This is something we certainly didn’t expect to see, to be quite honest. Angler John Huckstep caught a 13.2-pound bass in Virginia last week! We’ve never really heard much about big bass coming from Virginia, but apparently some monster bass live there. Huckstep is known for his big bass prowess and is a respected angler throughout the state. He was kind enough to share some of the details of his incredible catch with us.
The gear
Huckstep fooled the 13-pounder with a black/blue-colored Buckeye Lures Mop Jig with a Zoom Swimmin’ Chunk in sapphire blue. The oversized jig is a definite big-fish catcher, but Huckstep made one very important modification. He trimmed the skirt down to create a smaller profile.
He was casting the Mop Jig on 30-pound Power Pro braided line with a Shimano Curado E7 casting reel and a 7-foot, medium-heavy Falcon casting rod.
The weather
While the weather would have scared some anglers away, Huckstep seemed to embrace the tough conditions. The bass bit in 45-degree water with freezing rain falling.
Location
Huckstep was methodically working the Mop Jig in 14 feet of water off the end of a flat. He said the lake doesn’t have very much deep water, so this depth change seems to be a key area for big fish over the years. Huckstep said the edge is located adjacent to the main channel and he believes it to be a great spot for big bass to move up and down easily when weather fronts roll into the area.
The big takeaway for the rest of us
We discuss the importance of these edges quite regularly. Huckstep found a textbook area and it shows the caliber of angler he is. These edges create verticality, which is a major element when you’re searching for big bass. With just a few kicks of its tail, a giant bass only has to move a few feet to adjust to drastic weather changes. In addition, this verticality also allows them to quickly corral forage in shallower water while backing off into deeper water during times of inactivity.
We’d like to congratulate John on an unbelievable fish catch! We appreciate him sharing his story with us. Many thanks as well to Aaron Ball for connecting John with our editorial team so we could get the story.
