Big Bass on the Fly

Every now and then I get the itch to snag up on a huge bass with my fly rod. Ok, fine, I always have that itch! However, I have been throwing my 7 wt at bass for over a year now and have yet to come tight on a big female bass. Thankfully that all changed a few nights back while fishing some retention ponds at 2 o'clock in the morning. We arrived at this small pond a little after midnight and began working our way along the water's edge.  After hooking up on a few small bass, we decided to move back towards the area we had first wet our lines at.That was a great choice! My second cast landed quietly on the surface of the water and my homemade fly began to sink slowly toward the shallow bottom. This is when all the mayhem broke out! Halfway through the second strip of my fly the line came tight. And when I say "tight", I mean it. For a split second I thought I may have snagged on something resting on the bottom, but then that something broke the surface of the water with a massive head shake!After I realized the size of this fish, I took care in how I fought him. Putting just enough pressure on him to tire him out. When all was said and done we snapped a few pics and  sent him back swimming!Throughout the rest of the night my brother Casey and I landed some pretty awesome fish. Pulling in these fish was a huge blessing. Despite the success we ended up calling it quits around 2 am after hooking up on a dozen bass.Times like these keep me pushing the limits on what I can do with my fly rod. Always working on improving my casting and tying skills has become extremely important. Both of which can drastically improve one's time spent on the water.Remember to keep your hearts right and your lines tight!Take care,Jesse