Smallmouth Bass Fishing

My grandparents Harry and Florence Smith were farmers in the Pocanos. They had 15 dairy cows, 2 horses, chickens, a rooster and 320 acres of land. Both worked part-time at a summer camp across the road from their house. My grandfather was caretaker and my grandmother cleaned rooms. There is a lake next to the camp that has smallmouth bass, pickerel, perch, eels, bullheads, shiners and sunfish. The fishing is good from the docks. The camp owners let me fish there because of my grandparents.

I like everything about smallmouth bass-their shape, bronze coloring and fighting ability. And they are delicious to eat. I admired a fisherman from New York-Mr. Frank, who used to come to fish the lake. He used a rowboat, despite having only one arm. He used the stump of his left arm to turn the handle of his spinning reel and used his good arm to play fish. He knew how to catch bass and taught me a few tricks-like how to fish a rubber worm. Cast it and let it sink to the bottom. After about 3 minutes, give it a twitch. When the worm drops down it can trigger a bass to bite. The first time I tried this I hooked a one pound smallmouth that jumped out of the water trying to throw the hook. When you aren't expecting this it can make your heart stop.

Once when I was 12 years old I stayed with my grandparents during a school break; I fished from a dock about 20 feet from shore. I baited a red & white daredevil with a worm (my modification of Mr. Frank's lesson), aimed at a likely spot and cast my Mitchell Garcia 300. The lure landed silently about 50 feet away. I let it sink to the bottom (about 20 feet) and waited. After 15 minutes, the line went taught and I hooked a 1 pound bass, which I released. The next day, I went back to the exact spot. I knew my target because I lined it up with a tree on the opposite shore. I repeated the sequence and waited. I caught a two pound bass, which I released. Third day, same routine, produced a four pound bass, which I kept. My grandfather was sleeping on his couch. I stuck the bass's nose near my grandfather's face. When he saw the fish he jumped up and said- "let's go back to the lake."

I cast to the same spot and waited. This time I knew I had a big fish after I set the hook and felt him pulling on the drag. I kept my rod tip down, hoping the fish wouldn't jump. After 10 minutes of fighting on 8 pound test monofilament, I brought the fish to the surface. My grandfather knelt down, grabbed the line and lifted the fish in the air (we did not have a landing net). I heard him say "oh my God, this is the biggest" (...bass I've ever seen), then the line broke. I was stunned and heartbroken. To this day, fifty years later my goal is to catch and land another smallmouth as big as the one I lost, which I believe was 6 pounds. I have never duplicated catching a family of smallmouths from the same spot.