Staying Hot: Big Bass in August

My confidence was sky high the morning of my 5th day. In an instant I silenced my alarm, put on the boots, cracked open a Red Bull and hopped on the bike. I pedaled down to the service road and did what I always do once I reach the canal before sunrise; stop and listen for a few minutes.

My uncle Bob taught me to do this year's ago. I use those few minutes to allow my eyes and ears to adjust to the darkness and sounds of the canal-as well as listen for breaking fish.

My headlight pierced through the blackness as I cruised toward the general area I planned to fish. I arrived at the spot and stopped my bike, but the inevitable happened...I began to second guess myself.

"Should I fish here, or should I go a little further?"

"What if it the spot I fished yesterday goes off?"

"Should I go back to the other end?"

I stuck to my first instinct, flipped the kickstand down, unloaded my gear and headed down the rip-rap. It was a weekend morning and the canal was hectic with anglers lining the banks as far as the eye could see on both sides.

After changing strategies a couple of times over the course of an hour or so, I settled on my new favorite plug just as the sun came up. As the sky brightened, I spotted something that gave me a good feeling that there were fish in the area.

I quickly fired out a handful of casts and then, THUD, my line went tense and the rod arced like a rainbow. Fish on!

Right away I knew it was a good fish. The hit, the weight & the sound of the splashes were all good indicators. Plus, I knew this particular stage of the tide had been producing sizable fish all week.

The anglers to my left and right watched as I negotiated the 26-pound striper onto the rocks and secured the catch. Of all the fish I caught that week, this was the only one I elected to keep.

Actors have the red carpet. Supermodels have the runway. Canal fishermen have the service road. I had a long bike-ride against that stiff late morning wind to get back to my car.

But that ride is so much easier when you've got a fat striper hanging out of your basket. All eyes are on you and your catch!

It's a great feeling, a feeling I think many of us savor.