Video: Pro Angler’s Bass Catch Goes Viral During FLW Tour Tournament
OutdoorHub Reporters 01.31.18
You know that feeling when you set the hook and know right away you have a good one on, and that you’re going to do anything you can to get that fish in the boat? Yeah, Brandon McMillan knows that feeling, and he demonstrated just how far he’s willing to go to land a bass in his boat.
Brandon was competing in the FLW Tour presented by Evinrude, where every fish caught could land you a big money prize.
IF you get it in the boat, that is . . .
So, when Brandon hooked into this fish, he knew right away he needed to get it on board one way or another. He began reeling the bass back to his boat, when suddenly the unthinkable happened: It spit the hook right out!
“I had been flipping a 1.5-ounce Flat Out Tungsten Weight with a black and blue Bruiser Baits Crazy Craw on it,” McMillan stated. “When we’re fishing in the FLW Tour events, we don’t have a co-angler on board to help us net fish, so I was trying to flip her in the boat. She came off the hook, plain and simple.”
But he wasn’t about to let that fish get away. Brandon looked down and saw the bass laying on top of vegetation in the water, and he stretched out to grab it before it disappeared back into the water.
“She was about 6 inches out of my reach,” he said. “I was a little too excited and reached too far, and you can see what happened on the video.” (Be sure to turn up the volume on the Facebook video for best viewing.)
Brandon had to get a little wet in order to retrieve the bass, but according to TC Palm, he would later find out it was likely a $7,000 catch . . .
Well worth it in my book!
McMillan didn’t break any FLW Tour rules with his desperation grab, and that fish helped tip the scale on his bag limit to 15 pounds 14 ounces for the day. That was enough to land him a spot on the lake with the tournament’s final 10 anglers, and a chance to compete on the final day. He ended up placing fifth overall, with a $19,000 pay day – not too shabby!
In perspective, had he come up empty-handed on that one bass, he would have made about $12,000.
