Dad and I didn't do too much fishing growing up, but since I'd taken on the hobby again lately, I asked him to come along on a day fishing trip to a nearby stream. One reason I decided to stream fish is because my dad has a fear of water. He doesn't go out on boats. I don't like the heavy fishing pressure on lakes anyway, so we decided to check out a spot that I had hiked to and fished at before. We didn't start early in the morning because, well, I hate getting up early, and although bass seem to bite early, they will also bite at other times during the day if conditions are right. It was after lunch before we began.

To no avail. We fish for a good 30 minutes with no bite. That's more than enough time in one spot when there's no action. So we move on. As we hike back further into the forest we come across more downed trees and thicker brush that we have to maneuver around and hack out of our way. We come to another little stream that feeds into the larger one. This is normally a good sign. Bass enjoy feeding in spots where there are feeder streams. We are getting closer, I can feel it.

We arrive at a spot where I have seen large carp swimming near the surface. I stop to tell my dad that I have seen large carp swimming in these waters. As we glance over the edge of the embankment my eye catches some movement near the shore. I see some larger sunfish. I decide to follow their movement to see if any bass are around. As my eyes follow the shore line I see them. There they are in plain sight due to the shallow bank and the water clarity. They are two of the largest bass I've ever seen! I quickly put down my pack and bait my hook with a large nightcrawler bought on sale at Wal-Mart (they sell everything).

My dad keeps an eye on the bass and then begins getting his line ready. I get ready first and commence to cast to the water. Suddenly, the bass are gone. I don't see them anywhere. "We lost them", I say to myself. So I look toward the direction they were swimming. Luckily I see them again as they circle around. I cast directly in front of them and the bait lands about 8 inches from their head. As soon as the worm hits the water I see the bass jump and take it. I have him! I then proceed to get him to the shore. He is a heavy one! As I get him nearer to the bank he begins to fight and I mean fight. He is so strong he pulls me off the bank and into the water where I fight him head on to the death (yeah right). Seriously though, I am afraid I may loose him, so I grab the line and pull him to me on the bank.

He is the largest bass I have landed to date. I didn't have a scale to weigh, but we took some nice photos that show his size. He's not state record size, so weighing him didn't seem that important to me anyway. My fisherman's estimate says he was 6-7 lbs. (fisherman's estimates come by thinking of how heavy a gallon of milk weighs and comparing that to the fish - a gallon of milk is 10 lbs., this method proves to be accurate every time :) He measured 19 and 1/2 inches long - a whopper bass!! He was the first catch of the day and the best - my all time best.