Thirty seconds after taking the slack out of the line, the balloon disappeared under the water. Terry set the hook hard and was rewarded with a line-stripping surge that almost pulled him off his feet. Russell excitedly instructed Terry to get the fish out of the stumps and put as much pressure as he could on the fifty-pound line and stiff rod. Terry leaned into the heavy rod as the gigantic bass broke the water. At the first sight of the giant bass breaking the surface, all three fishermen were spellbound by the size of the fish that Terry was battling. After a tremendous struggle that lasted several minutes, the bass was near the boat. Russell stretched the net as far as possible and the fish made one last powerful surge. The hook tore loose and momentarily the twelve-pound plus bass suspended in the water before disappearing into the dark water below. The three men stood in a state of shock, not believing what had just transpired. They had lost a bass that was the fish of several lifetimes. For a serious fisherman, this is a heart wrenching experience.

The trio went back to fishing and for the next two hours Robert caught several fish ranging from four to seven and a half pounds. Terry had several more fish chase his bait, but no takers. "Terry, you were not supposed to catch that fish. That's all there is to it" Robert said as they reminisced the huge bass that got away just inches shy of the net. They knew that at any moment another giant bass could inhale their shad and at every cast, they kept their hopes of tangling with another truly large bass.

The reason that the fishermen had the hopes that they would encounter another double-digit bass was the fact that they were fishing in one of the hottest big bass lakes in the country, Lake Monticello. This fifteen hundred twenty acre bass lake is very unique in the fact that it is being managed strictly for trophy largemouths. The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission stocked the lake with a mixture of Florida strain largemouths and Arkansas largemouth bass. When the lake was opened to fishing in 1997, the regulations were different than most other bodies of water in the state. A slot limit of fifteen to twenty one inches was imposed, protecting trophy sized fish while giving fishermen an opportunity to take out some of the smaller bass, and a fish over twenty one inches, should they be fortunate enough to wrestle a monster out of the stumps and flooded timber. The daily limit is four total fish, and due to this aggressive approach to trophy bass management, Lake Monticello has earned a reputation of producing ten pound plus bass on a regular basis. Some of the biggest bass in the state have come from this lake, and the people in the know predict that the new state record swims in the lake at this very moment.

Another reason for the fishermen's hope of another big fish on the line is the fact that Russell Owens was the man in charge. Russell has guided fishermen to giant fish across the state for many years, and he is a dedicated big bass hunter. He has personally landed a fish which weighed over thirteen pounds in Lake Monticello, and he knows the whereabouts and how to's of giant bass fishing in this lake like none other. When Terry and Robert hired Russell for their fishing trip, he told them right up front, but in a good natured way "I fish for big fish and only big fish. You will have to agree to fish my way and use my equipment. I will also tell you that there are times that I fish all day and never get a bite. When you do get a bite, it will be a big fish. If you will agree to these terms, I will take you fishing." They agreed, and found themselves on the fishing trip of a lifetime.

"I cast my shad out towards a stump, up wind of the boat in an area that we had not fished. I took the slack out of the line, and then saw my shad jump out of the water. A giant explosion blew the water up under the shad and I saw a mouth that looked as big as a five gallon bucket come up out of the water. The monster bass caught the shad in mid air. As fast as I could react, I set the hook as hard as I could. This was the hardest fighting fish I have ever had on in my life. The bass broke the water four or five times, coming completely out of the water, shaking its head trying to throw the hook. It was all I could do to keep the fish out of the stumps. I finally got the fish to the boat and Russell netted it. This was the biggest bass that I had ever seen. We guessed it to weigh fifteen pounds" Terry exclaimed. "When we put it on the digital scales, it read fourteen pounds and two ounces. I went to Lake Monticello with the hope of catching a ten pound bass, but instead, I got two bass to the boat that would weigh over twelve pounds. The fish I got in the boat was bigger than the one that got away. The Lord works in mysterious ways!" Now that's the fishing trip of several lifetimes.

AUTHORS NOTE: For more information on Lake Monticello or to request a 2006 Official Visitors' Guide, contact the Monticello-Drew County Chamber of Commerce at 870-367-6741 or go online at www.montdrewchamber.com. Their email address is chamber@seark.net. They have a very nice, informative package which lists the hotels, motels, restaurants, RV parks and other amenities for your convenience.