You just take it off the wall and smile real big.
I guess the title should really be how to make people believe you caught a bass in trout country.
During my senior year of high school I was working at Lake Isabel, a great fishing spot when the owners stocked it with trout and a slow fishing spot when they didn't. The lake also had bass, although during the four years I worked there I think I only saw one caught.
In the bait shop there was a cork board with 25 to 50 pictures of fisherman holding trophy catfish or trout. It was one of those displays that makes a fisherman stop and take notice.
On the wall, above all the photos, was an old stuffed bass.
Two girls I went to school with were hired at the lake. One afternoon while business was slow we dusted off the bass and I took the Polaroid outside and snapped a picture of Kelly Resler holding the taxidermy special like she had just reeled it in.
Just for kicks, we put the picture on the cork board with all the other trophy catches.
Many, many people saw her picture on the wall and asked her questions about catching the fish. Nobody ever connected all the dots and figured out the ruse even though the bass and Kelly were usually only a few feet away from the pictures on the wall.
It was entertaining for me because Kelly really was a novice fisherwoman. I think I remember that as her knowledge of fishing grew, so did the story about catching the bass.
At first her explanations lacked detail. She would say she caught it using a worm, sometimes bragging that she put it on the hook herself. I believe I explained early on that bass don't really like salmon eggs or PowerBait -- that type of explanation would have been a fish story that was just too unbelievable to the seasoned anglers at the lake.
After Kelly had been there a few months and worked up some confidence in telling fish stories some people heard how she had caught that bass through her skillful use of a secret lure. Real fishermen don't give away their secrets to just anybody, especially somebody looking for tips in the bait shop.
I have recently been in contact with Kelly again. She told me that she still has the picture and that her four boys love to hear the story about how she was one of the only people to pull a bass out of Lake Isabel.
Actually, I believe she told her children the truth, but that doesn't make it any less of a fish story.
4 comments:
Who was the other girl ? I always thought I was the only one ! I feel betrayed by Julio.
My memory of the photo is a little different.I know I've said over the years that my children have sucked all the intelligence from my Brain but this happens to be one of my favorite memories.
I remember it was the day the lake was drained and catfish were dying in puddles of water.We decided to try and pick up the fish and throw them into the larger puddles.This is when we came across a very large dead catfish-Paul that's when you came up with one of many ingenious ideas. I stood in the mud holding that dead fish with a huge smile as if I just caught it.The rest is history ! My career as a bait girl only went up from there.Power Bait was the brand named in your revel of my catch.
My version of the story is my "fish tale" but I'm sticking to it.Even though my Grandfather is no longer alive,but thought of often. At the time of the catch he was very proud and displayed the photo and article which read "largest fish caught of the month" I did tell him the truth after,which he claims he always knew but he enjoyed the photo of me looking like a fisherman and hearing me tell the tale.
My boys love to hear the story for a different reason.They love the mischief of it.
Robert+Kelly=4boys
Paul- thanks for all the valuable fishing knowledged during my time at the lake-one of my best qualities is, I bait my own hook !
The other girl who worked at the lake was Kendra, although she didn't last long.
The lake was never drained. It was drying up because of drought and because we pumped just about all the water we could from another small lake at a secluded location. Man-made lakes can be so porous.
Early on in your employment, we did pull the bass off the wall and take a picture of you holding it. For a time it was placed on the wall with other pictures.
I'm glad you shared reminded me about the catfish story. It is familiar. I definately remember pulling catfish from those puddles, and I remember submitting information about a fabricated catch of yours to Field and Stream or some other local publication. Do you still have the article?
Last night all I could think of was my "fish tale" and how already there are holes in my story.
Power bait is for trout,not catfish? I should know this.
Kendra-How could I forget,she isn't the type you would forget-more like totally block out of your memory.
I did call my Grandmother last night and asked her to look for the photo and article.My fingers are crossed !
Robert+Kelly=4boys
Also it's "knowledge" not "knowledged" I should spend less time bragging about baiting my own hook and work on my grammar.
I must admit that the PowerBait part of story stood out to me as suspicious, a detail that would bring doubt to the mind of any fisherman.
I'm actually a bit relieved there are two fish stories. I was having trouble understanding why you saved a picture of you holding a stuffed bass for years. I understand better why you would hold onto the catfish story.
As someone who has really caught a big fish, my son is my witness, I can tell you that it is thrilling. Hopefully you can catch a big one and show your boys up some day.
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