The Big One

Written by Ethan Stokes

Something heavy was on my line as I struggled to reel it in . . .

Could this be the big one?

It was a hot summer afternoon. There was a clear blue sky and I was just beginning to fish with my friends. We were fishing for blue gills and crappie. My friends were catching blue gills like crazy. All of a sudden one of my friends caught a perfect-sized baitfish. I ran inside and got out my heavy Zebco catfish rod. It was a perfect white color with green line. I rushed back outside and I put the fish on the needle sharp hook. After a few tries at casting the rod, my neighbor, Mr. Rickie came over and helped me cast it far to the left. I waited and talked to Mr. Rickie. I asked him if he would teach me how to clean a fish if I caught a big one. All my friends had to go inside, so I left my line in the water and went in to eat lunch.

I was making my sandwich and my dad was watching my bobber out of the window. Suddenly, my dad yelled and sprinted outside. I knew what was happening, the bobber had gone under! Before I knew what I was doing I started racing after him. I ran out and found my dad holding the rod. I took it from him and fumbled with the rod for a few seconds. When I finally had the rod in my grip the bobber had come to the surface. Once I settled down the bobber began to move again. It moved right, jerked left, cruised right again and came to a halt. I waited for about twenty seconds silently then asked Mr. Rickie if I should reel it in. I started reeling it in and felt something heavy, it felt like one hundred pounds! It was so heavy it weighed me down and my rod arched. I worried that my line was about to break. Mr. Rickie said it was a turtle because it wasn’t fighting back. It was the heaviest thing I had ever caught in my life, besides sticks.

Then I saw the flash of its scales and instantly I knew it was the biggest fish I had ever seen. WOW! It was a silvery gray color with a hint of olive green and it had eyes as big as marbles. I confirmed that it was a large-mouth bass when I saw its mouth; it was so big my dad could make a fist and stick it in its mouth without touching its lips. Then I looked inside its mouth and I saw why it hadn’t fought; the hook was caught right in the middle of its stomach.

By this time everyone was outside, including my Dad (who had gone inside and instantly came running back out again), Mom, brother, and sister. My neighbors saw us all looking at it so they came running out too. Everyone congratulated me and said they had never seen or caught anything that big. I couldn’t decide whether to eat it or to mount it, but I finally decided to mount it. Every one continued to poke it and pull it out of the cooler. This fish was amazing! Later that day my bass was measured at twenty three inches long and six and a half pounds. It was the most exciting day of my life, and I can’t wait to have that trophy fish hanging on my wall.


Note: This is Ethan's story he wrote about his exciting catch this summer; he wrote it to enter in the 'Reflections' contest at school. Ethan doesn't enjoy writing so we were so proud of him for penning these details! You'll also notice in the photo that we now have his prized bass hanging on the wall in the basement!