# Has this ever happened to you?



## Davebass63 (Jul 19, 2007)

I was fly fishing the Huron yesterday at Willow Metropark. I was tossing a Black/Yellow Woolybugger and letting it drift while twitching it a bit. On the second cast, I hooked up with a 6 inch Smallmouth. After a few seconds of fighting it, there was a big commotion, and suddenly my 6 inch smallmouth started ripping out line and bending my rod in half. After about 10 seconds of that, the line went slack for a second and I was once again fighting a 6 inch smallmouth. I have always heard of people landing panfish, only to loose them to a large pike or bass, but I have never experienced it myself. I did land the small bass, and it didn't really look the worse for wear. I was expecting to see big tooth marks in it or something. I didn't get a chance to see what attacked it, but you can bet, I'll be fishing for him, I know where he lives. I would love to hear your stories of similar experiences. 
BTW, why does the fishing seem to shut off just before dark, but while there is still light, I alway thought that was one of the best times to fish?

Dave


----------



## Fishndude (Feb 22, 2003)

That has never happened to me, but I have seen it happen to others. There are Muskies in the Huron, and it is very likely that might be what grabbed your Bass.


----------



## MAttt (Dec 15, 2004)

Hello Dave
I was fishing off a public dock a few years ago catching small crappies
when I noticed several nice largemouth kept trying to attack it as I was bringing it in.
Finaly I let one take it and fought it 4 about 5 minutes on 4 lb test before it just let go.
The next morning I was there with a bucket to put a few small crappies in
and my other pole with powerpro on it with a treble and a small clip on bobber.
Caught 4 or 5 nice ones in an hour and kept going back for a couple of
weeks to different parts of the lake having a good ole time.
I never knew that lake had that nice of bass in it until then.

I've also noticed a few lakes I fish are shutting down at dark right now
too. It seems to happen at certain time of the year on certain bodies of water. On ones where I can wait, the bigger bass have been going
on the feed about a half hour after dark.

Mattt


----------



## hooknem (Mar 14, 2003)

I was fishing with my young son last year at gallup park with worms under a bobber and having a good time pulling in blue gill. Well the bobber went down and I helped him reel in what felt to be a decent sized fish. When I reeled it up, I see that we caught a smallmouth bass about 10" or so. Great right? As I start to remove the hook from its mouth I feel that the hook is loose so I pull it out and loe and behold I find a baby largemouth bass rigged texas style on my hook! The baby largemouth looked about as surprised as my son and I did!


----------



## andy capp (Aug 14, 2002)

Davebass63 said:


> I was fly fishing the Huron yesterday at Willow Metropark. I was tossing a Black/Yellow Woolybugger and letting it drift while twitching it a bit. On the second cast, I hooked up with a 6 inch Smallmouth. After a few seconds of fighting it, there was a big commotion, and suddenly my 6 inch smallmouth started ripping out line and bending my rod in half. After about 10 seconds of that, the line went slack for a second and I was once again fighting a 6 inch smallmouth. I have always heard of people landing panfish, only to loose them to a large pike or bass, but I have never experienced it myself. I did land the small bass, and it didn't really look the worse for wear. I was expecting to see big tooth marks in it or something. I didn't get a chance to see what attacked it, but you can bet, I'll be fishing for him, I know where he lives. I would love to hear your stories of similar experiences.
> BTW, why does the fishing seem to shut off just before dark, but while there is still light, I alway thought that was one of the best times to fish?
> 
> Dave



That area of the river you are talkiing about is Chocked FULL of muskies. From there all the way up to the dam.


----------



## spiff (Jun 21, 2007)

Davebass63 said:


> BTW, why does the fishing seem to shut off just before dark, but while there is still light, I alway thought that was one of the best times to fish?


 
Dave,

I had the same experience a week or so ago. I was doing good from 5:30 or so up until about 8pm, then...nothing. I thought it was odd, too.


----------



## hooknem (Mar 14, 2003)

I've noticed the same kind of lull around 8:00ish that then picks back up 45 minutes or so later. I wonder if the fish are transitioning from their daytime haunts to their nighttime feeding areas. Just a thought.


----------



## RIVER LADY (Jun 13, 2005)

Dave,

My son had a similar experience with a large mouth and muskie up in Harrison on Budd Lake. It was a good size large mouth too, he was so happy when he seen the size of it, when he got it near the boat. I grab the net and I hear this huge splash and just as I thought my son fell in I see this HUGE muskie break water and swallowed the bass whole. :yikes:

My son won't swim in that lake anymore but, he still loves to fish it.:lol:


----------



## Davebass63 (Jul 19, 2007)

I hope I wasn't too specific about the location by mentioning Willow Park. Of course I didn't read the rules about access points and locations till after I had posted this. Anyway, Andy, I had no Idea that there are Muskies up stream from Flat Rock. I just figured they couldn't get past the Dam, they must be resident there. Thanks all for your response, I going after him tonight, maybe I'll name him Walter like Norman did in "On Golden Pond" I'll Keep you posted

Dave


----------



## flyfishinchristian (Oct 5, 2006)

This isn't me, but here you go:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-RIEnILi-Q


----------



## andy capp (Aug 14, 2002)

Davebass63 said:


> I hope I wasn't too specific about the location by mentioning Willow Park. Of course I didn't read the rules about access points and locations till after I had posted this. Anyway, Andy, I had no Idea that there are Muskies up stream from Flat Rock. I just figured they couldn't get past the Dam, they must be resident there. Thanks all for your response, I going after him tonight, maybe I'll name him Walter like Norman did in "On Golden Pond" I'll Keep you posted
> 
> Dave


My buddy found about it when he was there bass fishing, after losing 50 bucks worth of rapalas and such. go omn the train tressle bridge up by belleville dam. you can see them in the water waiting to ambush anything that swims up towards the dam


----------



## InTheRiver (May 15, 2006)

Wish I have a video camera craziest thing I have ever seen.
I was fishing on my uncles lake and I was throwing a Rapala Original Floater
up by the shore line (from a boat) and I tossed it next to an old dock, it was sunk and I could see this hole right by the edge (good spot) so im reeling it in and a little 10" or so bass nails the lure, Next thing I know there is this massive bass that came out of no where and was attacking the bass that I have hooked :yikes:well a little struggle and a nice splash I was now somehow hooked to this monster of a bass. I netted that sob!!!! 19 3/4" 5LB Large mouth bass set lake reccord for Lake Angelus, Pontiac, MI (PVT).


----------



## Davebass63 (Jul 19, 2007)

Cool!!! Andy

I work about a half a mile from there. I went to check it out at lunch on my bike, but it started raining 10 seconds after I got out the door. I'll check it out tomorrow if the weather permits. I may have to tie on some huge streamers and some wire leader and see if I can't give one of them bad boys a ride. I have a 9 wt. rod I bought for just such an occasion.

Dave


----------



## Frogfish101 (Apr 5, 2007)

I've caught many bass, including some up to 23" on gills


----------



## driften (Jun 13, 2002)

hooknem said:


> I've noticed the same kind of lull around 8:00ish that then picks back up 45 minutes or so later. I wonder if the fish are transitioning from their daytime haunts to their nighttime feeding areas. Just a thought.


Just wondering, are you guys still fishing wooly buggers and such at that time? I do pretty well at that time with topwater stuff, I think it has to do with the light. My guess is they can really see the topwater stuff well when everything is darker and the sky is still light.


----------



## Davebass63 (Jul 19, 2007)

I didn't notice any surface activity, so I stayed with the buggers and zoo cougers. They may have been feeding on emergers, because there was a hatch of some sort of white fly right at dark. Even then, nothing was feeding on the surface that I could tell. I just started fly fishing the Huron this year, even though I have lived here all my life. I got a copy of Dirk Fischbach's book on fly fishing the Huron while I was at the Midwest flyfishers expo last March. I don't know if we get the same hatches on our part of the river that they get in Dexter, but he does mention the "White fly hatch" in there somewhere. Next time I'll try fishing some sort of emerger pattern and see what happens.


----------

