A Couple Of Good Ones On The TK - My Breakdown (Long Read)

[chang127]

Hey everyone, I really enjoy reading all about your catches in this sub, especially the posts that go into detail and explain how they caught the fish. These stories really provide me with more ideas on what to test and ways I can improve my own fishing moving forward.

Anyway, a few days ago, I decided to hit up a small city park lake I haven't been to in a while to get in a quick bank fishing session. This spot isn't really known for big fish and is highly pressured, so I went in fully expecting to catch some dinks. To my surprise, I ended up catching a couple of good ones!

Here’s the breakdown:

Setup: 
Megabass VKC-711XH 
Shimano Scorpion MD 300XGLH
DRT Tiny Klash Joy Thief Lo - Stock Lip, V-Tail, G-Guard, Weighted To Suspend

Weather:
50 Degree Air Temps
10 mph North Winds With Up To 15 mph Gusts
Mostly Sunny

Time and water conditions:
Around 6pm
?? Water Temps (based on feel, guessing above 50 but below 60) - probably way off on that
Water visibility - About 5 ft

The Catches:

The wind was blowing from the north, so I decided to start on the south bank, where the wind was blowing against it. This end is typically deeper and has more interesting structure. Another thing I noticed was the loons swimming in that area, which I took for a sign that it might be where a lot of the bait fish are holding. I figured that’s where most of the bass would be concentrated in this scenario.

I started out by cranking the TK until it gained some depth, and then I would deadwalk it back with various cadences. Think jerk, jerk, pause for a few seconds, and repeat, testing various lengths of the pause, ranging anywhere from 3 to 5 seconds. I mainly focused on fan casting and paralleling any visible drop-offs or structural irregularities. I got a few small followers but no commits. 

Then, I saw what appeared to be some baitfish being chased near a small point about 40-50ft away. This indicated to me that the fish were probably more active and preferred something faster. So I switched up the retrieve to a faster deadwalk. Basically, a quick and erratic deadwalk by making quick quarter turns of the reel handle, with less than half a second pauses in between each reel turn, all the way back to shore.

I walk over to where I had seen the movement and make a cast towards deep water, paralleling the side of the small point. I start the retrieve, and just as the TK approaches the tip of the point, I get bit Hard. I wasn't expecting it, so I barely set the hooks into it. It was a total textbook situation, from the cast angle to the retrieve, and even where the bite happened.

I get her close to shore and go in to lip her, but then I end up slipping on a rock! She thrashes her head, trying to make another run, and as I quickly get up to lip her, I noticed she had T-Boned the TK! At this point, there was no way I was going to lip her bare-handed with those treble hooks swinging everywhere. So, in a last-ditch effort, I grab the line and bank her on the shore. Not the most elegant way to do things, but at least I land her. This lake isn't really known for fish bigger than 1-2 lbs, so I didn’t bother bringing my scale or measuring board. Something I really regret now, but regardless, she was definitely a good one for this lake. Nobody was around, so I snapped some quick pics and sent her back on her way.

 

For the next catch, I reach the other side of the point and make a cast across a section that funnels into another part of the lake. There is a shallow flat on the opposite side that drops off into deep water, with what is usually a shallow hump beside it. However, due to the low water levels, the hump is currently above water. I make a cast parallel to the edge of the flat where it drops off into deep water, start the retrieve, and right as I pass the hump, I get bit again in another textbook scenario! I land her and see she must have really wanted the TK because she nearly choked it! Holding her up, I realize she's even bigger than the last one, though I have no weights or measurements to be certain. Fortunately, this time, I manage to get a random passerby to take some pictures for me. 

 

Overall, it was a pretty good session! Also made a quick sketch on the lake breakdown below.

[Fishfoo]

Congratulations on the catches. And great write up. 

[bassbass]

Great fish

[GTier525]

Nice fish and awesome write up.  I appreciate the details. Keep em coming. 

[yev14]

Great post, great fish!

[Mossyback Angler]

Dude, that was a phenomenal write up and enjoyable to read. Congratulations on the catches. This is good information for others to learn from. 
 

One thing to emphasize, as we have all been there: always take a scale, travel measuring board and a collapsible net. You don’t want to chance loosing a giant in a situation like you experienced. Trust me, been there, done that bank fishing. Plus you want to be able to document it. 
 

[MurdaJ]

My dad always used a pack of Marlboro reds for big fish pics to add scale 

I use my rod so I can measure the length when I get back home 

 

[Jim137a]

Solid fish, great write up and rock solid approach to figuring out where they were. 

[aphaneuf16]

I love this write up and the sketch at the end. I take a lot of personal notes like this and I feel like the sketches help a lot. This post has some ideas starting up in my head. 
 

looking forward to more posts like this

[jonboatjake]

love the diagram, love that they both hit at the mouth of that funnel point + second fish sitting on that high spot so textbook. great write up dude

[maine y yak]

Fantastic sketch of how it went down! That tk got swallowed congratulations on a great sesh

[chang127]

On 3/22/2024 at 12:28 AM, Mossyback Angler said:

Dude, that was a phenomenal write up and enjoyable to read. Congratulations on the catches. This is good information for others to learn from. 
 

One thing to emphasize, as we have all been there: always take a scale, travel measuring board and a collapsible net. You don’t want to chance loosing a giant in a situation like you experienced. Trust me, been there, done that bank fishing. Plus you want to be able to document it. 
 

I'm usually pretty good about bringing a scale and a measuring board with me when I intend to fish. However, this was an instance where I had not planned on fishing at all. The initial plan was to take the toddler to the park, for him to run off his energy so he would be less hyper during the long ride back home. I always keep a travel rod setup in the car for "just in case" situations, and this happened to be one of those moments. All I had with me was the rod, reel, a Tiny Klash, and a pair of pliers!

[HCfromNC]

Nice ones!

[Tony91723]

any info on how you weighted your bait?  looks like fly tying lead wire?  any info would be appreciated. 

[chang127]

On 4/6/2024 at 5:11 PM, Tony91723 said:

any info on how you weighted your bait?  looks like fly tying lead wire?  any info would be appreciated. 

Yes I was experimenting with some lead wire I picked up at my local bass pro. Just wrapping it around the hook shanks until I get the desired effect. 
 

I typically use golfers lead tape which I prefer but over time it always seems to start peeling around the edges for me. I’ll probably test out some of those grenade weights next.