It all started a week ago Monday night when I sprained my ankle playing basketball. This past Saturday, 5 days after that fateful night, my ankle was still too sore to do anything other than hobble around on. That created a problem. The weather was nice this particular Saturday, and the guys were getting together to play ball. I decided I would take the kids out there, hang out, and maybe drop a line in the canal near the courts. I might not be able to play basketball, which was already an established fact before I injured my ankle, but at least I could get outside and get some sun and fellowship.
So, I packed the kids into the car and we headed out. Jaron has his own little fishing pole, and for some reason once we got out there he wanted to fish with a bobber. Well, I didn’t have any live bait, so I just hooked a 7″ rubber worm on his pole and he was happy. He would cast, watch the bobber for a bit, then reel it back in. My daughter, Ava, saw this and wanted to play too, so I hooked up my nice rod and reel the same way and cast it out there for her. Its a mite big for her, but she would reel it in with considerable effort and then ask me to cast it out again.
I was doing this for her when the guys finished up their last game of ball and waved goodbye. I cast Ava’s line out and shouted a hearty “Later!” to Mark and Bill. I turned back around and noticed Ava’s bobber going under a little.
“Ava, it looks like you’ve got something there, reel it in.” As I said the words the fishing rod gave a little jerk, bounced out of her hands and into the canal. I watched it for a brief second, trying to decide if I wanted to go in after it. With a start I realized that the rod and reel was worth $70 or more and I hobbled (ankle sprain, remember?) quickly into the knee-deep water. Just as the rod’s handle was disappearing into the murky depths I reached in up to my shoulder and grabbed it.
I started reeling the line in and noticed that the fish was giving a little more fight than I expected. I stayed in the water as I reeled until I saw the fish come to the surface about 10 feet away. At that point I started yelling and shouting for someone, and I vaguely remember Jaron yelling from the bank. (It is all rather hazy and dream-like now.) I clambered up the small bank onto the shore and finished reeling the fish in. I was worried that it would break my 6 pound test line, but I finally got it up out of the water. Ava and Davin took a few steps back, and even I just stared at the behemoth while trying to figure out how to pick it up.
I eventually decided that I was bigger than the fish and that I needed to pick it up to at least get a pic. Jaron managed to take a couple of pictures with my phone’s camera before we released her. Below is one of them, and it proves that even a 3 year old can catch a big fish with a lure, on a bobber, in a little neighborhood canal.
I guessed that the fish was around 6 pounds, but my co-workers think it looks closer to 4. What do you guys think?