Call me Ishmael
By Bob Zettler
July 5, 2014
It was a good night, day and night...
I had been looking forward to headingover to Lake Shelbyville to fish over the three-day Fourth of Julyweekend for some time. However, there was a glitch and I had knownabout it for awhile but hadn't been able to deal with it. It turnsout my son was going to be in his cousins wedding on July 5 and wehave yet to leave Hutch (pup/dog) alone. Sure, we had people come inand let him out when we were both out or away but three days? Notgoing to happen.
Luckily, I got a friend to come by andlet Hutch out and feed him on Friday so I headed out Thursday nightafter work. We had a dinner of BBQ ribs and baked beans before Iloaded up and I made it to Leprechaun Landing around 8:30 PM. Luckythe owners are good friends so they stocked me with minnows and Iheaded with the boat back to Findlay for gas. Damn. It's Thursdayand they were closed so headed all the way back the way I came toSullivan.
Back the same way I came and decided toput in at Wolf Creek – I hadn't decided that until I talked withVirgil at Leprechaun Landing – but when I arrived at the rampdecided to some house cleaning and rest the poles. Took my time andbefore I knew it midnight approached. With only a few trailers inthe lot and no one else around, I got the boat in the water andthought for the Heck of it I would try the structure around the covesthere.
By 1:30 AM and not a single bite,decided to either head south to Lythia or north to Findlay. I wantedto hit several northern spots in the morning but took a chance andwent to Lythia. It was really dark out. The moon was gone alreadyand it was truly dark out. Took it real slow until I got to the mainlake as even with sonar and GPS it doesn’t pay to take a risk. Onceon the lake goosed it up to 15-20 and before long I saw lights in thedistance from the dam. You know, at least to me it seems that lightson the water or just off the water seem closer than what theyactually are. As such, I am inclined to head towards them and canget confused unless I keep an eye on the GPS.
With the red lights of the marina insight, I started to pull up towards the rocks but noticed a lot offish and most along a line which appeared to be a thermocline evenbefore I approached the edge of the floating marina. I decided towork my way in and a man approached me who I assumed was security;after all, it was 2:00 AM. Went ahead and started at the outside endand as he and I talked I caught my first fish which turned out to bean Over (Crappie). Turns out he was docked there and after he leftfor bed again, I worked around the marina.
Caught maybe 25-30 Crappie and a niceBass by 4:30 AM when my Cell rings. Any parent will tell you a callat that time isn't always good news – and I am superstitious aboutJuly Fourth as a number of bad things have occurred on this holiday. However, it was my young friend Benny who I had an open invitation tocome fish with me asking what I was doing. “Hell, I am fishing!” As I thought he had just gotten up early, I invited him again and heaccepted! Now what as he had no clue where Lythia was and withsunrise approaching I wanted to move to one of the very few spots Iknow that has brush. Decisions. I decided to wait as he said hewasn’t but 20 minutes away...or so he said.
As it was now 5 AM and no Benny, I hitthe timber across with little luck. Benny finally made it and weheaded north towards Findlay and hit a cove nearby where I know ofsome structure. While we caught a number of fish, it was toughholding there and then it happened. I hooked a big one on my brandnew 14' Southern Crappie pole. It was game on as it wasn’t aCrappie but maybe a Buffalo – and a VERY BIG one at that. At the10 minute mark I had Benny shoot some video of the pole bending andmy fighting it in the hopes it would sound. No deal on thesounding...
Forty more minutes and we are now maybe400-500 yards away from where we started and the fish was gettingclose. We still had never seen it but both of us knew it was maybethe biggest fish either of us had hooked and Benny appeared moreexcited than I was. I think that was due to the fact I was fightinga whale!
Benny had decided that if it got closeenough and we were closer to shore that he would jump in the water tomake sure we boated it as my net was no where near big enough forwhat was sure to be a 50 pound Buffalo or...Whale. He had emptiedhis pockets and on one near sounding where the slip-bobber appeared(it was on a 15' bobber-stopper) after I had been fighting thisbehemoth for nearly an hour, the fish started to change tactics andbegan shaking its head trying to free itself of the Mr. Crappie #2hook which we both feared would bend and free the Wha...fish. Weboth thought Catfish and preyed it was a Flathead as I had nevercaught one and this was surely a state record something. And then ithappened, he was free and the line went slack. It didn’t break, hesimply freed himself of the pesky irritation that had dragged a fullyloaded boat weighing around 2,000 pounds by that new pole, with aPflueger reel loaded with (thankfully) 15-pound braided line!
To tell the truth, I wasn't mad orsad...maybe a little disappointed but man-oh-man, the experience wasfantastic! I am so sore today but still relish the memory of thefight and cant wait to get back out there to try it again! But thatwill have to wait...
http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i1...1/MobyDick.jpg
As I am a glutton for punishment, Istayed even after I let Benny out at the Findlay Marina – he hadmoved his car there to save time and boat gas – and I went backafter my Moby Dick. The cell rings and I ignore it. It rings againbut I do not recognize the number but take it anyway as its theFourth and I pray its not bad news. It was but it wasn't as it wasBenny's wife asking me to take Benny his truck keys. LOL.
As it was Noon and the boaters were outmaking it truly rough, I headed on to my spot nearby and found itrough even in the cove. Caught a few and decided it wasn't worth itand headed back towards Wolf but not before trying a few spots on themain lake – BAD idea! Gave up almost immediately and headed forthe coves around Wolf where I finished out my day. Caught my Overs ontrees and stumps while the pleasure boaters screamed around me in thestumps (God, I would pay to see one of them hit one as they try toclip me). As I fished near the ramp, I could see a lot of boatsputting in and getting off the water and decided it was best to waitthem out.
Since I had time on my hands, I wentabout policing the boat and fixing broke lines. As it was 9 PM nowand I had the boat trailered, I went and filled it up with gas. Youknow what, when you have been up 38 hours, fished for nearly 20 hoursand fought Moby Dick...well, seeing all the fireworks going off inthe sky on your way home come 10 PM sure seems surreal! Yet, itseemed a fitting end to the night, day and night again.
