As the temperatures finally start to drop, the bass fishing activity remains hot with double-digit fish being pulled from multiple sources throughout the state. Fourteen-year-old Weston Dousay of Forest Hill joined that elite club when he landed an 11.9-pound largemouth on Sept. 20 at Indian Creek Recreation Area in Woodworth.
Making the big catch an even more special experience, Dousay was fishing his first ever LHSAA tournament when he caught the mammoth fish. With his father, Bobby, serving as captain and his cousin as his co-angler, Dousay cast a Zoom plumb apple plastic worm under a cypress tree. It was 6:50 a.m., not long after they started fishing, when Dousay started the worm’s retrieve. Near the boat and just under the water’s surface, Dousay felt the line go tight.
“The fish really didn’t put up a fight,” Weston Dousay said. “I really thought I got snagged.”
Dousay found he was not snagged, but instead had hooked the 11.9-pound lunker well in the lip. Bobby Dousay noted the big bass just seemed to swim back and forth in the water. After landing it in Bobby Dousay’s Bass Tracker bass boat, they studied the 28-inch long fish and placed it in the livewell.
“Weston’s bass was really about 29 inches long, but his tail was busted up, so he measured a length of 28,” Bobby Dousay said. “We did a lot of checking that day on the fish. We had to keep it alive until the afternoon hours for weigh-in.”
The winning bass
According to Bobby Dousay, the water temperature had dropped to 81 degrees Fahrenheit that morning. It was a typical bluebird day with clear skies and no wind. As the day wore on, the fishing team managed the mid-90s heat.
Bobby Dousay recalls he, Weston, and his nephew had no real expectations of catching anything close to a winning limit. Past experiences on Indian Creek had never yielded such a return. That all changed, however, when Weston landed his new personal best and took first place in the tournament, while also claiming victory in the biggest bass category as well.
“I was really shocked,” he said. “I just couldn’t believe I caught something so big and so quick after starting fishing.”
According to Bobby Dousay, now that Weston caught his trophy bass at Indian Creek Recreation Area, they will be going back to cover more water. He recommends sticking to the plastics, specifically the worm, and locating the numerous grass beds.
“I think the best results will come from taking that worm and just working the grass beds,” he said. “Stick to the grass.”
Some anglers wait a lifetime to catch a double-digit bass, and depending at what stage one finds themselves in the fishing game, one of two things might happen. The angler can walk away with the biggest fish ever caught and hang up the fishing pole, or the passion is rekindled. For Weston Dousay, his lunker only solidifies his love for fishing and his desire to do more of it.
“After catching that fish, I am more dedicated and want to fish more and more,” he said. “Now we just need a bigger boat.”
