what I'd call modest pressure. There are usually a few boats out fishing but generally more from the banks.

No, the bass stocking program out there isn't frequent. TPWD shows a stocking in 2014, then for two years back in 2007 and 08, then nothing at all going back to the 1970s. Just a guess that many of these fingerlings, known to have only around a 10% survival rate to begin with, have to run like hell and hide out to avoid being supper to make up for the paucity of shsd.

All of these observations/facts might account for a lake holding some really big fish, then sort of not much in the middle 3 to 5 lbs. range, then a bunch of slim 12" fish.

*** Hey! I ran into Haciel (SP?) and his son, Benjamin, the other evening and he gave me some of the details of his big bass, the big one from a couple of months ago. I believe he said he was fishing with his Abu Garcia spinning reel using 8 lbs. test, what he called "crappie line."

I hope to catch something larger one of these days; if not, it's a good place to get out for a quick couple of hours to work on technique and experiment with new tackle, that sort of thing.

Brad

Great fish. This has to be the first post that everyone has claimed it weighed more than what the OP said. Fish looks huge!

I'm jealous and impressed at the same time. I caught my first bass of size out there last weekend (from the bank). It was around four pounds and it made me as happy as all of the bigger bass I've caught other places just because MC is so tough, although every time it comes up there are a lot of people that allude to not struggling as much as the rest of us. I get it, I wouldn't want to give up my honey holes on a tough lake I figured out!

I still love that lake. Congrats again.

One fish can make all the difference. Congrats!

Was this fish release Back?

The fish looks bigger than a 10 pounder because so many eggheads get on here and post pics of 6-7 pound fish and call them DD's



Again to the the lucky angler that caught this truly remarkable fish.

I'm a MC hater. If I had not scene it with my own eyes I still might not believe it. Matt congrats on one amazing fish!

Nice fish, congrats!

wow, a most awesome fish Matt. Congrats

I just want to take a second to thank everyone for the kind words and congratulations on my catch, I really appreciate it.

I spilled the details of my catch with Bass Pro Shops in a blog/interview. I'll add a link to it as soon as they publish it, thanks again everyone!!

Did this fish get released back?

Congrats Matt, that's a toad for sure!

Awesome story congrats