Wes McNulty is now a full-fledged member of the Jacked-Up Fishing Club.
Induction requires an equipment meltdown so catastrophic that it defines a fishing trip, no matter how good the fishing. For the record, the fishing was phenomenal, so it took a doozy of a meltdown to overshadow it.
It happened Friday during a hastily arranged fishing trip with Ray Tucker of Little Rock. Tucker and I fish together often, and it's a rare trip when something weird doesn't happen, such as our outing on Little Bayou Meto last summer when my boat collided with an alligator.
"It's always something with you guys, from what I read in the paper," McNulty said.
"And sometimes by what you don't read," I said. "On Monday, I ran out of gas on Lake Ouachita."
"Did you really?" Tucker asked. It was less a question than an accusation.
"Sure did. Fortunately I have a small reserve tank that had a little gas in it. I don't know how old it is. All I know is I haven't used that tank in a long time. But it fired right up and got me to the ramp."
Meanwhile, trouble was brewing between McNulty and his Minn-Kota trolling motor. A faulty switch prevented the electric motor from operating on momentary power. It only ran on constant power, which means the motor never stops. That complicates boat handling and positioning, but it also drains the battery.
Boat positioning was crucial because a strong wind blew hard against the north bank of McNulty's reservoir. It took careful work with the electric motor to keep us off the bank while maintaining position to work the cover. Because of heavy rains, the reservoir was very high, submerging most of the bankside grass and cover by about 1-2 feet.
"This is what they've been biting, right here," McNulty said, presenting an 8-inch, Texas-rigged watermelon/pepper plastic lizard. "A gentleman fished out here all day yesterday, and he said he caught a hundred."
For a different look, I used a 3/8-ounce, pumpkin colored jig with a pumpkin trailer. The reel was a Lew's Tournament Pro baitcasting reel and a 7-foot, medium-action Lew's Speed Stick American Hero rod with a fast taper. Mike Baker of Maumelle gave me the rig after our recent trip to Bull Shoals Lake, and I wanted to honor him by catching some bass with it.
With the wind pounding the bank, I cast the rig just inside the edge of the partially submerged grass near the bank. I swam the jig to the edge and let it drop. A bass jumped on it immediately. I set the hook and broke the line. I replaced that jig with a 1/4-ounce Terminator jig and attached a black/blue Luck-E-Strike Drop Dead Speed Craw. Again I cast inside the grass, retrieved it to the edge and let it sink. Another bass ate it, and I set the hook on the first fish of the day, which weighed about 3 pounds.
Fish also bit McNulty's lizard, but he missed most of the hookups because his hook was too small.
"They're just grabbing the tail," McNulty said. "When you're using a big lizard, a two-aught hook is too small. I really need a three-aught."
In addition, the trolling motor appeared to be a practical joker. Periodically, McNulty flipped the switch to the "momentary" setting. Occasionally it worked, which made McNulty cautiously optimistic. Then, inexplicably, it would malfunction again, and the wind blew us into the bank before McNulty could switch the motor back to constant power. Once, the boat got tangled in an exposed brushpile, and it took some effort to free it.
McNulty grew increasingly frustrated, which provoked a great amount of razzing from Tucker.
"It's a good thing this is happening now rather than 10 years ago," McNulty fumed. "When I was a younger man, I would have already ripped the thing loose and pitched it in the lake!"
I landed two bass on three bites from the first pass down the north bank. That's not much action in a lake where a guy caught 100 the day before and another guy caught 45 the day before that. We motored back to the top of the bank where I tied on a small chartreuse/white chatterbait. It was the perfect adjustment. I threw it into the grass, but instead of sinking like a jig, it perched on top. When it got to the edge, fish hammered it. Several times we saw fish chase it out of the grass.
Tucker tied on a Strike King square bill crankbait with white sides, a green top and a chartreuse belly with a splash of orange on the nose. That changed the game for him, but now it was McNulty's turn to turn the tables. Tucker had an ultra-light action Mr. Crappie spinning rod mated to a Lew's baitcasting reel. McNulty razzed him mercilessly about it, but there was no razzing the results. Tucker caught about 20 largemouths, all 21/2- to 3 pounds. The bigger fish threatened to snap Mr. Crappie.
"Nothing wrong with a rod like that," I said. "An ultralight will coax every ounce of fight out of a bass, and the flex actually helps set the hook. The only limitation is that you won't be able to wrestle one out of cover."
"And that's kind of a big deal lake that has seven- and eight-pounders," McNulty taunted.
Not long after, McNulty attempted to raise his trolling motor. The rope broke, which nearly sent McNulty sprawling. It also immobilized the motor in the down position. McNulty was furious, and Tucker was delighted.
"You are a victim of the Hendricks jinx!" Tucker yelled.
"I sure hope this doesn't make it in the paper," McNulty said.
"You gotta be kidding," I said. "This is better than the fishing." McNulty's shoulders slumped. Tucker laughed so hard he choked.
Fishing on the wind-sheltered south bank was sensational. We caught them on a half a dozen passes and ended the day with a total of about 45.
"The fishing wasn't bad on the North Pole, but it was red hot on South Beach," Tucker said, summing up the day.
Without a doubt, it was the best fishing trip of the year.
Sports on 03/29/2020