My Largest Fish.

It's a quiet and sweaty day in Northeast Ohio. The sun beats down on my dads favorite lake. I flip a baby BrushHog watermelon red magic to the end of a pontoon boat, docked sideways to a cement wall.

My line goes slack, then a hard thump. With an all mighty pull I set the hook and... My line doesn't move. A snag. 

I begin quickly pulling at the line trying to free the hook from whatever foreign object it has found its way into. Then I notice the line slowly moving away from the wall... The fight is on! 

To make a long story short, 10 pound catfish. 

However, that's still not the largest fish I've caught. That belongs to the 32 inch Muskie caught while bass fishing with my favorite rattletrap. 

Or the 14.5 inch crappie I caught the same year I was so desperately going for a 15 incher, an honor shared by my grandpa and dad. 

Or a couple 4 pound bass. Or the gigantic sunfish caught from the shore at a camp I worked in the summer. 

So my question is: What is the largest fish you've ever caught? A question everyone asks when they find your passion for fishing. It's like your credibility is based on the largest fish, not on the hours you've spent attempting to catch them. 

In conclusion, if you're chasing old SnakeEyed Billy the fifteen pound bass at your cousins estranged grandparents private pond (something I spent the better part of a long summer day doing), don't lose faith if you fail. Fishing isn't about catching the fish. It's about communion and escaping your busy lives for a couple hours. 

Enjoy many fishing adventures! 

- Asher.