My Dream Bass Travis C Reed FPO, Japan

I'm in my early thirties now and have fished all of my life. I fish mainly for largemouth bass, and it all started with my dad taking me out and showing me the ropes of bass fishing. So, all of my life, I wanted to catch that one big bass that would top any bass that my dad ever caught.

When I was in my twenties I joined the Marine Corps, and the Corps took me immediately to California. At the time, I didn't know that California had some of the best bass fishing ever. Little did I know that I would spend three years in California experiencing some of the best bass fishing I ever had! Once I was settled in California, I began to search for fishing spots.

I found a fishing spot outside of San Diego at a lake called Lake Poway. I couldn't afford a boat, so I purchased a float tube and hit the water. I took my favorite assortment of "plastics" with me to fish. On this particular day, I was in search of a "lunker." I had heard stories of pulling bass out of Lake Poway weighing over 10 pounds, and I was excited to no end. As I paddled out working the shore around the lake, I came to a point where some other anglers had told me that "lunkers holed up" in the area. Along the way, I had no action whatsoever, and I finally reached a point where I began drifting slowly back and forth over this point. I must have fished at this point for a good two hours, but I had no luck at all. I was close to packing up and leaving for the day when I got hung on the bottom.

I tugged on the line a little to try and loosen it, but nothing happened. So, I tugged a little harder, and then I saw it. My line began moving towards the shore. I thought "what in the world." I knew I had something on the line, and so I set the hook just to be sure. I reeled and reeled but to no avail. My line just kept moving towards the shore and closer to the surface, and then "it" surfaced. Instantly I began shaking and a surge of adrenaline rushed through my body. I had never seen a bass this big unless it was mounted on someone else's wall. It came straight up out of the water and would just shake his head trying to lose my hold on him. I was determined that I was going to get this one! The monster broke the surface to go airborne two or three more times, and then he would head deep down from the surface and then up to the surface again. Every time the fish resurfaced, I though for sure he would shake me loose. This is how I lost several "big ones" in my time.

Not this time. I was after the biggest fish of my life and being dragged around in my float tube, but I finally landed him. I was shaking so badly, that I though I might drop him. So I strung him up even before I took the hook out. I was being as cautious as possible not to lose him. I wanted to know the weight of the fish. I thought he might weigh 8 or 9 pounds. I weighed the fish on a cheap scale I had with me. The scale showed that the fish weighed between 12 and 13 pounds. I knew I was grinning from ear to ear, but I wanted the accurate weight of the fish. So, I took the fish to the boat dock where there was a certified scale, and he weight 11.4 pounds. I was still ecstatic. This was by far my biggest fish ever. It was even bigger than any of the bass that my dad had ever caught!

My Dream Bass

I was aglow while showing the dock hands and a few bystanders; we took a picture to go on the wall. I proceed to the water with the "big one." You see, this was my dream bass, and he put up one heck of a fight. I thought maybe, just maybe, he could make someone else's dream come true. So, with a kiss and one last look, I released the fellow back into the waters. It was truly an amazing day that I will never forget, and I have the photos if anyone tries to say "that's just a fish story." No, it was my day to shine.

Travis C Reed