On August 30, at 9:35 pm, a full moon will rise. Hopefully it will be a calm night with no wind. About once a year during the summer months (often during dog days) a full moon rises at a time that is perfect to be on the water to "reel" for big bass with topwater plugs. It's special to me. I go alone, and once my eyes get accustomed to the ambient light I can cast to the bank, from a boat, with good accuracy. No trolling motors, no lights, just a paddle. Two or three hours in the moonlight watching a topwater plug and listening to the night sounds.
There is nothing quite like a Creek Chub frogskin Darter (the old wooden ones, not the new plastic ones), or an old Heddon Crazy Crawler, making a wake and disturbing the quiet with it's "plopping" sound. Bullfrogs bellowing, a plethora of insects sounding off, and that heart-stopping crash as a big bass tries to inhale your plug. Videos couldn't capture it, words are inadequate to describe it. "Reeling" for big bass on a summer night is indeed something special. It's ethereal.
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