Rocky Gorge Pig Veterans Day 11/11/13

[deleonjo]

Took a vacation day on Monday before the cold front hit...Plus it was Veterans Day. A big THANK YOU to all the veterans out there.

After not being able to measure a big Northern Pike last week at Triadelphia, I got to Rocky Gorge armed with my new Hawg Trough and proceeded to catch nothing for the first 2.5 hours...guessing it probably won't snow this winter, either, since I just got a 4x4 truck . Anyway, finally figured out a pattern and got to test out the Hawg Trough in a BIG FAT WAY: 21 1/8 in, 4.7 lbs. Clearly, this fish was fattening up for the winter!!! Total for the day: 11 Largemouth all within the span of 2.5 hours (12:30PM-3:00PM). Nothing from 10AM-12:30PM and nothing from 3:00PM-4:00PM. Overall, a really good November day.

IMG_0632.jpg IMG_0633.jpg IMG_0637.jpg IMG_0639.jpg IMG_0636.jpg

On a related note, still haven't figured out how to get a good overhead/measurement shot with my iPhone since I'm just holding the phone overhead and hoping that it is aimed and focused right. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Also, I noticed that the fish really don't like being put on the Hawg Trough. Any secrets to calming them down?

[mhossom]

That is a fish to be proud of for sure!

[Shady]

nice fish on the clean and shiny new hawg trough!

[Runnin]

Nice Job . The water level looks low. Where were the fish holding?

[deleonjo]

Runnin-Estimating 8-9ft low. Most were caught throwing crankbaits at shallow laydowns and stumps. The big one hit shallow, but off of a steeper bank than the others. There was still some wood where the cast was made, though.

[HJS]

Those are some extremely good-looking bass! Very fat too, unlike a few other pics I've seen of bass caught elsewhere by other fishermen. I think both of those 2 reservoirs had strong populations of gizzard shad. Gizzard shad can get pretty big but for their first 2 years they are quite eatable by lmbass and pike.

[Berto]

Very Nice Fish! Good Job!

[Turtle135]

You are on fire! That is a Maryland Citation size largemouth, congrats!

I use Kodak Easyshare Sport C123 for my fish photos. If I have the camera at about eye level it shoots wide enough to get the hawg trough in the shot, like so:



The other thing I do for hawg trough shots is to use a "Fish Grip" on a teather. I clip it to the mouth and let the fish swim while I get the camera and board ready. Bass will generally give you enough time for a picture before they start getting antsy. I usually dip the hawg trough in the water before I plop the bass on it which seems to help.

[deleonjo]

Dave-Thanks for the great advice/ideas. I will try the tethered fish grip and water down the trough before snapping pics next time. I've never gotten a citation before...that's super cool to know!

[DanMarino]

What a great bass!

[Memory Maker]

WOW ........ Congrats

[zeebyrd]

Very nice fish! I think I just changed my plans from Virginia back to Rocky Gorge for this Saturday. Weather is saying a chance of rain later in the day. After seeing this, I'll stay closer to home.

Watch out for the "mango" Tarpon 120 sneaking up behind you!