A bitter sweet day

[keithdog]

Today, my older brother Steve and I got out for some bass fishing, and we had a really nice time together. It had been a long time since Steve had gotten into some hot bass fishing. So I took him out to Flint Lake and guided him to the areas I was sure would produce for him. He had a blast, as did I. He out caught me 3-1 and I couldn't have been happier. I'm not sure how many he caught, but it was at least 10 bass and 1 pike. The 3 lures that produced today for him were the Jitterbug early, followed by one of my own spinnerbaits, and an Xcaliber 3" popper in sexy shad. My bass were caught mostly off a Cavender buzz bait and a couple on the popper. It had been years he said since he brought home fish to eat, so he was very pleased to have some for dinner. He and his wife will be eatting good tonight. The bitter occured just before we left. The rain had started to fall which was ok, but then the lightning started and we knew we needed to get off the lake. He went to make one last LONG cast with his brand new baitcast combo, and it slipped out of his hands and down it went. Somewhere 15 feet down, it lays on the lakes floor. I felt so badly for him. This was his first baitcaster and by far the best combo he's ever had. AND, I was so proud of how well he was casting. I had my share of backlashes today, but he seemed to be doing just fine with only a couple minimal mishaps. He had caught on very quickly. The rod was a brand new Garcia Vendetta and the reel was a Pro Qualifier Tournament Baitcaster he bought from Ryan. He loved that outfit! Next time I'm out I'm going to try to snag it up, but you know how that goes. In the meantime, he's planning to get another outfit exactly like the one he lost. But all in all, he kept everything in perspective after the shock of loosing the outfit. I think his strong Christian faith helps him a lot in situations like that. While some guys would tend to go nuts, he was able to reason it out and accept what had just happened. I wish I could be as resolved as he is in situations like that. Here is a pic of Steve with the ones he brought home for dinner. Way to go brother!!!