Well, this one story is, promise and cross my heart, totally for true.
If you don’t believe me, then maybe this picture will show you what I’m talking about.

March 26, 2022, I spent the morning at the 73rd Big Bass Rodeo in New Orleans City Park … which is the oldest freshwater fishing tournament in the country.
HAD A GREAT DAY FISHING WITH MY FRIENDS, Simon and his nine year-old son, Blake. They had a blast catching blue gill and fishing for a bass that was just as stubborn as the crazy tale I’m about to tell you.
On the day, I caught three largemouth bass: a 2.05, a 1.85, a .79 … and the last one is the pic of the gal (fourth) that’s hiding under the top algae. I flipped my lure just behind the middle bass’s tail (above) … and wella … hooked the biggest of the three.
I reeled her up to shore, had my hands on her when she threw the hook, flipped out of my hand and onto the bank a foot below. Naturally, I stepped down after it, sank in the mud about a foot, had her in my hands again for one last wiggle and then … SPLASH … I dove half way in after her. In the end, she got away and I was full of mud.
“Look, I pulled the bass man in the water.” I could hear her and the two smaller bass laughing at me.

Turns out, the top three bass in the tournament weighed in at 5.5, 4.5 and 3.69 lbs. So I wasn’t that upset to have been a towel away from possibly getting in the Top 3 (towel meaning I usually carry a hand towel to grab bass to avoid EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED).
LOL
In the end, I didn’t make the Top 3 in the Bass category , but I did leave with a new Craziest Fishing Tale, with my good friends Simon and Blake.

Til next year, City Park