School Story:
So many stories, so little time. Perhaps the best of all the stories involves Coach Roberts, Randy Whitt and myself. Coach was a very wise man and enjoyed taking young men under his wing and helping them find their full potential. One of the ways he would bond with us is to take us fishing. Coach was a charter member of a private fishing club that had "secret" lakes in Alabama. One early spring day (4am) we met Coach at the BHS parking lot and departed for the fishin' hole. When we arrived at the lake, it was just about dawn and the weather was overcast with a light rain. It was a little cool and once we threw out the lines, we walked to Coach Robert's car to keep warm. Just as we arrived at the car, Coach saw his bobber go under the water. We all ran back to the lines and Coach tried to set his hook only to have the fish escape. We reset the lines and once again were back at the car when his bobber went under for a second time. This time Coach yelled, "Boys, go get that rod and set the hook." Randy and I ran back to the rods and Randy set the hook. Coach arrived shortly thereafter (he was a chain smoker and old, even in 1966). Coach got so excited that he set the hook a second time by heaving back on his rod. He broke the line, of course, and as we stood there dumbfounded, we watched the line snake out away from the shore. As it was going out very slowly, Coach yelled, "Boys, get that line"! Both Randy and I plunged into that lake and snagged that line with our hands. We brought it back to shore and Coach began bringing the fish in hand over hand. Within a few minutes, Coach had landed a 12-pound large mouth bass. He was shaking so bad he could hardly hold the fish in his hands. That day, we took 5 bass of various weight, the 12-pounder being the largest by far. This fish story is the absolute truth, so help me God. I have the photo to prove it and will post it on line as soon as possible.