A Tip That Did the Trick

Justin and his buddy, James, were working their way up West Neck Creek this past Friday morning when Justin received a text message with a photo attached from another friend on the creek. The photo showed a nice little bass the friend just had caught on a topwater plug.

"I looked at James and said, 'If you have any topwater baits, give them a try,'" explained Justin. For a while, both were throwing topwater lures, and they caught a few fish. Justin boated a couple of bass, and James caught a nice, big bluegill. The action died off after a while, though, so Justin switched to a crankbait. James, however, stayed faithful to the frog-colored Jitterbug he had been throwing.

Justin was in the process of switching baits when James tossed his Jitterbug right up against a stump. Not even two seconds later, the water exploded as the bass in this picture suddenly snatched James' offering. The battle only lasted about a minute, but the memory of it likely will last James for a lifetime. You just don't forget big fish when you catch one.

Unfortunately, neither angler had a set of scales in the boat to weigh this beauty. Justin originally estimated the fish at about 6 bs. when he first told me about it Friday. He asked for my thoughts, but it's really hard to tell from a photo. I will say that the fish definitely looks like it might be 6 lbs.

Justin said James stuck with his Jitterbug the rest of their time on the water Friday after catching this bass. Can't say that I blame him, either. It's only natural to keep hoping for another one just like it. Here's bettin' you that James will be tossing a Jitterbug for a long time to come.

In describing this event in an email, Justin said "James erupted with excitement" when he hooked this fish. Here's hoping he has many more such moments in the years ahead.