Biggest fly-rod bass ever

[SteveGibson]

I had a charter Friday. I took a first-time kayak fly-rodder to Lake Manatee. We did super well on big bluegill. The wind was blowing, so I had him anchor and cast a No. 12 gold bead nymph under a strike indicator. He had a blast, catching pound bluegill.

I saw a fish bust about 30 feet out in the open lake. I watched for a while, then saw a tail pierce the water's surface. I had no clue what it was.

I made a cast, immediately hooked up. Turned out to be a bass that I estimated close to 8 pounds.

Wow!