Hadn't fished in a while and it didn't look like I would be fishing today. Had car problems last Saturday and my 4 cylinder was running on only three cylinders. Was on business appointments all day on Saturday.. drove over 300 miles and all three appointments cancelled right before I get there. I'm driving home, pizzed off about the cancellations and on a Saturday, which I usually have off, when my car goes into "limp mode". Yes there is such a thing... car will only go less than 45 mph downhill.. 25 mph up hill and I'm 100 miles from home. On the road for over 14 hours Saturday, when I finally make it home.
Had stopped in Longview at Mazda dealership.. service dept closed early and can't help me.. but they do offer to sell me a new one... I didn't think it was funny. Limped over to auto parts and they run the codes... tells me it just needs new plugs. Buy them and limp home. Change the plugs that night after buying special deep socket for the skinny azz plugs, as I'm off work Sunday and Monday this week. It doesn't help one bit. Stop by another auto parts and have them check and guy goes beyond the call of duty and determines I have a bad ignition coil. Of course he doesn't have one in stock but can order it. Run by two more auto parts stores and neither one of them has the part either. Its Sunday and I'm not going to be able to fish.

Call my mechanic Monday morning... he gets part delivered from somewhere and I'm ready to roll around 3:00 p.m. Was going to hit Palestine as its closer but decided against it as I think the pros are fishing a tournament there and I don't want to upstage them..

... decide to go to Naconiche. Anywhere would have been fine with me.
Catch a good one before I even launch from the bank.. then catch another one. Leave them biting and head into the wind.
Its was as good as I could have hoped for.. steady bite, didn't have to paddle far, and caught my new personal best.
![[Linked Image]](https://texasfishingforum.com/forums/pics/userpics/2022/04/full-76913-135471-full_76913_135451_4423dbeb_d47b_4746_9ab2_b41ca1dd461b.jpeg)
Last cast of the day and decide to go with my big fish bait... 7 inch Fringe Tackle hollow belly on 8/0 Owner flashy swimmer. Make long cast a few cranks over the grass in 4 feet of water and I get slammed.
![[Linked Image]](https://texasfishingforum.com/forums/pics/userpics/2022/04/full-76913-135472-full_76913_135452_fb731734_b8bf_4dc4_9403_3587d7bf6425.jpeg)
I've got my heavy rod.. St Croix Avid Inshore, new 20 lb P-Line, I'm feeling good and crank it in fast. Knew it was big but no idea how big until I tried to lift net out of the water. I couldn't lift it out of the water with my arm extended and had to drag it into kayak. This fish was big but I wasn't sure how big. Took the picture above and almost had phone kicked out of my hand twice. Left bait in its mouth as if the thing got out of net I wanted to keep it hooked up. Get my donkey leash attached and still leave bait in mouth as I don't want to lose it while I paddle back to ramp to weigh it. I'm paddling with one hand, my other hand is on donkey leash, wind pushing me in the right direction. Pull it out of the water to look at it... several times. Don't believe its getting any smaller as they usually do when you first get them in. I know its over ten.. just can't decide by how much.. guess 12 or 13, possibly more... its big.. its long, but its not fat like my previous personal best of 11 lbs 6 oz.
Decide to let go of leash as fish is swimming along nicely and I want to paddle with both hands.... feel like fish has come off as I don't feel any drag and that sucker comes out of the water jumping and goes back down. I grab donkey leash.. don't feel any weight on it.. finally see big ball of hydrilla with no fish in it... fish had stretched out coil and I finally see its still attached.
![[Linked Image]](https://texasfishingforum.com/forums/pics/userpics/2022/04/full-76913-135473-full_76913_135470_b8d601b4_4372_4087_83fc_a0b83ab8c284.jpeg)
Make it to ramp... get out of kayak and trip as I get tangled up in fishing line still attached to fish along with fishing line I'd thrown in kayak when I had to bust off a bait earlier.
Almost have phone fall out of my wader pocket.. things not running as smooth as usual. I finally pull kayak up ramp as wind is blowing it sideways.. get check it stick out and see the length.. with both my hands on fish and pinched tail it looked close to 27 inches.. Couldn't get its mouth all the way shut with donkey leash attached but hung its mouth against front of check it stick.
First time I weighed it I thought it read 12 lbs 18 oz.. my birthday!

That didn't sound right... looked again 12.. 8. Couldn't see that well as the light at the ramp was not that good.. didn't know if my scale had a light in it... tried to take picture of weight but too bright for flash to go off and didn't know how to make iphone flash. Anyway I weighed it several times 12.. 8 it was.. Fearful I was going to drop fish and splatter it on ramp. Got three scales off it for Texas Parks and Wildlife Sharelunker progam.. Took a while to get its energy back but she swam off good and headed in the exact direction she came from.. Great Day!
Oh.. and I must have left check it stick on the ramp as I can't find it.