'Twas a Topwater Day for Two

I only got an on-the-run report from my friend Jim Bauer this afternoon at West Neck Marina, but I know I heard him say he had caught all his fish today on topwater, which is what I used to boat five.

As I learned later this evening, after Jim had put his spur-of-the-moment issue from this afternoon to rest, he also ended up boating a total of five bass. He, too, had one dink, along with a 2-5, 1-11, and two fish that he said were about 14-inches apiece but with each weighing less than a pound. (Note: I didn't have a photo yet from Jim at the time I posted this item. If one is forthcoming, I will include it with this article.)

It's a pretty safe bet that Jim will remember today's dink for a long time to come. However, I'm not going to divulge the reason. I'll leave that to him to decide whether he ever wants to make the incident public.

I maybe should clarify here that Jim and I were not using the same topwater bait. He was using the one that gave him a bang-up day on Lake Gaston during his recent visit there, while I was using my I'll-never-tell (INT) bait, which single-handedly, or used in conjunction with other topwater lures, now has produced a limit of bass on four consecutive trips. I can assure you I don't remember the last time that happened.

My catch today included a dink, plus four keepers, weighing 0-15, 1-10, 2-0 and the 2-7 in the photo above. Notice how closely my totals nearly mirror those that Jim put up today. Merely a coincidence? Who can say for sure? We weren't fishing the same area. He spent his day in West Neck, while I ran to Albright's.

UPDATE

After due deliberation, Jim has agreed to let me explain what happened to him yesterday, so as ol' Paul Harvey used to say, "And now for the rest of the story."

As I approached the catwalk yesterday afternoon, I quickly noticed Rob Peppers scurrying around, helping Jim prep his boat for the road. That mere fact alone told me that something likely was wrong with Jim, 'cause he routinely takes care of that chore all by himself.

I just had tied up my boat at the catwalk when Jim and Rob saw me and started making their way toward me, It was then I noticed Jim was holding his one hand with the other, which conclusively told me that something was wrong. And one look at his hand, with a treble hook buried in it, as you clearly can see in this photo, proves it.

Don't mind telling you that I grimaced and, after a very abbreviated glance, had to look away. I've been in that boat too many times and know the drill all too well. Besides that, I don't have a strong stomach for the sight of blood--whether it be my own or someone else's.

That being said, it was decided that Jim would accompany Rob home, with Rob driving Jim's pickup and towing his boat. Then Rob would unhook the boat in his driveway and take care of it, so Jim could go on to Princess Anne emergency room and have the hook removed.

Although Jim didn't know it at the time that 8-inch bass buried the treble hook in his hand, the ensuing odyssey of sorts would entail approximately 8.5 hours from start to finish. His visit to the emergency room alone encompassed 6.5 hours.

Said Jim in a day-later email, "The hand feels surprisingly good today." Best of all, as he pointed out, "No pain meds!" He also offered this piece of advice to anglers everywhere, "Be careful when trying to lip the little guys. They get rowdy."

And, as promised earlier, here's the photo of Jim's best fish yesterday.

I couldn't help noticing how calm the 2-5 bass in this photo appears. I also remember how Jim described the actions of that little 8-incher from yesterday's saga. He said the li'l fella wouldn't hold still for even a second.

In other words, on one hand, you have this mature 2-5 bass who seems to be perfectly at ease. Then, on the other hand, you have this frisky 8-incher, which is acting like someone just fed him a bunch of Mexican jumping beans.

Does this remind you of anything? It does me. I well can remember my mom telling me on more than one occasion, "If you don't hold still, I'm gonna jerk knots in ya."

I'm betting you that Jim probably now wishes he had jerked a few knots in that 8-incher yesterday.

In conclusion, Jim and I would both like to thank a couple of folks from yesterday's episode. First of all, thanks to Eddie Sapp for helping Jim get his boat back on the trailer. Second, thanks to Rob Peppers for helping Jim tie everything down and providing overnight storage for my friend's rig. You're both class acts in our books.