Original log sheet featuring the March 22, 1987 catch from Downin’s Pond in Warren County

How in the world do you make a fish story out of a lone 8-inch bass?

Well, here we go.

1987 marked my first real year of bass fishing. You know, with real bass lures and stuff. Along with the lures there was also a commitment. Previously, I’d spent a lot of time with Dad, Brent and my buddies casting Beetle Spins and various other ultralights around Lake Bracken for whatever would bite. That almost exclusively consisted of bluegill, crappie, and a steady stream of green sunfish when you cast too near any rocky shoreline. When the panfish didn’t find our offerings first, the bonus bass were few and far between and less than impressive.

By 1987, I’d invested in a couple of bass fishing combos, one Lightning Rod spinning and one Lightning Rod casting, courtesy of an incredible buy one get one free offer at the time. As far as tackle, the fun was just beginning. From the looks of my 1987 log sheets, my early collection featured the classic Rapala Floating Minnow, a few topwater baits (Zara Spook, Pop’R, Uncle Buck’s Buzzer), a handful of plastic worms and several spinnerbaits.

One of my original spinnerbaits and the winner on March 20, 1987, hadn’t seen it for years

Among my meager collection of spinnerbaits was a Strike King model that featured an interesting pairing of a modified willow and Colorado style fluted blades. Just for fun I decided to dig through the tackle archives as I thought that I may still have the old spinnerbait that logged that early bass. Sure enough there it was in an old hip-roof tacklebox amidst what could be called the “Spinnerbait Graveyard”. The skirt was so rotten that pieces broke off if not handled with care.

The “Spinnerbait Graveyard”

The time of year was also a learning experience. Late March can be a challenge as the bass aren’t quite fired up yet in the cold water. In addition, I had rarely fished this early in the year for much of anything, let alone bass. In hindsight, that also signified buying into thinking that I could be a bass fisherman.

And one eight-inch bass from Downin’s Pond near Berwick with Dad was proof that with some practice and a little bit of knowledge, lures built for bass will catch bass, even in March. And so it began.

Thirty-five years later, I’m still learning, and I plan to get some more instruction this weekend.

Stay tuned and talk to you later. Troy