Wiman’s catch is 50th double-digit bass taken during the current Lunker Program season
Shreveport’s Derris Wiman probably won’t hesitate from now on when someone asks him if they should get the net ready.
On Sunday, March 30,, the 50-year-old angler was enjoying some quality time fishing with his father Larry at Toledo Bend.
The father and son launched early near the Indian Mounds and then motored over to the Housen Bay area.
“We were steady catching bass pretty much of the day with larger fish biting in the afternoon,” Wiman said.
The angler was sight-fishing for bedding bass with a 5-inch jerk bait, Strike King’s KVD Perfect Plastic Caffeine Shad, on a 7-foot Quantum EXO rod and reel when saw a very nice female with a smaller buck bass.
“I actually got her to take the bait once, but I didn’t get a good hook set,” Wiman said,
He left the fish alone for about 90 minutes, and when he returned, she took the lure instantly.
This time, Wiman’s hook-set was certain and a long fight ensued.
“She pulled drag for a good 30 seconds at first,” he said. “I was fishing the back side of a main lake point, and she was heading out to the lake.
“I was just holding on feeling all that weight since I was fishing with 14-pound fluorocarbon.”
Larry asked his son if he should get the net, but Wiman didn’t reply.
Then the fish broke the water’s surface, and Wiman got a good glimpse at the size of the bass he was battling.
“You better get the net!” Wiman said.
The fight went on for another five minutes as the huge bass made a run under the boat before Larry finally netted her.
After a quick onboard celebration, the anglers headed to Toledo Town and Tackle to see if the big bass qualified for the Toledo Bend Lunker Bass Program, which awards anglers who catch 10-pound-plus bass a free replica if they agree to release the bass back into Toledo Bend waters.
Wiman’s 25-inch bass officially weighed 11.51 pounds, and became the 50th double-digit bass of the Lunker Program’s season, which ends later this spring.
