LAKE CONCORDIA, La. &045; No wonder they call them &uot;man’s best friend.&uot;

Major, Grady Boykin’s 15-month-old chocolate Labrador, whined and leaped frantically from the leash that attempted, however misguidedly, to keep his paws grounded as Boykin walked past the dog with a $520 fish.

Major accompanies his master for every fishing trip, and he was certainly a good luck charm Saturday, as Boykin claimed the top prize with a 7.66-pound bass during the ninth annual Bryan’s Marine Big Bass Tournament.

&uot;I’m gonna have to check with (tournament organizer) Eddie (Roberts) to see if I have to pay for Major to be in these tournaments with me,&uot; Boykin kidded. &uot;All he wants to do is see the fish come in the boat.&uot;

Boykin admitted he didn’t give his animal too many thrills during Saturday’s bluebird sky, but he channeled the necessary perseverance when he needed it most.

Boykin caught the beast around on a bush hog near a virtually deserted north end of Lake Concordia. He said it was his last cast during the third bi-hourly weigh period.

He had seen the bass hit his neighbor Robbie Roberts’ line earlier in the day, and in fact had the same fish on his line before he was able to boat it.

&uot;She straightened (Robbie Roberts’) hook out,&uot; Boykin said. &uot;Once I saw him cut his (hook) off, I cut mine off and put a bigger hook on. I went back and stuck her one time, but missed her.&uot;

He actually caught the female at 11 a.m., but played a smart strategic maneuver by deciding not to weigh the fish until the final weigh-in at approximately 2 p.m.

Ferriday’s Jimmy Hodges won the 6-8 a.m. weigh period with a 5.05-pound bass; William Hatter of Winnsboro, La., claimed the 8-10 a.m. period with 5.07-pounder; and Monterey’s Danny Smith’s 5.87-pounder during the 10-noon section was the biggest bass of the day until Boykin’s catch.

&uot;The smart fishermen carry their fish in a bag. So there’s a lot of lying going on,&uot; Eddie Roberts said. &uot;But it is a strategy really. If you catch a big one early on, you might want to wait to weigh it until the last period.

&uot;They’ll come on here and just sit by the scales. The rule is once you step out of the boat with a fish you’re obliged to weigh it. It creates a lot of down-to-the-wire situations.&uot;

Eddie Roberts was appreciative of all the 37 participants’ willingness to practice catch-and-release, as both Concordia and St. John continue to recover from the largemouth bass virus that infected the two lakes several years ago.

And Saturday’s results showed things are improving from not too long ago.

&uot;Last year, we only weighed one 5-pounder, but this year we had six,&uot; Eddie Roberts said. &uot;Last year, it only took a 2-pounder to (earn) a check, but this year that was pushed up to 4 pounds. That’s all thanks to catch-and-release.&uot;

Even a reluctant Major had to watcher Boykin put his beauty back in the lake after the necessary &uot;Ooohs&uot; and &uot;Aaahs&uot; were handed out.

Boykin watched other boats head back to the docks for the third weigh-in, deciding to instead continued to fish.

He said Robbie Roberts’ misfortune turned out to be his lady luck.

&uot;She put up a good fight at the back of the boat,&uot; Boykin said. &uot;She went to both sides of the boat. She jumped twice and really got the adrenaline going. I pretty much figured she was the one on a day like today.&uot;

Eddie Roberts was a little disappointed with the turnout, but knew it was a direct result of tournaments springing up and spreading the competition out.

The sub-par entries were certainly not absent due to the weather, he added.

&uot;We fished today on what I call the backside of a cold front, which are normally tough conditions,&uot; Eddie Roberts said. &uot;But we’re in a March full moon and the fish are spawning. There couldn’t have been more perfect conditions.&uot;