Dad Hooks a Big One

Dad is here for David and Zach's birthday. We fished Lake Royal early this morning long enough for Dad to hook one very noteworthy fish. Initially we thought it was an average to large bass, but after several runs that nearly spooled Dad we suspected it was a 10 lb+ catfish. He came up a few times and we saw what looked like a large cat’s dorsal fin. The fight lasted over twenty minutes. Once Dad realized he was about to get spooled he started to put the brakes on and the behemoth popped off. Dad fought the fish skillfully only applying pressure as a last resort. The bait was a white curly tail grub on a jig; a lure that occasionally elicits a catfish strike. Tomorrow is the big day for fishing. We are hitting the Rapidan for smallmouth so long as the weather holds. I pray for clear water and big smallies.