Dave Oelschlager has fished the strip pits at Mazonia for 40 years and heard tales of 8- and 9-pound largemouth bass.
Then on March 25, his buddy Jerry Seybert caught a ``FOAL, fish of a lifetime!,'' a largemouth weighing 8 pounds, 7 ounces on a Rapala hand-held scale.
``I'm skeptical no more!'' Oelschlager said.
FOTW tops the Midwest Fishing Report each Wednesday in the Sun-Times. An extended online version appears here, generally about midnight Tuesday. We're running behind today.
Here's Oelschlager's account.
``I propose to you that you add a new catagory to your weekly (Wed.) fishing update. The new segment to be called FOAL; fish of a lifetime!!!! This bass is truely a lunker for the strip mines. My buddy Jerry Seybert caught this hog Tues. March 25, 2008. It was caught on a Jig+Pig at Mazonia. She weighed in @ 8lbs 7ounces. I've been fishing strip mines for bass for over 40 years and always remained skeptical of the stories of 8 or 9 pound bass from these fisheries. Skeptical no more!''
Nothing like a good spring bait like a jig-and-pig to bring thoughts of spring. And I like the FOAL category.
E-mail FOTW nominations to outdoordb@sbcglobal.net.
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