The One That Got Away Or The One That Never Was  

by Teri Hooper

 

Sam and Jodie Green, living in the suburbs of Midland, Texas worked long and hard to one day be able to afford a nice fishing boat. They wanted to buy a boat and spend their free time fishing on nearby lakes. Not only did they like to fish but loved eating them too. They shared long talks about catch and release programs and decided they could have just as much fun catching them while eating bologna sandwiches, so catch and release it would be. They bought their dreamboat.

It was a used 1988 Tidecraft Wildfire 150, painted metallic red and black with an eighty-eight horsepower Evinrude to push it through the water. It was in excellent condition and came with a forty pound thrust Minn Kota trolling motor and a new Hummingbird depth finder. What a honey. Jodie spent all week making a list of things they would need for a four-day fishing trip. She gathered the gear together and packed everything just so. The tent, air mattress, ice chests, card table, camp stove and everything else they needed.

Sam made sure the fishing poles were all strung with new line and in good working order. He bought new lures and added them to the lures he had saved from his earlier days of fishing. They finally made it to the lake. How beautiful it was. It was serene and peaceful. They set up camp as quickly as they could and hurried down to put their new, used boat into the water. Everything was great. Sam backed the boat out to the courtesy docks while Jodie parked the truck and trailer. She walked down to the dock where Sam was waiting and climbed into the boat. Off they went. Past the no-wake zone to power up, traveling the distance of the lake to the known fishing spots.

They settled into a little cove that looked perfect for big bass and set their poles in the water. Cast after cast for what seemed a very long time, they both smiled in their patience. That’s what fishing is. Patience. All of a sudden, Sam, felt a huge tug on his line. He jerked the pole back and said, “I’ve got him!” “Oh boy”, said Jodie. “It looks like a big one.” Sam fought the monster with everything he had for the longest time. Jodie just knew he was going to snap that pole in half or at the least, the fishing line would break and the monster would get away. Sam fought and fought.

It seemed like the catch was taking everything out of him. “There she comes!” Sam said, and yelled at Jodie, “Get the net! This one’s a keeper.” Jodie made a dash for the fishing net and leaned over the side of the boat under Sam’s feet, ready to snatch the huge fish from the water. Sam was still fighting with all he had to bring the big fish to the surface. He tugged and tugged at the huge thing. After what seemed like a long battle, trying to bring the fish close enough for Jodie to snatch it with the net, she could see something coming up through the water. “Oh Sam”, she said so excited. “It’s huge. I see it.” Sam kept telling her, “Get ready. It’s coming”.

He finally pulled his catch close enough to the surface that Jodie could scoop under it and snare the big devil. She could see that big beauty in the skillet before nightfall. Her mouth watered at the thought of pan-fried fish with potatoes and iced tea. Why, there would be enough fish there for them to eat for days. She just knew it. She swooped the net under the big catch and had him in her grasp.

She helped Sam land that big thing and started pulling it up with two hands into the boat. “Oh my God!” Sam said. “It’s huge!” “It’s huge all right”, said Jodie. “It’s a huge white bucket filled with mud!” They pulled the big bucket into the boat and stood over their monster catch without saying another word. “Well”, said Jodie. “I can always make mud pies for supper”. They released the big bucket of mud back into the murky depths they pulled it from and watched it slowly sink into the abyss. They could only dream of the one that got away, rather, the one they never had.