Catch-up post #3: This was the biggest of three that I caught on the first day of a two-day Angler of the Year (AOY) championship for the Keystone Bass Kayak Series. ...more It was a rough tournament for everyone. I ended up in 9th for the tournament, which placed me 4th in the overall AOY. I was in second at the end of the “regular season,” before the championship tournament. This bass, though, was big enough to win big bass for the tournament at 20”. The winnings from the big bass pot was almost as big as the 4th place finish in AOY. This smallmouth swiped at my plopper bait with its tail, sending it five feet in the air. I waited until it hit the water before cranking it a couple of turns with the bass striking it again but missing. I stopped the bait again for a 1/2 second, and then cranked hard. The bass came almost completely out of the water, chasing the bait horizontally for about two feet before engulfing it. It was probably one of the most exciting bites that I have experienced in my four decades of fishing.