in Journey

The story of my Personal Best

This story isn't about how I caught this fish. I caught it on a spinnerbait and blah, blah, blah. This story is about what I did with it and how much it meant to my grandfather.

Today this bass hangs on my wall. All those years ago, most anglers put their biggest fish on the wall, too. Today, I'm blown away at all the nice bass posted on FishBrain that get released. That's really great! My new personal goal is to catch and release a fish that's over 10 pounds. And with today's smartphones and GoPro cameras, there's really no worry about proving what you caught. To capture their weight, anyone can have a good scale today because they're accurate and affordable.

I'm not upset with myself for getting my prized fish mounted. You see, back in 1985 my grandfather was fighting cancer. He lived 2 hours away in Macon, Georgia, so I couldn't see him as often as I wanted.

When I sent pictures to him. He was so proud of me and this fish. He was a fisherman in his younger days and had many pictures of big stringers of bass, catfish and panfish. But this one...he was beaming with pride whenever he talked about it.

After I had enjoyed looking at my fish on the bedroom wall for a while, I knew there was a better place for it. On my next trip to Macon, I took this fish to my grandparents to hang in their living room. I think this was the best gift I have ever given. My parents heard from many friends and relatives that they'd seen the great fish. My grandfather showed off his "Grandson's" fish as soon as they walked in the door.

My Prized Fish

What I remember most about my PB is the joy it brought to my grandfather until he passed away in 1988. After both my grandparents passed away, I was able to get my fish back. I don't look at her that often, but when I do, I think of my grandfather and the pride he had in me and my fish.

I don't regret putting this fish on the wall. Not one bit. But today is different. I hope my next memory will be a bigger fish, slowly swimming away from the boat or the bank after I gently place her back in the water. And when that happens, I'll be thinking of my grandfather.

I'm sure he'll be thinking of me.