Call me Ishmael

By Bob Zettler

July 5, 2014

It was a good night, day and night...

I had been looking forward to heading over to Lake Shelbyville to fish over the three-day Fourth of July weekend for some time. However, there was a glitch and I had known about it for awhile but hadn't been able to deal with it. It turns out my son was going to be in his cousins wedding on July 5 and we have yet to leave Hutch (pup/dog) alone. Sure, we had people come in and let him out when we were both out or away but three days? Not going to happen.

Luckily, I got a friend to come by and let Hutch out and feed him on Friday so I headed out Thursday night after work. We had a dinner of BBQ ribs and baked beans before I loaded up and I made it to Leprechaun Landing around 8:30 PM. Lucky the owners are good friends so they stocked me with minnows and I headed with the boat back to Findlay for gas. Damn. It's Thursday and they were closed so headed all the way back the way I came to Sullivan.

Back the same way I came and decided to put in at Wolf Creek – I hadn't decided that until I talked with Virgil at Leprechaun Landing – but when I arrived at the ramp decided to some house cleaning and rest the poles. Took my time and before I knew it midnight approached. With only a few trailers in the lot and no one else around, I got the boat in the water and thought for the Heck of it I would try the structure around the coves there.

By 1:30 AM and not a single bite, decided to either head south to Lythia or north to Findlay. I wanted to hit several northern spots in the morning but took a chance and went to Lythia. It was really dark out. The moon was gone already and it was truly dark out. Took it real slow until I got to the main lake as even with sonar and GPS it doesn’t pay to take a risk. Once on the lake goosed it up to 15-20 and before long I saw lights in the distance from the dam. You know, at least to me it seems that lights on the water or just off the water seem closer than what they actually are. As such, I am inclined to head towards them and can get confused unless I keep an eye on the GPS.

With the red lights of the marina in sight, I started to pull up towards the rocks but noticed a lot of fish and most along a line which appeared to be a thermocline even before I approached the edge of the floating marina. I decided to work my way in and a man approached me who I assumed was security; after all, it was 2:00 AM. Went ahead and started at the outside end and as he and I talked I caught my first fish which turned out to be an Over (Crappie). Turns out he was docked there and after he left for bed again, I worked around the marina.

Caught maybe 25-30 Crappie and a nice Bass by 4:30 AM when my Cell rings. Any parent will tell you a call at that time isn't always good news – and I am superstitious about July Fourth as a number of bad things have occurred on this holiday. However, it was my young friend Benny who I had an open invitation to come fish with me asking what I was doing. “Hell, I am fishing!” As I thought he had just gotten up early, I invited him again and he accepted! Now what as he had no clue where Lythia was and with sunrise approaching I wanted to move to one of the very few spots I know that has brush. Decisions. I decided to wait as he said he wasn’t but 20 minutes away...or so he said.

As it was now 5 AM and no Benny, I hit the timber across with little luck. Benny finally made it and we headed north towards Findlay and hit a cove nearby where I know of some structure. While we caught a number of fish, it was tough holding there and then it happened. I hooked a big one on my brand new 14' Southern Crappie pole. It was game on as it wasn’t a Crappie but maybe a Buffalo – and a VERY BIG one at that. At the 10 minute mark I had Benny shoot some video of the pole bending and my fighting it in the hopes it would sound. No deal on the sounding...

Forty more minutes and we are now maybe 400-500 yards away from where we started and the fish was getting close. We still had never seen it but both of us knew it was maybe the biggest fish either of us had hooked and Benny appeared more excited than I was. I think that was due to the fact I was fighting a whale!

Benny had decided that if it got close enough and we were closer to shore that he would jump in the water to make sure we boated it as my net was no where near big enough for what was sure to be a 50 pound Buffalo or...Whale. He had emptied his pockets and on one near sounding where the slip-bobber appeared (it was on a 15' bobber-stopper) after I had been fighting this behemoth for nearly an hour, the fish started to change tactics and began shaking its head trying to free itself of the Mr. Crappie #2 hook which we both feared would bend and free the Wha...fish. We both thought Catfish and preyed it was a Flathead as I had never caught one and this was surely a state record something. And then it happened, he was free and the line went slack. It didn’t break, he simply freed himself of the pesky irritation that had dragged a fully loaded boat weighing around 2,000 pounds by that new pole, with a Pflueger reel loaded with (thankfully) 15-pound braided line!

To tell the truth, I wasn't mad or sad...maybe a little disappointed but man-oh-man, the experience was fantastic! I am so sore today but still relish the memory of the fight and cant wait to get back out there to try it again! But that will have to wait...

As I am a glutton for punishment, I stayed even after I let Benny out at the Findlay Marina – he had mover his car there to save time and boat gas – and I went back after my Moby Dick. The cell rings and I ignore it. It rings again but I do not recognize the number but take it anyway as its the Fourth and I pray its not bad news. It was but it wasn't as it was Benny's wife asking me to take Benny his truck keys. LOL.

As it was Noon and the boaters were out making it truly rough, I headed on to my spot nearby and found it rough even in the cove. Caught a few and decided it wasn't worth it and headed back towards Wolf but not before trying a few spots on the main lake – BAD idea! Gave up almost immediately and headed for the coves around Wolf where I finished out my day. Caught my Overs on trees and stumps while the pleasure boaters screamed around me in the stumps (God, I would pay to see one of them hit one as they try to clip me). As I fished near the ramp, I could see a lot of boats putting in and getting off the water and decided it was best to wait them out.

Since I had time on my hands, I went about policing the boat and fixing broke lines. As it was 9 PM now and I had the boat trailered, I went and filled it up with gas. You know what, when you have been up 38 hours, fished for nearly 20 hours and fought Moby Dick...well, seeing all the fireworks going off in the sky on your way home come 10 PM sure seems surreal! Yet, it seemed a fitting end to the night, day and night again.