Mitchell gambled on a pre-front bite, and hit the jackpot with a 10.7-pounder
Charlie Mitchell intended on doing a little deer hunting near Toledo Bend late last month, but the veteran angler ultimately decided to make a timely fishing trip — a decision that led to his largest bass ever.
“I got up that morning, and we were expecting a cold front to come in during the afternoon,” Mitchell said. “So I decided to go out that morning and visit one of my worm holes.”
Mitchell, of Shreveport, was fishing in 10 feet of water in the Holly Park area with a Zoom red bug Trick Worm on 15-pound Trilene Big Game line. He was using an Abu Garcia Revo reel on a 6-foot-9-inch medium-heavy Carrot Stick.
“I caught four fish right off the bat,” Mitchell said, noting the first two weighed about 4 pounds, followed by another at 5-4.
“Then I caught a smaller 2-pounder,” he said. “All of these fish were released.”
At about 8:30 that morning, the angler hooked up on a fish that immediately vaulted out of the water.
“I knew it was a good fish, and I fought it a bit,” he said.
The big bass pulled some drag, and the angler eventually tired the fish out.
“I didn’t have a net, but I was able to grab the fish and put her in the boat,” he said.
Mitchell weighed his prize on his hand-held digital scale, and the screen read more than 10 pounds.
“I’ve been trying to catch one (10-pounder) all of my life, and my largest before this one was 9 pounds,” he said.
The angler placed the fish in his livewell and headed to Holly Park Marina to get the fish’s weight on certified scales, where it came in at 10.7 pounds.
Mitchell decided to keep his prize for a skin mount, a decision he had made if he was ever fortunate enough to catch a 10-pound or better fish.
“I don’t ever keep bass,” the angler said. “But this fish meant so much to me.”
