CLAYTON, N.Y. — Ray Hanselman Jr. desperately needed to upgrade the limit of 2- and 2 ½-pounders he had in his livewell Friday afternoon. He started the day in 60th place in the SiteOne Bassmaster Elite at St. Lawrence River standings.
Then a 5-pounder jumped in his boat. And then the 5-pounder jumped out of his boat.
“I was marking a few fish, but they were all singles,” Hanselman said. “The singles tend to be real finicky. Then I looked down and saw two or three together. They are kind of like kids at daycare. If one goes after a toy, they all go after it.
“I set the hook and this fish came straight up and landed on my back deck. It was charged up and flopping around. It got back where my Talons and jack plate are, so I just opened the bail (on his spinning reel). The fish flopped back in the water and swam under the motor.”
Hanselman figured that was the kiss of death. There were too many sharp objects, including his outboard motor prop, that this bucking bronco of a smallmouth bass had a chance to bounce his 8-pound-test line off of.
“It was intense there for a minute,” he said. “I knew that was the one.”
It was the one, alright. A 5-pound, 4-ounce big fish of the day for Hanselman. He made one more big cull after that, which gave him 18 pounds, 12 ounces on the day, 33-1 over two days and a 39th-place finish Friday – just inside the top 40 cut.
This isn’t one man’s “fish story.” Bassmaster.com photographer Steve Bowman witnessed the whole thing, with a digital camera rapidly snapping new images.
“I had a front row seat to the whole show,” Bowman said. “It was as wild as any fish catch I’ve ever seen. As a photographer, you’re going, ‘Awesome!’ But at the same time I’m thinking this is going to turn out bad. I’m going to have to console Ray shortly.”
Miraculously, there was no consoling necessary. And Ray Hanselman Jr. lived to fish another day on the St. Lawrence River. Check out all the photos.
