My PB on CCM plastic.

[ChrisAW]

The second day that catch and release opened in Michigan, I took my girlfriend Carrie and my friend Ryan out to a lake that another friend of mine lived on. We fished most of the day, they had very few bites but I managed to boat a 10 or 11 pound limit. Both of them had given up, and I was rounding the last part of the lake thinking that I would pack it in so as to not make them all bored and whatnot.

The water was high, so there was lots of brush and tree stumps/limbs in the water. I pitched to small, lone bush right on the edge of the water in the last cove I was going to hit for the day. They were teasing me, so I wasn't paying attention to what I was doing. I was just deadsticking my jig on the bottom for a moment, when I looked back and seen my line running toward me.

I reeled up as fast as I could and set the hook on this 5.9lb pig here.



Bad news was, I didn't fight her long enough. I was reaching for the net when I had her at the side of the boat, and she took a last charge under it. My one hand I had still on the reel just couldn't keep her up. She ended up pinning my rod against the side of the boat and snapped it.

Good news was she surfaced on the other side of the boat and I netted her there! #50 braid is a lifesaver sometimes.

Not sure I'd have caught this fish if I wasn't so determined to be testing out the lures I was pouring with CCM's stuff. I never put down the jig that day, with it attached one of my own personal hand pour craws.

Its a grainy snapshot from a video, but you get the idea. Thanks guys!



Edit: Changed the photo of my craw for a little better one.

[pjmcla]

Congratulations on a nice fish  .  Sorry about the rod  .   Feels especially good to catch one like that on a bait you made.

[ChrisAW]

I'm not too upset about that rod. It had caught a lot of fish for me and I could see no better way for it to be retired than from a fish like that.

[jl3140]

That's a nice sized fish! I broke a fishing rod over the summer, although I didn't break it by catching a big fish (even though that's what I tell most people  ). I broke it by not removing it from the rod holder on my kayak before I hit a tree with it in a river. Now I have a MUCH better one 

[Jason]

Awesome fish - CONGRATS!  I would trade a rod for a PB any day.  Congrats again and great job on the bait.

Jason

[andrewlamberson]

I lived in Brighton, MI for 5 years...and for Michigan that IS a PIG!!!

Good job!

Nothing beats catching a bass...let alone a PB...on your own bait!

[ChrisAW]

Thanks guys. I've been fishing a long time and was never able to break the 5 pound mark. I have a lot of 4's under my belt, and one that weighed 5 until all the water dripped off  Finally breaking into the 5's was very exciting.

[chase102798]

That is awesome. That next weight level can be like a unicorn. I remember not being able to break into the 5's here in PA a while back. Then I did, and after that it was like a flood. Caught 7 that year in the 5 lb range and it took me a couple years to get there.

The bad news (or good news) is that you will want the next level too. You will be thinking "yeah 5 1/2 lbs isn't too far from 6. I can make 6." And so the fun begins all over again. 

I'm working on the 7's right now. Can't seem to get there. My fishing buddy made it this year, but I wasn't with him. He was in a kayak.

Here is to a new rod and a new benchmark for you. 

[pieterbez]

Congrats on you PB. Nice fish

[bagger]

Congrats!!

[Denny Welch]

Way to go, Chris.