28+-Pound Bass “Elise” Shows Herself

In a rare moment yesterday, the world-record-sized bass, called Elise, showed herself in the spring-fed portion of the lake at feeding time. The cooler temperatures of the spring-fed water and the feeding drew her there. The water has also been clearer than normal, which allowed the sighting.

At 6:00 A.M. the feeders went off, and small bluegill and medium-sized chub suckers were tossed out. Elise was seen as she emerged from the bottom to inhale some chub suckers, still stunned from being in a bucket. The water in that portion of the lake is only 12 feet deep, but it is shaded and fed by a natural spring with water in the 56-58 degree range, cooling that cove significantly. With day time air temperatures 90-110 over the past few weeks, that put the surface lake temperature in the 80s to even low 90s in a few places in direct sunlight. Elise was obviously looking for a cooler spot; she may have even been hiding there out of sight for a while.

The next day, one giant bass was caught on a trout swimbait.