# 13lb Bass Caught Out Of Lake Rockwell !!!!



## bassmastermjb (Apr 8, 2004)

A near state record 13 lb largemouth bass was caught out of Lake Rockwell on Saturday July 9,2005.A 15 year old Ravenna resident caught the monster,which missed the state record by a mear 0.13 lbs., on the south side of the causeway at 1:00pm on a 6" purple ribbon worm with a cream tail.This could have been yours except there are people on this site that insist you are not allowed to fish the causeway.Maybe this will change those minds a little.The size of the fish is really no secret, I've caught 2 over 10 lbs in the past couple of years myself.


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## bkr43050 (Apr 5, 2004)

If those numbers are right and that fish was returned to the waters then next spring the record may be shattered! What a pig!


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## keepinitreel (Apr 11, 2004)

Wow! That is quite a fish. Makes it very tempting.

Anyone know for sure if it is illegal to fish there? I know this has been discussed many times before but I would like to get my hands around a pig like that. Sure would beat a trip to Florida!!

Mark


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## Predator225 (May 14, 2005)

Legal or not, that causeway is gonna be elbow-to-elbow this weekend...hehehe. Good for that kid, though.


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## bassmastermjb (Apr 8, 2004)

Mark's Live Bait And Tackle On Lake Rockwell Rd.
-It it was illegal we now have one the happiest and dumbest persons alive.If it was illegal, this kid would be in jail, cuz his picture is in the local paper with the bass and where he caught it.Once again I'm gonna set the record straight.You are allowed to fish off the causeway, you just cannot park there.There is a group of people there every night, sometimes including myself.You guys are missing out on some excellent hogs.All you need is a chauffeur.


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## bassmastermjb (Apr 8, 2004)

I forgot to let you all know, the fish is at the taxidermy shop.


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## Pancho (May 3, 2005)

regardless if is iligal or not you cought abig ass fish...kudos to you and keep fishing!!!!!


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## Fish4Fun (Apr 6, 2004)

wow anyone have any pics of this hawg love to see it. that has to be a beauty


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## findiesel (Jul 6, 2005)

What paper (the RC I'm guessing?) and on what date was the article in? I'd love to see the picture, and I can scan it and post it on here.... 

Thanks Mark for the great tackle purchases today.


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## esox (Dec 26, 2004)

I can certainly believe this bass was caught from Rockwell res. causeway. Although I've never caught one that large, I have caught several down through the years in the 9-10 lb range. These fish were weighed on an el cheapo Zebco Deliar type portable scales which could easily be off by 10% or more each way. Although the bassin' is good, it's a shadow if what it use to be do to water level reduction during the spawn which started 8-10 years ago, chemical weed control, and Black Gum fungus that had infested the entire 'Hoga drainage.
Before this triple whammy, the fishing in general was superlative. Most fished the world class crappie bite during the spring. Sometime around the early '70's, pike started turning up with substantial numbers in the 4-6 lb. range and not a few bigger ones. Usually the crowds disappeared by late May, early June as the south side of the causeway became a virtual solid mat of weeds. By early to mid July, the slop bite would develope and improve as the summer wore on.
Come mid August during years when the shad pops were on an up cycle, they would move into those weeds beds by the zillions followed by the bass and then the bass fishing really got cranked. The bass would corral the shad up against the sloping causeway apron. A 6 or 8 hr. trip would produce 40-60 bass with as many 4 lbs. and over as under. It was a real thrill to watch the bass as they ripped through a school of shad numbering in the thousands. The water would froth from the flaring shad.
Unfortunately, Akron has chemically treated the weeds and all but wiped them out, at least in comparison to how they use to be. Naturally, this really sucks as the bassin' has deteriorated substantially. However, there is still some decent bassin' there and obviously a few hogs are still around. One could do a lot worse than fish Rockwell.


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## Lewzer (Apr 5, 2004)

Ole Don Plusquellic would just love this thread with all the great publicity about HIS sacred watershed.


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## ARGEE (Apr 5, 2004)

I Can Verify About The Croppie Bite Back In The 70's.when It Was On It Was Non Stop For Hrs Then It Quit Just Like A Light Went Out.also The Littering There Was Teribble.i Knew Someday Back Then, They Would Stop Some Of The Fishing There


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## bassmastermjb (Apr 8, 2004)

Mark's Live Bait And Tackle Lake Rockwell Rd.

You guys brought back some great memories I had as a kid at Rockwell.As the story goes, nothing stays the same forever.But the one thing that has changed,are the northerns in here.They are massive now with the heavy shad population and the newly introduced white perch.By massive , I'm talking of 20+lb fish.My biggest was a little over 25lbs., and there are lots of them.The catfishing has also been good with channels being caught upwards of 30lbs off the causeway the past 2 weeks.If you can find someone to drop you off for an evening, you gotta give it a try.I was even thinking of starting a shuttle service from the house.The fishing here is something you will really enjoy.


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## findiesel (Jul 6, 2005)

Mark: The shuttle service wouldn't be a bad idea at all. I would actually use it just so I don't have to walk from the storage place. Plus, I never really have anyone who will just drop me off. Maybe we can arrange something on the side if you are serious about doing it. Let me know. I will be up there in the next few days, so we can talk about it then. Thanks...


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## findiesel (Jul 6, 2005)

I forgot... did anyone know what paper and date the article about the fish was in?


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## bassin420 (Apr 30, 2004)

Where is this lake,they say it is in akron i live here and have never heard of it.


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## esox (Dec 26, 2004)

Haha MA. I can understand where your comin' from, however I've never met Mark or ever been to Mark's bait. I was basically posting a bit of a brief on Rockwell.It does indeed have some big northerns, has for many years, but there's a caveat. Once pike get much more than 6 lbs. or so, they need to find water temps cooler than around 65 degrees. Being a cold water species, their metabolism races when the water gets to warm and they "metabolise out" so to speak. That is, they can't eat enough to put on weight and can basically burn themselves out trying to do so. Rockwell causway pike, especially the big ones, are a seasonal thing. Early and late season. The water off of the south side of the causeway is very shallow except for the channel which runs along the east side of the res on the south side of the causeway. With this dry spell, the big flat off the south side may only be a couple of feet deep, maybe less. At normal pool it's about 30-36 inches, that's all. This is far to warm for big pike at this time of year. Pike in the 30 or so inch range are occasionally caught from the channel at this time of year. These fish are in the 4-6 lb. range and even then they don't seem to spend a whole lot of time there. It's not like their real plentiful. 
I can't say for certain, but I suspect that the big bass came from the channel simply because the water off of the causeway apron is so shallow. When the weeds were there, it was good even when shallow, but without the weeds, not so good. Giant bass in real shallow water with no cover at mid-day is not something you bump into all the time to say the least. That's why I suspect it was caught in the channel, where the water can be anywhere from 6-10 ft.
I'm not trying to say that Rockwell is some sort of fishing Nirvana. At one time it was close to it, but that was then. The potential is there with some times of the year much better than others. Again, with the weeds gone, don't go there expecting to catch a pile of bass. You could easily get skunked.
So far as the white perch go, they've been in there for at least 10 years and probably longer. It was about 10 years ago when they started showing up in numbers. Tightliners would fish off of the north side in the channel during spring and catch them by the bucket.
Bassin', Rockwell is located on Rt. 14, just east of Streetsboro.


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## Predator225 (May 14, 2005)

Right you are , esox. I remember fishing rockwell 15-20 years ago with my uncles and they let me reel in a couple of those early season pike. they had a pond they would go to and catch monster golden shiners, like 8-10" long and tight line them on the bottom with a big floating jig head they made from poly balls. The best time was right at ice out in that south end, and the hits were few but the biggest they caught is actually on my wall still. I would give anything to just spend a week fishing that lake from a boat in the spring, or any other time for that matter. Do you think the white perch came from east branch, because i know they showed up there first about 10-12 years ago? Bassmaster, that shuttle service is not a bad idea 

JB


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## esox (Dec 26, 2004)

The white perch were well established at least 10 years ago so I think that migratory bird transplant may probably be the more likely way they were introduced into Rockwell. The north end of Rockwell is visited by huge numbers of migratory waterfowl in the spring and fall, with a lot of goose traffic in between as well. They could have come from East branch, but actually, I noticed them in Rockwell before I did at LaDue. Odd, I know, since LaDue is upstream and naturally no perch are gonna swim up over the dam. That's why I figure the birds spread them. From maybe the late '70's until the mid '80's or so, there were also white bass in Rockwell. They just turned up and then disappeared. At least I haven't seen any since then. I figure a flock/flocks of birds swam through fertilised eggs at an Erie trib, then flew to Rockwell. Without adequate spawning habitat at Rockwell, they were unable to propagate or maybe they were out competed by the white perch that allready had a good foothold by then. At least that's my best guess. Who knows.


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## bassin420 (Apr 30, 2004)

So i take it you cant get a boat on this lake,I dont fish from the shore? I take that back unless i am chasin steel in creeks,but then i am in the river so much can that be considered shore fishin


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## parsaver36 (Jun 11, 2004)

the cuyahoga river goes into rockwell so anything could be in there


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## esox (Dec 26, 2004)

As has been mentioned, the only place you can fish is off the Rt. 14 causeway and the culvert on the east side of the res. Put a boat on the res, they'll arrest you and since it's fenced they could charge you with criminal trespassing. The best fishing at both areas is earlier in the season. If Akron keeps the water at normal or near normal pool, there can be a decent night crappie bite in the fall too like there is in the spring.


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## bassmastermjb (Apr 8, 2004)

Master Angler- It's because of people like you, the reason I very rarely post.I do not need to PIMP my bait.I work real hard and am very sucessful at what I do.90% of my customers fish West Branch, Brady Lake, Twin Lakes or farm ponds.I really enjoy giving out and sharing information that will help others catch decent fish,when they otherwise might not.I just read every one of your 76 posts and in more than 3/4 of them you are either belittling someone or trashing their threads.I hope you find yourself another fishing site, because this one is not for you. Maybe you'll get lucky enough to find someone like yourself to share your *@$#@$#$ comments with.You can do everyone a big favor and seek out some sort of therapy to find out what your problem is.You are a sick individual in need of some serious help.


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## AndroDoug (Apr 12, 2004)

My sentiments exactly BassMastermjb. MA, you almost never have anything positive or constructive to say about anything. Why do you even bother? You have never even remotely contributed anything worthwhile to this site, or the former site for that matter. You just belittle people with your arrogant attitude. The problem is, you have nothing to be arrogant about. I too would wish you would take your posts elsewhere.



> I hope you find yourself another fishing site, because this one is not for you. Maybe you'll get lucky enough to find someone like yourself to share your *@$#@$#$ comments with.You can do everyone a big favor and seek out some sort of therapy to find out what your problem is.You are a sick individual in need of some serious help.


Every time you decide to type something out on this site, it makes me cringe. There is no one on this site as vindictive and belittling as you. Most everyone on this site shares info and tries to have fun. You do your best to take the fun out of everything you decide to comment on. Most people will have a difference of opinion here and there, and occasionally maybe not agree. But with you it is ridiculous.



> Why not just hand fish out so you don't have to pimp the lake so hard to sell some bait?


Do you honestly think he is trying to make a living on selling bait to Rockwell fishermen? How many people fish that lake a week? Maybe 10? Bassmastermjb has just simply shared information about a local lake that people might find interesting. He also provided valuable legal fishing locations for Rockwell in the past, just in case someone wanted that info. That is what this site is about. Sharing info with people. Info that might have not readily been available to those people if this site did not exsist. MA, what info have you EVER posted that has helped a fisherman with fishing on this site? You just degrade people and shy them away from posting and sharing information.

Bassmastermjb, don't let one bad apple ruin the bushel. Keep posting. I am interested in seeing a pic of that fish. And keep up the reports on the lakes that 99.9% of your customers fish, even though you are probably $3.50 richer now with all that extra bait you sold for the "hordes" of Rockwell fishermen you just created!


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## ParmaBass (Apr 11, 2004)

Very well said Doug.


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## AndroDoug (Apr 12, 2004)

Thanks Parma, and the way I see it, a member of this site WHO OWNS A BAIT AND TACKLE STORE, potentially can be the best source of up to date fishing information for ALL OF US! There are many members of this site that own bait shops, and in my opinion are some of the most valuable members of this site. They talk to many fisherpeople every day. They know what is working real-time on the lakes they service. And that information is very valuable to all of us. I personally do not have that kind of resource of information available to me... if it wasn't for this site and what everyone shares.

MasterAngler, when you offend one of these valuable members (or any member for that matter) by calling them a PIMP and belittling their business, you POTENTIALLY CAN TAKE AWAY VALUABLE INFORMATION FROM ALL OF US "OTHER" MEMBERS if they quit posting. Information we all can use, including you. There is no reason to jeopardize the quality and quantity of future fishing information myself and everyone else may receive from Bassmastermjb, just because of your ill-thought degrading comments.

Not providing usefull information on this site that everyone can use is one thing. But to potentially take away valubale information for EVERYONE in the future is uncalled for and cannot be tolerated in my opinion...



> Master Angler- It's because of people like you, the reason I very rarely post.I do not need to PIMP my bait.I work real hard and am very sucessful at what I do.90% of my customers fish West Branch, Brady Lake, Twin Lakes or farm ponds.I really enjoy giving out and sharing information that will help others catch decent fish,when they otherwise might not.


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## Lewis (Apr 5, 2004)

I agree,the individual bait shop owner is a valuable resource for all of us,when it comes to up to date reports on area waters.
This is something you can never get at WalMart or Cabelas.
Keep the info coming Mark!
All of us appreciate it!


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## Crappieking2001 (May 31, 2004)

this is a great site for every type of fishing person, it all about informing. Some people, and even the best learn something new or something old,
but then every now and then you get a  knuckle head with negative feed back, or just with some issues of there own that just like to start things, and probably find it funny when they get set straight by the members,

like mama says if ya ain't got nothing good to say, don't say anything at all.


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## Capt.Muskey (Apr 14, 2004)

HEY, Can we get a picture of this 13#Bass??????


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## just perchy (Jan 16, 2005)

did anyone ever get a picture to post or a newspaper article to verify this catch?


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## Slikster (Jul 14, 2005)

No pictures or name of the paper the story and picture were in was given. 

I read on another board recently that this story was a hoax. 

Guess we'll never really know.


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## Master Angler (May 26, 2004)

Hoax eh...now wouldn't that be funny...esp. given all the detail. bigger and better hoaxes have been pulled off so it wouldn't surprise me but I would find it gratifying


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