A Fish That Decided To Stay and Rest a Spell

Where does a bass go after being released at a tournament? As you might expect, there are varying theories about the answer to that question. One thing is certain: They don't all immediately leave the area from which they were released.

I was out to the marina yesterday, cleaning up my boat, when I got into a conversation with Gene, who helps Steve manage things around West Neck. He was telling me about something that happened to him this week.

If you read the blog post I put up from our tournament last Saturday, you know that the day's lunker prize went to Chris and Al Napier for a 7-plus-pound bass they caught. This past Wednesday, approximately 96 hours later, Gene had  a pole he had baited with a live minnow, sitting at the corner of the dock in front of the store. Suddenly, he looked up just in time to see the rod arc way over as though perhaps a giant turtle had grabbed the bait. He explained that his son, Jr., had caught a big turtle just a few days earlier.

When Gene got to the rod, he knew right away that he had something other than a turtle on the end of his line. It just wasn't acting right for a turtle. Before long, he saw the head and mouth of a toad bass. Once he had the fish out of the water, he weighed it and then observed some of the same markings he had noticed on that 7-plus-pound fish from Saturday's tournament.

So, while some tournament fish probably "get out of Dodge" shortly after their release, this bass decided to hang around for a spell and check out the new digs. And seein' as how Gene re-released him right back where he found him, I'd venture to say there's at least a 50-50 chance he may catch the fish again, especially if he keeps hanging minnows around the edge of the dock.

They say "the way to a man's heart really is through his stomach." Maybe the same is true of fish.