Winner (ages 10 and younger) | Winner (ages 11 to 18) | Honorable Mentions
Winner (ages 10 and younger)
Logan, 9, from New York
They call me the fish hooker
The line breaker
The creator of the ugly stick pole breaker
The big daddy fish catcher
I'm also the Rattlin' Rapala fish catcher
The sonar reader
I'm known to be the pole hospitalizer
The pole fixer
The pole annihilator
The line defeater
I'm called the fish fryer
The perch eliminator
The bass filleter
The stream killer
The fish flopper
The sailfish snapper
The big fish lander
The docker
The perch poache
r
The tournament winner
Some say I'm the opponent annihilator
The Legend I be...
That's just a few of the names they call me.
Winner (ages 11 to 18)
Emma, 12, from Minnesota
The One That Got Away
I'm going to tell you about the one that got away. Pretty classic title, huh? Though the title is pretty common, the story is, well ... let's just say that it's a little different than most fish stories. It goes like this. It was a hot summer day. I'd say it was about 153 degrees out. I was fishing in my new 37-foot bass boat with a 600-horsepower motor. I was using a hot pink and neon purple crankbait and wearing my "Who says girls can't fish?" sombrero. The lake was as big as an ocean, and I had the whole day to do whatever I wanted. Of course, I picked fishing.
After my line had been in the water for a couple of milliseconds, I felt a bite so big that it would have dragged most professional fishermen right into the water. But not me! I held fast to the rod and expertly maneuvered the fighting fish into my boat. I put it into the livewell to be taken to the world record office later that day. On one crankbait alone, in five minutes, I caught nine bass, each one bigger than the last. So I guess you could say, I caught 10 world records. And it wasn't even time for my midmorning snack!
After a couple more world records and some professional speedboat races that I entered and won, it was time for lunch. I took out my tuna salad sandwich and a huge, fat catfish jumped into the boat. It flopped toward me and my tuna sandwich, but I easily threw it out of my boat with a net. Pretty soon, another catfish jumped into my boat, and another, and another, until all the catfish in the lake were in my boat! They all flopped toward my sandwich. The boat started sinking fast! I had to do something quick! I started throwing them out, one by one, but more and more kept jumping into the boat!
I grabbed two nets, one in each hand, and frantically scooped up a bunch at a time and threw them in opposite directions so far that they probably collided somewhere in China. After a while, I had cleared the lake of catfish and finally got to eat my sandwich without worrying about having to share it with a catfish. After finishing my lunch, I decided to try a new spot and use a pastel pink and baby blue spinnerbait to attract some bigger fish.
As I cast my rod in the new spot, I saw a flash in the water. Thinking it was just a school of sunfish, I didn't give it a second thought until I felt a huge tug on my line. I expertly maneuvered it up to my boat and grabbed the net. I raised my rod and saw a huge snapping turtle at the end of my line. The turtle was as big as a 42-inch plasma screen TV, with jaws as big as an alligator's. It jumped into my boat and started walking toward me, mouth open, looking very hungry. I circled around it, trying to think of a way to catch it off-guard. Quickly, I threw a soft plastic worm to the other side of the boat. As it turned to get the worm, I grabbed it by its tail, and now it's probably in China with the catfish. After this episode, things slowed down. I only caught three new world records, but hey, I gave it a good try, right? Since nothing much was happening, I decided to take a break and have my supper. I filleted and fried some of the smaller 9-pound bass and had a pretty hardy meal.
I wanted to try one more spot before I had to go home, so I went to the deepest part of the lake. Legend had it that the biggest largemouth bass in the world lived in this very lake. People said it was as big as a baby whale. There were supposed sightings of it in this spot, so I decided to give it a try. I dropped my line right next to the boat with a 10-pound bass I caught earlier as bait. I felt a huge tug — no, more like a semi-truck size tug — on my line and saw the fish jump out of the water. It really was as big as they said! Next thing I knew, I was in the water and being pulled across the lake. I stood up and barefoot skied all the way around the lake with the fish pulling me. Finally, the fish let go of the line and I had to swim all the way across the lake to get back to my boat, but it was good exercise.
So now you know my story of "the one that got away," exactly as it happened. Well, maybe not exactly. OK, OK, so maybe it wasn't exactly 153 degrees out, and my boat isn't 37 feet long with a 600-horsepower motor. But it had to have been at least 84 degrees, and my 8-foot fishing boat does have a mean 10-horsepower motor on it. And the "lake as big as an ocean" would maybe more accurately be described as a really, really big pond. And I didn't catch any world record fish. But I did catch a world record weed, and I probably beat the world record for most lines caught in a tree. And as long as I'm being honest, I might as well admit that all of the catfish didn't jump into my boat. It was actually one catfish that a couple of pranksters threw into my boat to scare me. And I didn't fight it off, I actually jumped into the water screaming and it flopped out. There was a turtle, but it wasn't a 42-inch snapping turtle. It was a cute little painted turtle that I scooped up with my net to keep as a pet. I did catch one big fish though; it weighed 12 pounds and 8 ounces. At least I'm pretty sure it did. My fish scale batteries were dead. But I really do have a sombrero that says, "Who says girls can't fish?" I got it on a fishing trip to Mexico. And there really was a bass the size of a baby whale that got my line and dragged me across the lake, but I didn't exactly barefoot ski behind it. More like face-in-the-water-being-dragged-across-the-lake "skiing." So now you know the story, exactly how it happened. (Almost.)
Honorable Mentions
Olivia Grace, 9, from Missouri
Me and Bass Fishing
I get up at 4:30 in the morning when it's still dark outside. My tackle box is ready and my poles are already in the boat. My family and I are getting ready to go to Bismarck Lake. The sun is just coming up by the time we launch the boat. I like it when the lake is foggy and the Bass are flopping and making huge rings in the water. First I put a beetle spin on my line and then cast out as far as I can. I try to cast close to trees, logs, or some other cover because that's where most of the big bass are. If I'm lucky, a bass will strike it as soon as my beetle spin hits the water! No Luck...Then I cast out my worm and a huge largemouth bass struck my bait. I jerked it as hard as I could and I reeled it in really fast and caught it! I love the feeling when a fish strikes my line. I love the rush I get when I'm reeling it in. It feels so good to reel in your line and see a big bass on the other end. It was amazing! We weighed it and it was 7 pounds, 4 ounces! I caught a lot more fish that day but most of them were too little to keep. I let them go so they could get bigger so I could catch them and keep them next time. Later, everyone else started to catch fish and more boats came. We were doing pretty well. Then all the fish came out and Mike, my step-dad, Kayleigh, my sister, and my mom started catching them too! Even though we all used different baits, all of our fish were about the same size. I asked if we could fish until dark, and Mike said yes, but we have to go to this special fishing spot. So we motored on over to the island he was talking about, but when we got there two boats were already there. We were afraid that they had already gotten all the good ones! But we started casting, and the fish started biting. It was so great! Then it was time to call it a day and go home. So we loaded up the boat and went back home.
Then it was time for the real fun&eating them!
Madison, 9, from Florida
Fishing For Him
Fishing wasn't really a big deal for me before I knew how to do it. The only thing that was important to me was him. It all started on a cool Saturday morning. Momma was combing her beautiful brunette hair while I got dressed. We were all in our pajamas, except for daddy. He usually gets up early in the morning to get ready. He combed down his hair with hair gel, and got dressed in his suit. I guess he was up late because his eyes were red. He had that same look every day. To me, it always looked like there was so much sadness in his eyes.
That day I was wearing a pink skirt with one little purple flower at the bottom. My top was opposite, purple with a pink flower at the top. I wore pink flip-flops and I wore my hair half up, half down, and it was curly. Momma came in the room and said, "Sweetie, you look fine." For some reason I would always believe her 50 percent. The other half would go to daddy, but he would always say the same thing every day. By something I mean motions. He would scratch his short black beard and nod his head and then continue reading the paper. I ate breakfast while my dad watched the news. There was something that they said about fishing, and I saw him put his head up and look at it, his red, sad eyes becoming bright. Then he looked back down and kept on reading the paper.
"Sweetie, time for school, the bus is here! Now carry on and get your backpack. Love you!" Momma said while I rushed out the front door. "Love you too!" I said. I went into the school bus and sat by my two best friends, Lilly and Christina.
"So, how are you and your dad doing? Got him ready for the dance?" Lily sad while I put my pink backpack down that had crayons and markers scattered everywhere inside. "Well, not exactly," I said.
"Look Kailey, I for one am telling you to start getting interested in that lawyer stuff," Christina said.
"No, that stuff is way too boring." I said.
"Remember that the dance is this Friday! You know, the father and daughter dance!" Lily said.
Then I got lost in the conversation that my friends were having about the exciting dance that Friday. I was depressed that everyone who had a dad, except for me, was going. I moved to a different a chair, put my seatbelt on and looked out the bus window and saw the fog over the lake with the trees swaying side by side.
That was a beautiful moment for me. I looked and saw how beautiful the sunrise looked over the lake. The whole entire day at school I was still thinking about the lake and how beautiful it was. While my teacher was talking about history, while P.E. was going on, I was thinking about it. Then came lunch, recess, and more writing. Finally we had dismissal.
Momma would usually pick me up. I got in her light blue Highlander and we drove home. After I thought about how the lake looked and told Momma what happened in school, I remembered when daddy heard the word "fishing" his eyes were drawn straight to the screen. So when we got home I put on my pink nightgown and started to look up how to fish, how to cast, and how to actually get a fishing pole to do so. Then Daddy came home just in time for dinner. I smiled and was very excited. Momma told me to eat more of the green bean casserole, but I was way too excited. I spread the green beans out and acted like I was chewing. Then she nodded her head. Finally, I went to tell daddy about fishing.
"Guess what," I said with a smile on my face. "What?" he said not even turning his head to look at me. "Uh, I was wondering if we could go fishing one day." I said.
"Kailey? You and me fishing? Wow, I never expected that from you. Sure we could go! How about, this Friday?" he said with a slight grin. Then he turned toward me and I saw a slight sparkle in his eyes. "Sure!" I said without thinking at all about the dance.
Each day I regretted and regretted those words more and more. My friends thought I was crazy and they stopped talking to me. I told them I am and would always be a girly-girl. They ignored me and left me alone. Finally, it was Friday. It was my first time on the water and I was terrified. It was in the morning that we started fishing. He got out these weird looking worms. At first I thought they were real, but it turned out it was just rubber. He pulled out one fishing rod and I asked him what it was. He said it was a fishing pole to reel in the fish. Then he started to put the disgusting rubbery worm on the hook that was attached to the brown fishing pole. Then I asked him if he could tell me how to do it. He scratched his head and leaned over and held me close. He picked up the fishing pole and we started to cast. He showed me how to do it and then he looked at me and helped me do it. My worm ended up landing in the middle of a tree. Then we both started laughing. That is when I realized how much fun fishing could actually be. I started casting by myself and I felt a fish bite. "Daddy, what's happening"?
"Sweetie, you caught a fish! You caught a fish!" Then he rushed over to where I was and we started to reel it in. At that moment I knew and thought that fishing was something I wanted to do the rest of my life. Then we pulled it in and it was so beautiful and green. Daddy said it was a big bass, almost 4 pounds. He told me about the scales and how the gills help them breathe underwater.
Then we saw this huge green thing coming over. "Don't move," he told me. Then he got the fish and threw it in the water.
"Why did you throw the fish in the water?" I said still confused. Then a huge pair of jaws came up out of the water. I screamed! It was an alligator! I was scared to death! After that we looked in the water and tried over and over again to catch that fish.
"Sweetie, I know I usually don't spend time with you, and I'm sorry. You know, this is how your mother and me met. It was on a romantic night, we had a picnic by the lake and stayed out and watched the stars. You remind me so much of her. I now realize what all I have missed working so much and coming home so late."
I also heard about that dance of yours and I think we could go to it tonight," he said.
"Really? Thank you so much! I have missed you too!" I said happily.
Then we went home to get ready. Daddy was wearing a suit (as usual), and I wore this beautiful purple sparkly dress. It went all the way to my ankles. I wore my hair in a ponytail, curly, and the rubber band in my hair was purple (the same color as the worms we used) with gold inside. Then for make-up, my mom put blush over my freckles and put sparkles on my face. I had light purple eye shadow and pink rose cheeks.
When we arrived at the dance, all my friends were surprised to see me.
"I thought you weren't coming!" said Lily.
"Well, if it were up to me, I might still be at the lake fishing," I said looking at Daddy.
That made him smile, and his eyes were sparkling again.
Mark, 11, from Minnesota
How to Fish Bass
I like to power fish. This means finding a place that you like to fish and that you think holds bass, then work the area hard, efficiently, and fast. Yet, sometimes, we have to slow down our presentations and work an area through efficiently. Like if I am power fishing in a bay and am moving along at a fair pace and I am starting to get hits, but I can't seem to hook a fish. Then I need to slow down and work the area with a different bait or presentation. Always remember that bigger lures mean bigger fish, even if that means fewer strikes. If you find an area that you know has fish but you are not getting hits on your last five similar lures, then try a totally different lure. For example, if I am fishing a weeded cove with a jig and pig, and I know there are fish there but they will not hit, then change to a spinner-bait, or even a buzz-bait if the water is shallow enough.
A key thing to do when fishing bass anytime of the year is to analyze what you see, and think of an approach. If you are studying a lake map and have a plan, but then the conditions change, then you are going to have to analyze what the conditions are and adapt to the situation accordingly. You also have to take into consideration the season, present and predicted weather, water clarity, water temperature, etc. So a lot of things come into play when it comes to making a pattern. Remember that patience isn't just about throwing different lures until you get a bite. It's also about fine-tuning to get the best results possible. A bass is a bass is a bass. The bass doesn't change. Only the conditions change, and you must adjust accordingly.
It is important to have an idea of what will happen before you start fishing, so you have a starting point. This reduces that lost feeling you get when you look over 10,000 some acres of water. Next, you should have some confidence lures you want to use so you try to find places you can fish them, conditions permitting. The key here is to remain versatile and flexible, in case you don't get to use them as much as you want, because that can blow your confidence. Finally, you have to believe that you WILL get the fish dialed in. This comes with experience, and a lot of time spent on the water!
Ashleigh, 13, from Texas
The Big One
It was once said, "Life is a succession of moments. To live each one is to succeed!" and I lived through a moment I will never forget.
"Wake up!" I hear my dad's booming voice. My eyes blink open. Crawling out of bed and fumbling about half-way across the hotel suite, it hit me. Today, I was going to be in the biggest fishing tournament of the year. I quickly walked back to my bed and found my nice clean, ironed club shirt and slipped it on. Today was going to be a good day! I ran outside to meet my dad who was already waiting for me as he was drank a steaming cup of coffee. I smiled and assured him that I was ready.
I had time to think as the rubber met the road and we got closer to our destination. I closed my eyes and tried to talk myself over everything I knew. I was ready! We pulled in and the pressure and anxiety were starting to set in. A crowd of kids and adults where standing around a stage. There were so many kids there, but I knew in my heart that if I could make it this far I could make it even farther.
Before I knew it I was starting to unload all my stuff into my boat captain's boat, whom I had met the night before. Time seemed to go by so quickly and I was having trouble taking it all in. I was drawn as boat 14 and I watched each boat leave one by one to go to there hopeful holes.
The cool air rushing past my face and sweeping in and around my hat calmed my nerves and assured me that today was going to be a good day. We got to my partners first spot as I looked around at what kind of surroundings I had to work with. I put on a trick worm and began working it to the best of my abilities. I could feel the tension it the water and I knew I wouldn't catch anything unless I just calmed down. I took a deep breath and told myself that all I wanted to do was have fun. I pitched it to a stump and I got a bite. I set the hook and started to reel. We moved to one of my spots after catching all we could and having two keepers each in the boat. The day was going really good until about ten o'clock. I couldn't get anything to work and I was starting to get discouraged. The next thing I knew we had 45 minutes left and I had 4 keepers in the boat. I needed another one to at least have a chance at winning. I pointed out a spot that I had caught fish before. Fifteen more minutes! Time was running out and still I needed one more fish. I pitched out to a rock and felt a big hit. I set the hook hard and started to reel. This was a good fish and I knew it. "SNAP!" My line broke and I fumbled backward as the seat caught me from falling. My mouth fell open. I just lost a really good fish, one which could have won me the tournament. Not a word was spoken. I quickly retied and made sure it was strong. I threw back into the same place I got my last bite and worked it out. It got about half way to the boat and there it was. I got a huge bite, even bigger than the last. My eyes grew huge at the weight of this enormous fish.
"Get the net!" I yell. The fish flounced at the surface of the water and I could see it. It was going to be the biggest fish I have ever caught. Luckily it didn't come off.
"Come on, come on. Don't jump." I talked to it as I carefully worked it in, praying my line wouldn't break. It got right next to the boat as my boat captain started to put the net into the water then "SNAP!" again. That same grueling sound filled my ears again and just like the time before I fumbled backward. I raised my head and there it was, in the net, in the boat! My heart made a flutter of joy. This was the big one, the one that would win me the tournament. With five minutes to spare we packed up and made it just in time.
"With a total of 20.04 pounds, Ashleigh James wins the 2009 Youth B.A.S.S. State Tournament!" A voice fills my ears. With my heart pounding and a huge smile on my face, I walk up on the stage to receive my trophy, prizes and rod and reel combo.
"Is there anything you would like to say?", the announcer asked. I leaned into the microphone and said with a huge smile.
"As a matter of fact, I do fish like a girl!" and I held up my trophy, as the crowed roared.
Brian, 18, from Connecticut
The Tail of Hank the Smallmouth
In the Connecticut River there lived a happy fish named Hank. Hank was a Smallmouth Bass and lived with his parents and sister Charlotte. Mom was always cleaning the bed and make home improvements. Dad always went out to get food for Hank and Charlotte, and always brought back a plump crawdad for them to eat.
One day Hank and Charlotte were swimming around in the river and they saw something interesting. It appeared to be a crawdad and they both swam to go see it and maybe get a snack. Charlotte wasn't hungry so she stood back while Hank went to go see it.
As Hank was watching the crawdad struggle, a door shut behind him and he was caught in a trap.
Hank was terrified and did not know what to do. Charlotte looked on as Hank struggled to get out. Charlotte ran back to get Dad, but when she got back the trap and Hank were gone.
Hank was trapped by scientists and was on his way to a local lab to get tested on and have a computer tracking device placed in him so scientists could watch his every move.
A chip was placed in him, then a couple days later, Hank was returned to the place they found him. His family was there to greet him with fishy hugs and kisses, but Hank noticed something, his mom wasn't there. He asked Dad what happened to mom and he said she was caught by scientists too and brought to a lab also.
Hank was scared, because he knew what she was probably going through, and he felt her pain.
Later on that day Hank was swimming around with Charlotte and his friend Larry the Largemouth Bass. As they were swimming, they met up with mean Petey the Pickerel. Hank swam with a little wobble because of the chip he had. Petey soon started making fun of Hank and the way he swam. Hank explained " I swim with a wobble because a computer chip was inserted in me to track my every move."
Petey then called the other mean Pickerels over and they started calling him names like Chip and Chippy Wobble.
Hank was hurt and swam away with Charlotte and Larry. Hank said to Charlotte, " Why do they make fun of me, and why did the scientists have to take Mom at a time I need her." Charlotte then said, " Hank, Mom wasn't captured by scientists, she swam away upstream with a bunch of male stripers . She left us Hank, she's gone."
Hank was horrified now, this meant Mom would never ever come back to them and didn't care about them at all.
Hank was very mad because Dad had lied to him, and Dad has never ever lied to him before.
A week went by after Charlotte told him this, and Hank hadn't talked much too Dad.
Hank told Charlotte one morning that he had decided to go find Mom. Hank knew that the stripers couldn't have swam over the Vermont Dam because they were too big to fit in the fish ladder.
Charlotte was mad at Hank, but knew Hank's ideas could not be changed. Hank grabbed his lucky seaweed necklace, and headed upstream towards the Vermont Dam.
The Connecticut River was big and filled with many types of fish, from catfish to sturgeons, the river was a very busy place. He was swimming for about 6 hours and was very tired, he asked other migrating fish where he was and they told him he was in Enfield, Connecticut. Hank migrated from his home in Wethersfield Cove to the Enfield Dam, which was about 25 miles. He figures if he makes 25 miles a day he would be in Brattleboro, VT where the dam was in about 3 days. The trip was 100 miles upstream, so it worked out good.
Hank arrived at the Holyoke Dam and had to go up the big fish ladder to get to the other side of the river. he compared the fish ladder to a roller coaster, because you ride up then swim away really fast in the current. He rode up the fish ladder, and some salmon flew past him and created such a big current that it brought the water up and the water smashed him against the side. On impact he got caught on a exposed nail and it created a big gash . He was very hurt and floated gently back up the fish ladder leaving a trail of blood up to the river. He got to the river away from the current and rested. Hank was panting and had a very bad cut on his right side, he patched it up with his lucky seaweed and swam on.
He saw a yummy lure lurking in front of him. The lure looked very real. He knew it was a lure because Dad told him about lures. Lures were things that looked like the food they feed on that humans use to catch them on for enjoyment or food. Hank noticed the shiny hooks, so he knew he shouldn't eat it.
Hank resisted the tasty looking treat and kept on swimming up the river to find Mom and the big, bad stripers. As he was swimming he decided he would take a break a rest his tired fishy body. He swam off into a quiet cove and rested near a tree stump. He felt something large swimming behind him and look over his shoulder to see a large sturgeon cruising the shore.
The sturgeon introduced himself as Stuey. Stuey was 40 years old and a native to the area. Hank asked Stuey where he was and he responded " You are almost there, your in Greenfield, Massachusetts." Hank was confused on how Stuey knew where he was going, but knew Stuey was a very wise person and probably heard it from other fish. Stuey told him that Vermont was not far and neither were the Stripers. Stuey introduced Hank to his other sturgeon friends and they offered to guard Hank on his way up to find his Mom. They knew that Hank has been through a lot, so they offered him some help. Hank agreed because he was very scared, and needed some bigger fish to protect him.
Four of the sturgeons, including Stuey, guided Hank up to the stripers, forming a convoy as they plowed up through the river. It didn't take long until they arrived close to the Vermont Dam. Stuey told Hank he would leave him there to do his thing, BUT THEN A SLAM CAME FROM THE TOP OF THE WATER, a net was being thrown over Hank by the scientists who had put the tracking device over him.
The net caught Stuey and Hank. The stripers stood around them and looked on like nothing bad was going on. The other sturgeons noticed what was going on and leaped over the top of the net and smashed it apart. In the meantime, Hank's Mom was off in the distance and saw what was going on and swam over with the stripers to see what was going on and what all the noise was. Hank and Stuey tore out of the net and the scientists in the boat took off in disgust.
Hank's mom saw him and swam over to give him a hug. She was crying and asked if he was alright. Hank was out of breath, but managed to tell her he was o.k. She hugged him tighter and said she would never leave him again. Mom noticed how the stripers didn't help Hank at all and told the striper that she was seeing, Scotty, to go somewhere else to find a spawning partner, and so they did. Mom apologized to Hank and said that she was having fights with Dad and needed time away, but now she was missing him. The sturgeons were crying tears of joy in the background.
The sturgeons led the smallmouths back to Rocky Hill. When they arrived, mom and dad patched up their relationship and renewed their wedding vows to show their lover for each other. Charlotte yelled at Hank and told him to never leave her again.
The smallmouth family traded fishy hugs and lived happily ever after in their quiet cove home in the Connecticut River.
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