Match fishing line and ball worms. You can spend your money on fancy, shiny, black lures, but the rubber worm has been my choice since the day I hooked the biggest grouper I’ve ever seen.
It was the middle of the day, and my brother Jim and I had gotten into one of our frequent arguments. We were both in our late teens and although we really loved him; It got to the point where I realized that trying to reason with him was like trying to reason with a two-year-old. I left the house, grabbed a fishing pole, which thankfully had a ball worm on it, and went to the lake.
The private lake was about fifteen minutes by walking through the woods from the back door. The pond was calm and I enjoyed it in peace, standing under a large cypress tree, with outgrown lilies.
I wasn’t really trying to catch anything, especially at that time of day, but mostly I was trying to sit down and cool off. After about half a dozen, I got snagged. This is a bad thing to throw around the lily. Snagged is easy.
Unwilling to lose the leader, I pulled firm but steady on the line until it gave way, and then I staggered it. The guide was fine, but the rubber worm had a little tear in it. I didn’t care and just threw up in the same place, slowly staggering back. Doing that was kind of therapeutic for me and I was starting to calm down. But there was no way I was going back to my brother’s constant bickering.
Jim and I are Christians. I love Jesus, and I love my brother, and I have no doubt of my brother’s love for our Saviour. However, as teenagers, I guess you could say that our Christian spirit was still in its early days, and we were always fighting about one thing or another.
Anyway, I dropped my lines and after about thirty minutes or so, I snagged again. Lowering the pole, I drew steady on the line, but it simply stretched out. I pulled harder but it didn’t move. I tried short tugs then a steady pull and again, it wouldn’t budge. It was CNN tomorrow. I am going to lose my leader. I wrapped the line around my arm and pulled hard.
The line gave way and the biggest bass I’ve ever caught in my life came at least six feet out of the water! He danced in the middle, and sank back.
I completely affirmed that my eyes and mouth were open as I was stunned, frozen to the ground, not believing what I was seeing. But I got out quickly, because the fish had taken off, and the line was still wrapped around my arm.
A line cut across my skin as I wrestled it and grabbed the pole with both hands. The big fish was all over the lake, first in one way, then in another. I knew I was in trouble when it continued to meander like a lily pad to the line. And I let him go and ran across the bank to turn him. Then I stopped and tightened the line, and let him go. The line turned and I rolled it. He came out of the water, dancing in the air.
Such experiences need to be shared, and there wasn’t a soul around to see it! I was hoping even then that my brother Belly (a big worm) was coming to look for me so he could see what I was witnessing.
The fish sprinkles the water and goes to the bottom. He behaved differently and was afraid that the leader would give up. I have never fought a fish like this. I’m small-minded and strong was not true. My arms were tired and I kept looking up, hoping my brother would show up.
I am tired and careless, so that he calls me back to the lilies. By the time I realized it, it was too late. The line was moved. He wore lilies around him.
At that point I had no choice but to pull steady on her. My arm was bleeding where the line had been cut. Forgetting, I put the line around the arm and pulled steady. He stopped. The leader broke. I lost him.
When I got home and told Jim what had happened, he didn’t believe me. Oh, I thought I could almost catch a fish, but seriously doubted its size.
Actually, I don’t think anyone really believes me and thinks I’m exaggerating when I tell my story about him getting away. If I were the type who used to exaggerate things, I would understand, but I have always been perfectly balanced. And as a Christian, I was not prone to lying.
But I know what happened that day. With a rubber worm cut into it, I snagged the biggest largemouth-bass I had ever seen. Believe me, when you say that you are fishing with bass, a ball worm is all you need.
