Trophy bass couldn’t escape the third time

Catch of the week

For Lindsay Cundiff, the third time was a charm.

Twice, he hooked a big bass while crappie fishing off the dock at Longview Lake Marina. And twice, he watched as the big one got away.

But the third time, the bass didn’t escape. After a short battle, Cundiff pulled the fish onto the dock and later weighed it at 71/4 pounds.

He posed for a few photos, released the bass and then related an entertaining fish story.

“The first time I hooked it, I had a crappie on and that big bass came up and latched onto it,” said Cundiff, 71, who lives in Lee’s Summit. “I had it on for a while, but it got off.

“Two days later, I got her to bite a jig, but she straightened out the hook and got away.

“I went back the next day and hooked her again and I said, ‘You’re not getting away this time.’”

Cundiff caught the bass in late August on a blue and white Stinger jig and 6-pound test line. He was fishing in familiar surroundings. He is a regular at Longview Lake Marina, particularly in the heat of summer.

He suffered a heart attack six years ago and is on blood-thinner medication. Because he can react poorly to the heat, he often fishes the docks at Longview in summer.

It’s a good thing. He now has a memories of an unforgettable week of fishing. But the bass wasn’t his biggest ever.

“I caught a 9-pounder at Raintree Lake several years ago,” he said.

Football and the outdoors

Football fans can enjoy an unusual pregame celebration at Missouri’s home game against Indiana on Saturday.

A National Hunting and Fishing Day event will be located across the street from Memorial Stadium from noon to 3 p.m. The game starts at 3 p.m.

The free event, sponsored by the Missouri Department of Conservation, will feature an aquarium filled with native Missouri fish, a fish-casting station, displays of live reptiles, a chance to test your wildlife-identification skills, a station where kids can make black and gold bracelets, and other displays and exhibits. Experts will also be on hand to answer questions about Missouri hunting and fishing.

Local celebration

National Hunting and Fishing Day will be celebrated Sept. 27 at the James A. Reed Memorial Wildlife Area outside Lee’s Summit.

The Department of Conservation and Ducks Unlimited will team up to offer Family Outdoors Day, an event with something for beginners to experts.

Visitors will be able to shoot trap, target shoot with air rifles and take part in archery. Each station will have agency personnel to give instructions on safety and proper shooting techniques. Firearms and ammunition will be provided.

Fisheries workers will lead fishing sessions on a Reed Area lake and will answer questions about area fishing. In addition, there will be exhibits and teaching stations designed to appeal to visitors of all ages.

The Reed Area is located at 12405 S.E. Ranson Road.

Ducks Unlimited event

The Greater Kansas City Chapter of Ducks Unlimited will sponsor a “Guns and Purses” event Sept. 27 at the C Point Pavilion at Weatherby Lake.

The event, which will start at 5 p.m., will feature a barbecue dinner, raffles for premium waterfowling guns and ladies’ Coach purses, and a silent auction.

Tickets are $25. Call John Dillow at 816-591-0457 for more information.

Crime doesn’t pay

When two Alabama men won six consecutive bass tournaments on Lake Guntersville, it aroused suspicion.

Sure enough, officers with the Alabama Department of Conservation found that they were cheating. Another tournament fisherman told law-enforcement agents that he witnessed the two men removing bass from a cage and misrepresenting them as part of their catch in a May event, according to an article on AL.com. The officers conducted an investigation and found enough to charge the men with theft by deception and tampering with a sporting event.

In a recent nonjury trial, the men got much more than a slap on the wrist. They were sentenced to 30 days in jail, ordered to pay $1,000 and court costs, had their hunting and fishing licenses revoked, and were banned from participating in fishing tournaments. They have appealed their convictions.

This story was originally published September 18, 2014 at 2:44 PM with the headline "Trophy bass couldn’t escape the third time."