Get out to the fishing area about 6p. Not much wind, very overcast with stars peeking thru the cloud cover, occasionally. A few other boats in the distance, visible by their running lights. Can see the lighthouse beams, maybe 4 miles away. The horizon is black. Gus and Dad have little mag-lite beams on their caps. I hook up pretty quick with maybe a 25 pound bass. Rules are 2 per person per day. I say it stays on the boat, and I'm happy. Gus hooks up on the next drift with a big fish-the scales indicated 38 pounds! WOW!! Keeper. The scales break. A few drifts later we triple up-everyone's got one on the line. Dad and Gus manage to get theirs on board, I'm fighting mine for 10 minutes. A big sucker. Rod is bent in half, and I can see the white side of the fish just below the surface. SNAP! Parted the line, and I saw the fish swim away. Got taught the lesson, work the whole boat, walk around, don't let the line near the edge of the boat, or the motor: the line is too taut. I'm bumming. It was a big fish. Start a new drift. I like to hold the rod, and play a little with the line, almost jigging. Drives Gus nuts, which is why I like to do it. Can feel a fish playing with my eel. Maybe 5 minutes. Suddenly we're tripled up again. Gus lands his bass, but the net gets tangled. Dad's ready for the net to land his, waiting for Gus to try to free the net. Me, in a controlled panic, say "Guys, I need some help here". Gus: work the boat, work the boat. So I walk this fish, reeling it in ever so slowly, around the net mess, Dad's line, along the whole boat. 15 minutes of uncontrolled anxiety. I've got a pretty good one on the line, but can't see it. Get it up along the bow, Gus gets the net, turns on his light, "Karen, you've got a big fish". "Yeah, Gus I've been telling you that" Takes him about 10 minutes to get the head inside the net. Boats it. "Karen!! That's the biggest fish I've ever seen". I'm so exhausted. "Yeah, ok". "Karen, that's got to be 40 pounds". Yeah, ok. "We're outta here, bring in the lines, we gotta weigh in" We book it back to the barn, Gus can't keep his eyes off this baby.

Call the whole family to meet at the weigh in station. Pull up in the truck and people peer in to see what's in the back. They're in awe. Gus puts the fish down. I can fit both my hands inside one of the fish's gills. Lift it and start to straddle/waddle to the weight station. "Drag it, Karen." Duh, ok. Lots of people at the weigh in station. They part for us like the Red Sea. The weigh master looks at the fish, says put it on the table. The table seems really high. The fish and I both end up sprawled on the table. I climb down. This guy has seen 12,000 fish weighed in over the past 2 weeks. He looks at the fish. He looks at me, Looks at the fish again. "You catch this". "Yes, sir" "That's a beautiful, beautiful fish." The crowd behind erupts. Gus is going crazy since he still hasn't weighted it. Takes him both hands to drag it to the scales.

43.24 pounds. The crowd goes nuts! I'm embarassed as hell. Biggest fish for the day, in the Derby, Biggest fish for the week (and, as it turns out, for the Derby ) for any woman!! The pic doesn't give the true length of the fish. On a good day, I'm 5' 5". That fish, when I was able to hold it up, with the tail on the ground, came to my mid chest. Sure glad the line parted on that other drift. Gus took a second with his.

3 others shots, different views: http://www.pbase.com/kleaf/weekend_fun