Cooper Lake Monster Bass
By Jim Holderfield
The sun was just peaking above the horizon when Cooper Lake
Guide Marc Mitchell fired up the Mercury on his Cobra Bass Boat
and headed for some of his favorite bass spots. A little chop
on the water and the cooler temperatures assured he would have
a challenging day looking for Monster Bass on Cooper.
After finishing a hearty breakfast at Burton's, Danny and
I followed Marc in our vehicle to the boat-launching ramp near
the dam. Just at daylight, looking across the rippled lake, I
could see the wide-open waters near the dam. Mark assured me
there was lots of structure left in the lake when the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers constructed the Dam. I was soon to find out
just how much structure, as the boat lanes were the only passageways
through large expanses of uncleared areas.
We reached our first point after a short, fast ride and began
fishing. Danny and I had met Marc on this occasion to field test
some of Danny's "Hurricoma Lure" spinner baits and
buzzbaits. In addition to fishing these baits, Marc also fishes
jigs, crankbaits, soft baits and any other lures that have made
him the successful guide for these lakes. Both Danny and Mark
are on the Pro Staff for Cameron Rods. Cameron Rods are available
in lengths and flex weights that allow the pro bass fisherman
to have an arsenal of superior quality rods at his disposal.
He indicated that today, we would give the buzzbaits
and spinner baits the work-outs he needed to assure they were
the quality that would meet his standards for baits. As we moved
from brush pile to brush pile and from weed bed to weed bed,
it became apparent that he was an absolute master presenting
his bait into difficult locations. An underhanded toss with the
wrist and the spinner bait lands gently under over-hanging brush
that I passed up because I thought it impossible to get a bait
back there. I watched cast after cast and started trying some
of the techniques. Marc was more than patient in trolling me
over to the brush to retrieve my bait. I watched Danny and was
surprised that he was skillful also. Guess I'll just have to
practice more. My crappie fishing didn't prepare me for this
kind of action!
Just as I was about to decide that I would have to stick with
Crappie fishing, I hooked a nice bass. This was exciting! Danny
helped land the fish and I quickly grabbed my camera to record
a photo of Danny and MY fish!
As we caught and released fish, Marc told of the history of
Fork and Cooper. How through the years they had consistently
produced trophy bass, and produced t hem in quantity. He ventured
a prediction that the next Texas State Record would be caught
on Cooper! He had that twinkle in his eye that indicated to me
that he felt his chances were good that it could be one of his
clients that would have a chance to catch the BIG one!
The morning passed quickly, as Marc recanted stories of other
fishing trips, unusual happenings on the lake and all too soon,
it was getting close to lunch and time to head for home. That
was when Danny latched onto a good-size bass well over 5 lb.
He fought the bass to the top, I got a quick photo as Marc reached
down to release the fish, and it came off! Danny watched a second,
quickly dropped his spinner bait back in front of the fish and
as Marc and I watched, the Bass made a run at the bait and was
hooked again! In all my fishing days, I had never seen this happen.
I was attempting to get my camera a second time when the fish
broke the line and was gone!
In all, it was a very successful fishing trip. We caught good-size
fish, although this time we did not get the trophy size (we'll
be back), but the guide service was excellent, we successfully
tested the baits and learned some fishing techniques from a real
Pro.
Suphur Springs is located between Fork and Cooper and has
a number of motels that provide quality service. The Suphur Springs
Chamber of Commerce can provide you with information on lodging
and eating establishments.
As for a Licensed Professional Fishing Guide, contact Marc
Mitchell at (800) 657-1969. He has a limited number of open dates.
Who knows, you may be the one that fills the photo album with
the Texas State Black Bass Record. |
