Dave Bailey Posted July 21, 2011 Report Share Posted July 21, 2011 The boss sent me on a run to Barrie today, late afternoon so there's no time to get back and get more work. So, what to do, what to do... Oh, what the heck, instead of going back down the 400 and 401 to get home to Pickering I'll nip up to Orillia and come down Highway 12, might even do some fishing along the way. First up was the narrows at Dalrymple, chucked the bug for about 1/2 hour and got one largemouth to show for it, guesstimated at about 0.5lb. Head to Mitchell, the little parking lot on County Road 35 just south of Victoria Road. Looked a little shallow but there were some obvious burbles in the water as stuff moved around, so give it a try. After a few half-hearted swipes one finally latched on, looked about another 0.5 but it threw the hook as it was almost in my grasp. A few more casts, a few more swipes, and then BAM! Didn't get a weight, but measured it against my rod before the release, got the tape measure out at home, and now I can present to you 16.25 inches of largemouth: Almost embarrassed to mention it here among the experts, but for me this is a personal best. I only got back into fishing in a semi-serious way a few years ago and I don't get out much, so this one may stand as an LM PB for a while, but I'll keep trying to bust it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EC1 Posted July 21, 2011 Report Share Posted July 21, 2011 Congrats on the PB. If you target bass for the rest of the season, I almost guarantee you will top that a few times to come! The chug bug remains as my favourite popper bait, but I'm having a harder time throwing it each and every time as I always want to throw something more "productive" because it's more expensive And damn, I haven't even caught a single fish on topwater this year! It's getting awful late!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irishfield Posted July 21, 2011 Report Share Posted July 21, 2011 Nice afternoon Dave! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Bailey Posted July 21, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 21, 2011 Thanks guys! If I've said it once I've said it a thousand times, there is nothing like a topwater strike. It might go back to my childhood days with Dad, sitting in a boat at night above Fenelon Falls. We used to rent the cabins along the river when Jim Curtis owned them, now they're called Summerland. Dad would row us out into the river at night and he showed me how to use a Jitterbug, and I can still remember the thrill of those bass whacking it. The Chug Bug is my favourite, but I still have a soft spot for Mr. Arbogast's product too, and my battle-scarred frog pattern one caught me a 42 1/2 inch muskie back in '96. Now THAT was a topwater strike to behold! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grimace Posted July 21, 2011 Report Share Posted July 21, 2011 Well done. I love watching baits get crushed on the top of the water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnyb Posted July 21, 2011 Report Share Posted July 21, 2011 Awesome stuff, Dave....nothing to be embarassed about Keep "chuckin the bug" ( I like that phrase) and you will definitely come across some bigger ones Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joey Posted July 21, 2011 Report Share Posted July 21, 2011 Congrats on the PB Dave. Nothing to be embarrassed about, we all gotta start somewhere. You'll be crushing that PB in no time if you keep it up Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jer Posted July 21, 2011 Report Share Posted July 21, 2011 Funny enough, just last night, I was forced into digging an old chug bug from the bottom of my bag when I broke my last Pop'R off. I was happy to find it still caught fish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Bailey Posted July 21, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 21, 2011 I was happy to find it still caught fish. What, they have an expiry date? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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