When Mike Harvey first called me, he had one thing on his mind—a trophy bass. He wasn’t interested in the numbers or the smaller catches; he wanted to land a true giant. Mike had already tried his luck at Lake Fork and was now setting his sights on Lake Guntersville.
We booked a three-day trip, and on the second day, he hooked into something big. Unfortunately, it got off before we could see it, but from the fight, I could tell it was a giant—maybe even a double-digit bass.
The following year, Mike came back for another shot. Once again, he hooked into another big one, but it managed to get away. Determined, he started asking about the best times of the year to fish for a trophy. I told him, “Try November or December. That’s when the big ones start feeding up.” From then on, Mike made trips in both March and November.
He started catching fish consistently in the 5–7 pound range, which is nothing to sneeze at, but it wasn’t enough for him. He was after something bigger. As for me, I was thrilled—I love catching fish that size—but we both knew the ultimate goal was a double-digit bass.
Heck, in November 2017, FLW changed the dates of the BFL Wild Card tournament, and it interfered with one of Mike’s scheduled trips. I called him to let him know what had happened, and he was understandably bummed. But then I had an idea: “Let’s fish Guntersville for a day, then drive to Kentucky Lake, and you can help me practice for the Wild Card.” Mike was all in.
During practice, Mike’s first fish was a 5-pound largemouth! It was an awesome moment, and having him there made the trip even better. That Wild Card tournament ended up being one for the books with drastic weather changes and rising water. I don’t even remember how many inches of rain came down, but it was a lot. The water came up quick, and the fish I’d found in practice vanished. But having Mike there during practice made the whole experience memorable.
Fast forward to March 2018. Our first morning out was cold, with a stiff northwest wind blowing 20 mph. Honestly, I considered offering to grab breakfast just to warm up before heading back out. But something told me to give it another hour.
Within the first 30 minutes, Mike landed a 4-pounder and a 6.5-pounder. I got us back on the spot (this was before we had the fancy trolling motors of today), and then it happened—Mike hooked into something big.
He said, “I think it’s a big one,” and from the bend in his rod, I knew he wasn’t exaggerating. The fish fought hard, pulling drag, trying to bury itself in the power poles. For a moment, we weren’t even sure if it was a bass or some kind of trash fish. Then we caught a glimpse of her, and my heart started racing—it was definitely a bass, and a big one at that.
The pressure was on. With the net in hand, I couldn’t afford to mess this up. If I missed, it would’ve been my fault if she got away. Luckily, I’ve always been a good net man, and when she came up, I scooped her in.
As soon as I saw her in the net, I knew she was a double-digit, but I wasn’t prepared for just how heavy she was. Her stats? She measured 24.5 inches long with a girth of 19 inches. This fish was nearly as big around as she was long—a true freak of nature.
When we weighed her, the scale read 11-0 pounds. That moment was incredible—a task that isn’t easily accomplished, and one that Mike and I had worked hard to achieve. (Check out the 2018 report for more details about his lunker.)
Since then, Mike has returned every year—except the last two. Life’s been busy with a new job, but he still talks about making his way back to Guntersville. In his last few trips, he brought a friend along, and they caught some great fish together.
Now we’re just waiting for Mike “ Magnet”to find his way back so we can catch up, share some laughs, and—hopefully—hook into another legendary bass.
~Capt.Jim
