Hey all, since I have not started any new threads for awhile I thought I would ask a lite question.

Tell us your biggest or bestest FISH story!
What species, how big, where and how did you catch it. Even good fishing trip stories
With the variety of folks on this site I am looking forward to some good reading. Pictures would be good too!!!

What is mine, you would ask. July of 2000, I was fishing Lake Francis Case ( one of the Missouri river impoundments in South Dakota, my home sweet home)with a friend and his son when my friends son landed a 5.5lb walleye. We congratulated him and I had never seen a walleye that size other than a mount.

Anyway, I had only boated one other walleye all day, about a 2lb one, but was having fun watching my friends son catch most of the fish.

Some days I do not want the fish to bite to fast or it tends to interrupt my nap.

About 45 minutes after the 5.5lb one I felt my rod bend a little and thought I was snagging up, but set the hook just in case. Well, I either had a branch or something dumb on there because it was coming up slowly, but felt pretty heavy.

When I had the thing up about half way it decided it wanted no part of the proceedings and did what any honest fish would do and headed under the boat, oh crap, kept it out of there and still did not know what I had. Finnaly got it up to where we could see what it was and holy balls! thats a big walleye! I am not sure how long the fight lasted, somewhere around 10 minutes I suppose and when it was finnaly netted and in the boat, I knwe it was definetly the biggest fish I had ever caught.
When we headed in and went to the bait shop, I did not want to be a show off, but my friend went in and go the bait shop lady, who came out with the scale and a camera.

My walleye weighed 8.5lbs and qualified for the Proud Angler Award in my state and is presently at the taxidermist.
By the way, I am not a strictly walleye nut, but it is the most sought after fish here.
Oh yea, we were using bottom bouncers with spinner rigs and Walmart nitecrawlers, they have the best crawlers I have ever used, BIG Canadian ones.
Sorry no pics, I am not set up for pics on the computer.

Have at it,  Lee  [:)]

Congrats NailBender, giving me fishing fever in April, hay its time already.  

Ben

Yep Ben, I got it bad this week. Got the boat out and started to work on it, hope to maybe get out in the next two weeks even if it is a little pond from shore for bluegills