Earlier this month our company owner, Myles Pocta, visited the “lake house” in Lunenburg County – in southcentral Virginia.  It’s home to a 5-acre lake built fifteen years ago.  Since that time, the lake has been naturally managed, vegetated with wetlands species and stocked semi-annually with freshwater fish.  Among the stocked species are largemouth bass, redear bream, and bluegill – all of which originated from a fish company known as Arkansas Pondstockers in Cash, Arkansas.

Over the last few fishing seasons, the lake has begun to produce some rather impressive largemouth bass including a few lunkers (> 5 pounds).  Buoyed by last year’s success, there was quite a bit of optimism leading into this month’s fishing.   On Sunday evening April 16^th with almost ideal conditions – temps in the high 60s, light wind and calm waters – Myles ventured out on his canoe to his favorite hot spots.  One of those key spots is the lake’s outfall, located near the dam and a sure magnet for lunker fish. It’s a prolific fishing spot as many lunker fish patrol the large outfall pipe, prowling on smaller fish, minnows, amphibians, and insects before entering the pipe and exiting the lake.

As he approached the outfall, Myles noticed a few swirls – perhaps a few lunkers – feasting on the outfall bound critters.  Positioned about 50 feet or so from the outfall pipe, Myles gently casted a spinner bait directly in front of and about 3 feet from the pipe.  As the lure broke the surface, a huge swirl immediately emanated from near the pipe and BANG!  In a nanosecond, Myles connected with a lunker bass that quickly tested his spin-cast reel, fought a good 45-60 second fight, and made a desperate last-minute attempt to break free under the canoe. After succumbing to a long tussle, Myles reeled in and hoisted the fish into the canoe.

It was a beautiful, stout 20-inch, 5-pound lunker largemouth bass – arguably the largest caught from the lake yet 2 inches short of the 22-inch length citation! The female lunker, with a prominent egg sack poised to spawn in the next few weeks, was released back home.  Who knows, maybe this lunker becomes the first and long-awaited citation largemouth bass at the lake house!