After successfully retrieving the lure, Randal had me drop him off under a tree to eat his sandwich in the shade. I trolled across the cove to throw soft plastics into some promising weed structure.

My first cast produced a bite, but I had a problem — the fish lodged itself under the weeds and refused to budge. I could feel him thrashing around, but my line was so wrapped up in the vegetation there was no way I could pull it out without breaking.