Kayak Fishing Guide Marty “Kayak Jak” Hughes pulled up to go fishing in a camouflage, beaten down Suzuki Trooper. It was covered in sponsor logos, had a cracked windshield and was loaded down with kayaks. It was perfect.
Marty parked on a secluded shore of Swanson Reservoir in Trenton, Nebraska, unloaded the gear in a flash and had us paddling towards a nearby beaver dam. This was a frequent spot for cruising largemouth, since the cove was thick with underwater willows.
Carp were thrashing everywhere in the muddy banks. The stained water made the conditions perfect for the gold blades of a spinner-bait. White and largemouth bass were found in the channels between underwater willow branches. We let the lures fall at the end of each retrieve and many times got strikes right next to the boat.
I cast my spinner-bait right up against the beaver dam, letting it fall down to the bottom before reeling. We only had a few more casts left before driving another four hours to our next destination, Merritt, Nebraska. Barely one turn of the reel later I thought I had the bottom of the dam. It turned out to be a 20 ¾ inch largemouth that was hanging in the gutter underneath the damn, which is eligible for a Master Angler Award in Nebraska.
The Master Angler Award highlights significant catches of all species immediately released upon catching and photographing. The minimum requirement for largemouth is 20 inches.
After I released the fish, Marty said, “Now the secret’s out,” talking about the healthy and diverse fishery in Nebraska. “The thing is,” he said, “there are hundreds of bass in here that are bigger.”
Stay tuned for the rest of my trip around Western Nebraska. Future posts include the Merritt Reservoir for largemouth, walleye and musky; and the Valentine National Wildlife Refuge, which Marty called, “Little Canada.”
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