Same bass time, same bass channel.
Like 1960s Batman, a cartoonish fish story came out of the Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation Championship at Upper Mississippi River presented by Lowrance.
Iowa’s Chris Miller brought a 7-pound, 15-ounce smallmouth to the Day 3 weigh-in. Kapow! It was soon discovered that La Crosse’s Casey Goode caught the same fish in the exact same spot exactly a year to the day earlier.
Holy coincidences, Batman.
“That is wild,” Miller said. “I was skeptical, but after looking farther into it, it 100% looks like the same fish. That fish migrated through the lock, back to the same exact spot and bit on the same exact day.”
Wisconsin B.A.S.S. Nation president Jeremiah Shaver posted about the odd circumstances after talking to both anglers. Seeing Miller’s catch, he called Goode to ask if he’d seen it. Goode, who had compared photos, told him it was the 7-2 fish he weighed in a tournament last October.
“He released that fish during an end-of-year event up on pool 7,” Shaver posted. “It found its way back to pool 8 (about 12 miles) … it was caught at the exact same location and exact same day, a year apart. Crazy, yet awesome!”
Although he didn’t know much of Goode’s catch, Miller said the fish going back to the same spot made sense to him.
“I’ve heard of fish migrating back to where they were caught,” he said. “I’ve even heard a fish going back to the same dock post, over weeks of time, 40 miles away.”
Surely other fish have been caught more than once, but most go unnoticed. Goode’s catch had been the largest in the region, until Miller re-caught it.
“I think there’s been some largemouth that have been close, but I don’t think there’s ever been an 8-pounder,” Miller said. “I was talking to the river rats, and they were telling me that it was the biggest fish ever caught out of that river.”
Miller needed it. Standing 13th after two days, the big bass propelled him to the event’s best limit and into the final day. Day 3 started with a long fog delay, which Miller thought would hurt those locking while the sun would benefit him. With a limit, Miller moved to his sand drop and threw a Berkley Slobberknocker and PowerStinger.
“She ate it about three cranks in,” he said. “She blasted it right where I thought she would be, but when she jumped I was surprised to see one that big.
“I was like, ‘What?!’ I didn’t even know they made them that big on the Mississippi River. That’s a giant.”
A “rodeo” ensued as the fish dove under his boat. He was thumbing the spool on his casting rod as the bass dug and wouldn’t give up.
“I felt her bounce off the motor. I’m like ‘Noooo!’” he said. “I finally scoop her in and it was pandemonium after that. In my head it felt like 20 minutes, but I’m sure it was only like maybe two.”
The average fish to make the Top 10 was 3-4, so Miller was ecstatic with a 6-pound upgrade.
“The one I culled out looks like something that big one would have ate,” he said.
With 21-2, Miller, who won February’s St. Croix Open on Sam Rayburn, advanced to Championship Saturday in fourth place. A finish in the top three would double qualify Miller for the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic and put Elite pro Cole Sands in.
“I knew I had a big fan cheering for me in Cole Sands. I was trying for him,” Miller said. “We got nudged out by 4 ounces over four days. Fishing is a game of ounces. It was a really big swing for 4 ounces.
“It was a tough pill to swallow, but I can’t be mad about a fourth-place finish in the Nation Championship. My wife says I’m my own worst critic, so I can’t beat myself up and take it for good. We still got a good showing.”
Along with a monster catch and a great story.
The big fish was released to be caught again, as were all 3,000 or so fish weighed in by the 249 Nation anglers and 231 co-anglers.
“We did not lose one fish in the tournament — 100% release rate, which is awesome when you look at the sheer number of fish brought in,” B.A.S.S. tournament director Hank Weldon said
“It is simply amazing,” Shaver said. “It shows that catch and release does work … wonder what (that 7-15) could weigh next if it continues to live a few more years.”
Stay tuned.
Same bass time? Same bass channel?
