A bass,a brick and a banker story.





Back in late 80's Redman (BFL) held a combined Bama/Georgia tournament on Lake Eufaula...I think they way underestimated the number of fishermen who would show up...it was about 375 fishermen and back then Redman tournys were draw type so the drawing took several hours as did boat launching the next morning and taking boats out after the tourney...weigh in went pretty good with two sets of scales but they never tried to do a combined tourney again...


it was typical tough post spawn fishing on Eufaula and mid morning I only had two small fish when I decided to fish a bluff wall on south end of lake...the river channel kicks in against the bluff and there was 40 yard stretch where I had caught some good fish over the years...
I was casting a jig N pig and there was a ledge about 10 ft deep with some trees/logs washed up against it....I get a bite and it was a strong fish,finally get it up to the top and it's too big to jump and is wallowing on surface and my no boater managed to get the net under it before it can dive again..... it weighed .9lbs 4 oz...


my no boater asked if I had another one of those jig n pigs and after that great netting job,I hopped down,got one out and even tied it on for him.. he makes a cast before I could get back on front and catches a 5 1/2 lb fish.....(that little act of kindness would cost me)
we fish a little further down the ledge,I hop the jig and get this mushy feeling and set the hook....something jerked back so hard it almost took the rod out of my hand,I pull back and get another couple of hard pulls just like if a big bass has got your line over a limb...I get over top of the fish,give it some slack and this "fish" dives again....was only using 14 lb test line so I couldn't put a lot pressure but finally get it coming up toward the boat....a


at this point,I'm convinced I've got a huge bass snugged up against a limb and am pulling both to the top...even told my no boater that he may have to drop the net and reach under a limb to grab fishes jaw...seemed to take forever but finally I got it to the top.....and it was a damn oversize brick that somebody had put a wire loop on and was using as a anchor...I had hooked the wire loop which was the "mushy feeling" and when I set the hook the brick started tumbling down the bluff and everytime I gave it slack,the brick would tumble down the wall further...having just caught a 9lb fish,it didn't take much to convince me I had hooked another one...


I think I finished 6th and got a pretty good check but as mentioned earlier I would have won the tourney if I had caught that 5 1/2 lb fish my no boater caught...
I did end winning big fish for the tournament and the pot was about $1,500. and the largest big fish pot I ever won.....back then big fish pot was $5.00 per fisherman with $1.00 going to bass research and $4.00 going to big fish winner...


the banker in this story is a guy I got drawn out with a year later in a Redman/BFL tourny on Lake Wheeler in north Alabama...It was my first time to fish the lake and I decided to go as a no-boater...drew a guy from area that who mentioned he managed a small bank......
during the course of the day,we got to talking about big fish and he mentioned he almost won big fish on the Eufaula tournament the year before...went on to say that he had weighed in his 9lbs 2oz fish early and had been leading for the entire tournament and with only a few guys left in the weigh in line,he had gone into the marina to get a coke....I believe his exact words were "when I came back out,one of my buddies told me some sumbitch had weighed in a bass 2 ounces heavier than mine".....

I told him if it was any consolation,him being a banker and all,the guy what won probably needed the money more than him....he immediately asked if I knew that guy and when I told him he was looking at him.....he threatened to make me swim to the bank...

Good story!

Pretty cool story!! Hate to lose like that but at least you got big bass!

Loved it. Good story. Thanks for sharing.

Great story!

Awesome story! Thank you for sharing

Great story. Thanks for sharing.

Great story!

Good read!

Good Story...

Did he back end you for the rest of the day?

Great story.

I enjoyed that read! Thanks!

Great story and read, thanks for sharing

Good story

great story. It IS a small world.