Now, being a part time (I really mean) about a twice a year "Worm, Hook & Bobber" angler, I didn't even know much about what a bass was and hadn't the foggiest on how to catch one so I said "sure, I'd love to go." Well that week-end my life as a twice a year angler had changed me for ever. Jim (who was the friend that asked me to go) told me not to bring anything but myself, so I showed up at his home (which was very close to the California Delta) on Saturday morning ready to go sit and bob worms for fish. Boy, was I wrong!
When we got to the delta, he launched his boat which was a older wooden boat that must have been made during world war I, and we jumped in the boat and went up river a bit. A few minutes later Jim stopped the boat and dropped his anchor and there we sat for a moment. Now, I picked up a rod and reel that he had loaned me, asking him where the bobbers, hooks, and worms were. At that question he started to smile at me and told me that he forgot to stop and buy (live) worms on the way to the river.
I really didn't know what to think now because that's the only way I had ever fished before. Then, Jim reached in a leather bag and pulls out this tackle box and opens it up. I was puzzled now because as I was looking in his tackle box, and as I was looking all I saw were some hooks, sinkers, and a few bags of these purple rubber worms (for you older anglers, these were some of the first artificial worms that were made by Tom Mann called Jelly Worms.)
Jim told me to hand him my rod so he could set it up for me, so I just kept my eyes glued on what the heck he was doing. Next, Jim hands me the rod (Texas Rigged) with the Jelly Worm and tells me to cast it over by a bunch of lily pads that were about 20 yards from us, so I did. After I made my cast (like bobber fishing) I set my rod down and immediately Jim told me to pick it up and to hold it slightly keeping the slack out of the line, so I did. Then, all of a sudden something grabbed my line and my pole bent way over and my line was peeling off of my reel (shoot, I didn't even know how to set a drag back in those days), then Jim reaches over and tightens my drag and tells me not to give it any slack.
Well the rest is history! A whopping Five and a half pound largemouth bass. From then on I went every chance I could, and yes! I definitely now had "Bass Fever."
See Page 3 of this article >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
