BASS IN
! N O I T C A
lture cu n ow s it s d il u b g in sh fi ss a b Idaho by Randy King
T HE WORM IN MY FINGERS STRUGGLES FOR LIFE AS I SET IT ONTO MY HOOK.
WWW. B OISEWEEKLY.C O M
AD AM RO SENLUND
A few quick practiced loops and it is securely skewered, ready to be dropped into the rocks in front of me. I have found the perfect lazy man’s place for fishing—a deep section of the Snake River that undercuts a rock ledge. When the bait is dropped, it swirls around in a perfect small-mouth bass habitat. I don’t even have to cast and I’m pounding the fish. One after another, 10- to 11-inch bass are fighting with me only to be let go. You can only keep bass that are 12 inches or longer on the Snake River, and I let almost all the bass I catch go anyway. In the distance, I hear the roar of a bass boat engine. Quick, low and light, I see the boat fly by me, causing a wake. I reel in my line and wonder about all the money that guy must have dropped on that boat: thousands and thousands of dollars, no doubt. The wake hits the shoreline and the fish stop biting for a few minutes. Done fishing, I climb into my cheap but very functional duck boat and cruise back to the dock. I am going a lot slower than the bass boat I just saw. It would be a nice hobby, I think to myself.
BOISEweekly | MAY 30 – JUNE 5, 2012 | 11