More Lake Monroe Spillway wiper madness

After losing my last big fish because I didn't have a landing net (and several before that one), I bought a folding net on Amazon.  I thought I got the one with the telescoping pole, but I'm old and confused and ended up with a stubby little one.  Instead of returning it though, I figured I could make due with my baboon-length arms or figure out a way to connect the net to a longer pole at some point.

Regardless, I loaded up my gear and headed for the Lake Monroe Spillway early this morning.  I had my trusty Goture lure already rigged on my medium-action pole, and I couldn't wait to see if there were any wipers left.  I don't know how long the wiper rush lasts, but the water is getting warmer, so I figured it was now or never.

I lost my lure on the first cast...

To state it mildly, this was devastating to me.  These things are magic.  I couldn't give up after 30 seconds though, so I decided to try to mimic the lure with what I had.  I ended up threading a pearl white Zoom Salty Super Fluke onto a 1/4-oz Spot Remover Jig Head and hoped for the best.  This setup wouldn't swim like the Goture, but it was roughly the same size and color.  It was also a little lighter, which I thought might prevent some snags because the water level was lower than last time.

To my surprise, I hooked into a nice wiper after the first few casts into the current.  I fought the fish toward shore, and as I reached for my landing net, it spit the hook and swam off...

I actually have video of this whole shenanigan.  You can hear how excited I am to have a fish on the line and taste my utter disappointment at losing another water donkey that should have been on my stringer.  If this blog gets 1000 subscribers, I'll release my blooper reel.  Otherwise, that reminder of my ineptitude stays with me.

At this point, I thought the day was going to be a bust.  I lost my Goture lure like Austin Powers lost his mojo, and I lost a decent fish.  It's a good thing I'm stubborn though.

I got another bite, and another, and another.  By 7 AM, I had landed (with the help of my net!) four big wipers and lost that many to poor hook sets.  The video below is me landing a 7 pounder:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bq4Dts3USzY

I managed to land another beast that was just as big too, which you can see below framed against a busted piece of bathroom vanity (the wife is remodeling):

Overall, I got my confidence back, had a ton of fun, got to practice my filleting skills (or lack thereof), and I'm looking forward to fish nuggets tonight :-)