I arrived at the lake at about 4:20PM today. It was a cold evening with a slight northerly breeze. There was still a half hour before sunset, but I decided to start with the 9 inch Slammer anyway. After about ten minutes I made a nice long cast parallel to a steep muddy bank. I retrieved the lure at a fairly fast retrieve below the surface and half way in POP my line went totally slack. I cranked up the slack and set the hook to a big thumping weight. The fish felt very heavy but didn't fight particularly hard and I had it on the bank in about a minute. The fish was long and had an absolutely massive belly. It weighed 14.6 pounds, my new personal best! I ended up fishing the rest of the evening pretty hard until around 11PM but never got another bite. I threw the slammer on the dam and across a ton of shoreline, then slowed down with a jig and spinnerbait. I didn't expect them to be biting tonight and they really weren't. All it takes is one bite to make me happy, though :)

Nico

http://www.ichthy.com/12-11-02-01.jpg
14.6 lbs

http://www.ichthy.com/12-11-02-02.jpg
Off she goes! You can really see the incredible girth on this fish from the top down shot. Just a massive belly.

Dude, that's a hog and a half!!! The pic of the belly as it's swimming away is so aweseome :) :) :) Congratulations on your new personal best. You have thoroughly earned it this fall at Coyote. Only 1.6lbs more to go before you get the lake record! If anyone is going to get it there, it's you.

Can I go fishing now, or do I have to stay at work? har.

Congrats Nico,what a perfect looking fish!

Looks like there was a fish out there that wanted the sub-surface retreive.Great job and go get the that lake record!!

Thats sic Nico good job man

Now I can't say for 100% sure, but this fish does look pretty similar to the fish the Mike Minkewitz caught about a year ago at Coyote on the 12" Slammer. Mike's fish was 14.1. Nico's was 14.6. Check out the comparison pic. I'm about 80% certain it's the same fish. If it is, it's pretty cool that it fell for the Slammer again :)

http://www.calfishing.com/dc/user_files/572.jpg

Attachment #1, (.jpg file)

The build of the fish looks exactly the same,short and stocky.Too bad theres not a real definite marking,extra fin,one eye or something like that.But it looks pretty damn close.

Nico....... Props Brudda'!!! Way to be!!!!
Dane

Nico, Way to slay the toads. You are definatley "Da Man" at Coyote this fall. I have a couple of weeks off coming, up over the holidays, and am planning on getting on that evening bite too. Maybe I will run into you or Rob some night and learn something. See ya on the water

Mitch

MT

Wow, thats a healthy lookin fish....congrads on the pb.
Great pictures !

Don

Thanks for the comments everyone. I haven't found any visual clues on Mike's or my photos to say that these were the same fish. But you never know. Hopefully someone will catch her in another year when she's 15!

Here's another close-up shot of her... I'd guess this was a fairly young fish considering here perfect fins and overall flawless condition.

http://www.ichthy.com/tmp/ and click on IM000376.JPG

Congrats on the new PB! I wonder how much fun this hawg had *watching* us all kick past her last Sunday. You got 'er this time, though, didn'tcha! Too cool! How many double-digits is that for you this year? Have you been counting, or do you think you can come up with a number from your reports?

- jeff

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Every day Congress convenes, we lose a little more of our LIBERTY!!!

(-- Mark Levin, radio-show host/KSFO 3-6pm)

That one was #9 for this year. Would be nice to get one more :) :)

Nico, anytime you want more company like Friday night I'm up for it! In case you lost my # it's 4087787410 at home. On another note, do you still have the pic of me with the WSB? I'd like to use it for an avatar image atleast until I get a new PB bass.

Tight lines,
Wade

Good job slammer man!!! hehe, thats one awesome fish!! I sent you a pic of my fish, who knows??? could be the same one, we'll never know though. What we do know now is your PB is better than mine!!! Im ok with that now though, cuz you da man. As long as I get a few checks on the delta this season, Im happy!!!! Keep up the good fishing. Mike

P.S. Do you think theres an 18 in coyote now???????

..

- jeff

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Every day Congress convenes, we lose a little more of our LIBERTY!!!

(-- Mark Levin, radio-show host/KSFO 3-6pm)