OK....If I were reading this instead of writing it,
I'd call me a liar! I got caught up in a meeting during my regular lunch time, so I took a late lunch. Since I didn't have company I decided to hit Lake Crabtree (sorry lefty, it was so late, I figured you wouldn't be able to go).
Anyway, I starting throwing the old faithful Saltwater Assasin Paddletail, in Electric Chicken. I must have made 20 - 25 cast and at least half got snagged up on leaves and small branches. Then I got a hit...maybe not, is that a leaf, stick...? No, it's fighting! Kind of. I reel it in and right between the paddle and the body in the thinnest part of the bait is clamped a 12"-16" cottonmouth
, and he wouldn't let go. I've never seen anything like it. He had the kung fu death grip on my chicken. I finally had to pin it down with a stick and dispatch of it. Let's see a Gulp! do that!
Sidebar: I decided to change baits and switched over to a little hardbait I picked up for crappie and caught a small LM Bass <1lb. I also used the cast net to catch a shad and put him under a cork. That produced a 5lb catfish that fought for a good 4 or 5 minutes.
GREAT LUNCH!