Big Fish, Bigger Smile A typical day bass fishing on Lake Champlain By Kris Martin Barre-Montpelier Times Argus Contributor

There is perhaps no feeling more exhilarating than watching a huge fish come out of nowhere to hammer a topwater lure. It's a feeling I've had a number of times and each time my heart skips a beat. One second your lure is twitching innocently on the water's surface and the next it's embroiled in an explosion of fury and immense power. I had been telling Jody Aines about the potential giants that lurked in the waters of Lake Champlain for what seemed like weeks and the weather gods answered our pleas Wednesday morning with calm seas and sunshine. Jody had dinked around with my fluorescent orange Rapala for a while, teasing some small perch when I finally reached over and handed him a giant J11 gold jointed Rapala with the explanation that big fish like big food. "This.is big," said Jody. "Don't worry," I said. "You can thank me when you boat one." Little did I know it would take only about 15 minutes. We had put in at Sandbar and motored under the Route 2 causeway into the inland sea to a small spot just south of Eagle Mountain where part of the Lamoille River empties into the lake. Over the years I've learned how to spot likely places to fish. Its part instinct, part knowledge, and a little bit of whimsy that translates into a likely spot for me. I like places that will support varied ambush points and food sources for large predators. Bass and pike will eat just about anything they can fit in their mouth (or think they can), but as they get larger they don't like to work for their meals. Instead they lie in wait for unsuspecting prey to wander into their strike zone and WHAM! They just blow it up. Often times a bass will rise to a topwater lure and roll on it as a way to stun their meal and then come back to pick up the easy meal. Other times they'll react with anger and engulf the whole thing. The weeds that flourish at the river's mouth slowly give way to rocks with numerous boats moored nearby. The presence of perch, a major staple in the diet of the lake's large predators and the transition from weedy to rocky bottom tipped me off. I was minding my own business in the back of the boat when I heard a loud splash come from the front of the boat where Jody was plunking. A second and third time I saw this giant fish go airborne in an attempt to shake free the lure. "We're gonna' need a bigger boat!" "Yeah, I'd guess probably." The fish surfaced near the boat and we both got a good look at her.a gigantic largemouth bass, the biggest I've ever seen that wasn't in a tank. The fish turned and headed towards the bottom into the weeds. "What now?!" asked Jody. "Let her tire a bit and don't pull back too hard, I'd hate to see he lose you in the weeds. You've got good pressure on her, just a little patience." She hung tight in the weeds on the bottom of the lake for a good two minutes before Jody eased her up and out towards the back of the boat. With the fish finally exhausted I reached down and put my thumb in her mouth and hoisted her into the boat. "Damn!" "Hell yeah!" "This is what we came here for!" we both shouted. I removed the hooks from its mouth and handed the fish over to Jody. If a smile brings sunshine, there were no clouds on the lake for the next few minutes. I had him pose with his prize before he leaned down and gently placed her back in the water.

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