Zoom Ol’ Monster worm tempts 11-pounder
Topsy’s Shane Cormier knew exactly what could happen when night-fishing at Toledo Bend. Two weeks ago, he and a partner had fished a tournament where they brought to the scales 5 bass at 23 pounds – and one was a 9-pounder.
So when he and fishing buddy Greg launched from South Toledo Bend State Park on Monday evening, they were optimistic about locating heavyweight bass again for an upcoming tournament.
Cormier was rigged up with a soft-plastic worm on a Lew’s Super Duty baitcaster on a 7-foot, 9-inch heavy-action Duckett rod.“We launched at 7 p.m. on Sunday evening,” the 28-year-old Cormier said.
“I was fishing a Zoom Ol’ Monster june bug worm not far from the landing in 20 feet of water.“I got my first bite at 11:30 p.m.”That fish just made 14 inches.“About 15 minutes later, we caught a 4-pounder,” Cormier said.
Then, at midnight, Cormier cast his lure in 20 feet of water and began dragging the Ol’ Monster across an underwater hump.
“I felt a bite and set the hook,” he said.The bass pulled a little drag.
but Cormier’s 20-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon held.
“Greg put the Q-beam out on the water, and we could see the bass about 10 feet down,” Cormier said.
Cormier said the bass erupted out of the water and shook its head twice during the fight.
“It finally gave up, and I reeled it to the boat real slow,” the angler said. “We didn’t use the net; I lipped her into the boat.”
The anglers estimated the bass weighed 11 pounds or better, and Cormier placed the fish in the livewell and continued fishing.
“I kept her alive by recirculating fresh water into the livewell and using Rejuvenate,” Cormier said.
The angler and his partner went on to catch more bass, with their best five fish that evening weighing 28.52 pounds.
“We left at 4 a.m. and trailered the boat to head over to Toledo Town and Tackle,” said Cormier.
Toledo Town’s scale stopped at exactly 11 pounds.Cormier entered the fish into the Toledo Bend Lunker Bass Program, which is sponsored by the Toledo Bend Lake Association. The group offers free replicas to anglers catching double-digit bass if they allow the fish to be released.
This is Cormier’s second bass entry into the program: He caught a 10.24-pounder on Sept. 24, 2012.
According to Dinah Medine with the Toledo Bend Lake association, Cormier’s bass is the eighth double-digit lunker taken since May 19, when the program handed out 57 replicas.