An Accomodating Largemouth Bass

[RobesonsRme.com]

Back in the early 70's, before we had children and while I was still in school, I used to fish with my first cousin, Don Russell.

Don was an excellent fisherman, much better than I, and had a knack for putting us on the fish.

His rig, at the time, was nothing fancy, just a 14 ft. aluminum jon boat that we threw into the back of his truck along with a low powered outboard and a hand controlled trolling motor.

Don had discovered a very effective lure for early Spring top water fishing. It required finding a lure by Fred Arbogast, the actual name of which was a "SputterBug". It was a top water lure with a hula skirt on the rear treble hook and a large two bladed spinner between the front eye and the end of the line.

Don had removed the spinner apparatus and tied his line directly to the eye. When the lure landed on the water, it would lie flat for several moments until all the air escaped from the skirt, about the same time it took for the ripples to dissipate. Then, the back end would drop down into the water and the lure would hang almost vertically.

Even the slightest twitch on the line would cause the back end of the lure to go back up to the surface, then it would drop back down again, waving that skirt in a tantalizing way.

Toss that thing up against a bush or bunch of reeds, wait for it to settle, twitch it couple of times and if there was a fish there, they could not leave it alone.

It was the single most effective lure I have ever used in that situation, top water, early Spring pre-spawn to spawn.

The problem was, the SputterBug lures required to make it were extremely hard to find. This was before Wal-Mart and K-Mart came along.

We searched hardware stores, obscure tackle shops, etc. Don was luckier at finding them than I was.

We called the altered lure a "PonyTail". Losing one was enough to ruin your whole day.

We were up in a little shallow backwater slough one morning and had already caught several nice fish.

I was a rather unsophisticated fisherman and was still using a breakdown Shakespeare rod and a Zebco 33 that I had used while I was in the army, because it would fit in a ruck sack.

I tossed my only remaining PonyTail up against a large clump of reeds, waited for it to settle, twitched it once and the water simply exploded as a very nice largemouth bass engulfed the lure. She weighed five or six pounds. She took a couple of hard runs. I turned her from each. She jumped several times. I was able to keep the line tight and she didn't throw the lure.

She jumped one last time, clearing the water completely. What a beautiful fish. When she entered the water, she took another hard run. I pulled back on the rod and.......THE LINE BROKE!!!

It broke about twenty feet back from the fish. I reeled in all that slack line.

My nice fish was gone. Worse, my PonyTail was gone and I had no more.

I asked Don if he had another and he told me his last one was on his line.

I sort of lost my temper. I was sitting in the back of the boat. I slapped my rod down onto the water, and said, "Damn-it! If she's going to get away, the least she could do is give me back my PonyTail!".

As soon as I said that, the fished jumped out of the water about three feet from the boat, shook her head and threw the lure against the side of the boat and disappeared.

I reached down, picked up my lure, cut off the bad line, cut some off the reel as well, then tied the lure back on and caught five more fish before the morning was over.

No one ever believes this story. My cousin died of a heart attack several years ago winching his bass boat onto the trailer. He died on the boat ramp. Fitting.

There is now no one to back me up on my fish tail.

I don't expect you guys to believe this, but it is an absolutely true story.

Charlie Noyes

[Bret888]

If it came from most people, I wouldn't believe it, but coming from you I do!
Great story!

[Iron Hoarder]

I believe you! I've seen a big bass jump and spit out a Rappala minnow after ripping it off my brothers line.

[big monk]

I believe ya' Charlie !!!!!!!!!_____been there_____ done that_______,only with different lures

[philco]

Great stroy Charlie. I enjoyed reading about it and it took me back to the days when my brothers and I used to do quite a bit of pond fishing as we were growing up.

I'm like Brett, coming from you, I don't doubt one word of your story. Now IF I WAS TELLIN IT, I wouldn't believe it at all.

Phil

[glennbad]

Great story. Nothing more exciting than some top water fishing. I do alot of that with fly rods and surface poppers.

Course, I don't get out as much as I would like to...

Glenn

[RobesonsRme.com]

That's the lure. Just cut off that front spinner apparatus and you've got yourself a "PonyTail", one very effective top water bait.

I notice that ad is before zip codes, pre-1962, or so?

Seems like some lure manufacturer came out with a similar lure some years later.

I always told Don he should patent the lure and then sell it to one of the big makers.

Charlie Noyes

[IMBand]

I believe that story Charlie, seen alot of cool things happen when the bite is on.

A couple of us guys took our boats around Point Retreat and headed to the back side of Admiralty Island
to fish a spot we call 'Lizardhead'. Its where Icy Straight runs into the West side of Admiralty.....anyway,
a good buddy of mine had his young boy on his boat and the fishing got pretty good. Terry had a few beers
in him and when the 4th or 5th fish hit for the morning on his boat he decided to let his 5or6 year old son
have a go fighting a King Salmon. Terry did not even get the words out...'keep your pole up son' and POOF...
the pole was gone!! The kid couldn't hang onto it and when we saw it from my boat we couldn't stop laughing.
I was still trying to gather myself and get stood back up from belly laughing when I hear Terry yell 'I got another
one!!' and he lunges for his pole. After struggling with what he said felt like quite a fish, he managed to reel in
his boys fishing pole, with the fish still on the hook!! He managed to get his kids pole within reaching distance
and was able to grab it and the fish was still on the hook....and he landed it!!! I have seen fish jump into boats
on the troll (not my boat but a skiff trolling near us) and some other neat things, but that day topped them all
maybe. That is a 100% true Alaskan fishing story.

IM

[orvet]

Great fishing story Charlie.

I believe it. I have had things just as strange happen to me & my fishing buddy.

[RobesonsRme.com]

Outdoor Life used to have a little series of stories in the back of each issue. I think they called it, "The Gist Of It".

There were some of the strangest, most unbelievable stories in that.

Things like losing an engraved watch overboard and then catching and cleaning a fish months later and finding the watch inside the fish.

Next to those tales, my story is like Gospel Truth.

Charlie Noyes

[TripleF]

Now that's a perfect story for this forum.....

I'm still skeptical

[Jigslinger]

I pilfered a Sputterbug from my Dad's tackle box when I was about 14 years old (over 35 years ago) and I caught a bunch of river smallmouth on that thing. I still have a couple in my box for old times sake. They're a great bait.

[biglmbass]

Great story. I've got some Sputterbugs put back somewhere.

[AREMINGTONSEDGE]

Love the story Charlie! Brings back many memories of fishing outings that I've been on.Thanks for takin' the time to share it and allowing us all a moment to reflect and smile! Rocky