Allan Stohl proved the last worm gets the big one.
Back on Father’s Day (yeah, I misplaced this one), the 6 1/2-year-old was fishing with his dad Mark at Grove Lake in Addison, catching lots of bluegill on worms and bobbers.
They were down to their last three worms and Allan insisted on making casts until they were gone.
As you see, it paid off with a 21 1/2-inch largemouth bass worthy of Fish of the Week.
FOTW tops the Midwest Fishing Report each Wednesday in the Sun-Times. An extended online version appears here.
Here’s the story from the proud Dad.
Please consider my son Allan’s catch as your fish of the week picture. This Father’s day I took my 6 1/2 year old son Allan fishing at Grove Lake in Addison, ILL. Setting up with your standard fare of worms and bobbers we quickly found tons of blue gills. That was good enough for Allan, he was having a blast catching fish all by himself. Sitting out on the dock and watching those bobbers going down is always a fun time, yet it’s nicer when the fish are bigger. Getting ready to head to my in-laws for the rest of Father’s day, Allan tells me we can’t go until all the worms are gone. So I look and find we still have 3 worms left, and I put a new one on his hook for him. He casts out about 10 feet or so, and a few minutes later he yells Dad, I got a bite!, so I tell him alright Al Bring it in. He tells me I can’t, it’s hard, I look over thinking he got stuck in the weeds, seeing his bobber going down and out, I tell him you got a nice one, bring it in. So he keeps at it I tighten his drag a little and he brings it up to the dock, many thanks to the nice older gentleman, who helped us with his net, (Daddy’s mysteriously disappeared). It only took him a few minutes to bring it in, but the smile on his face lasted a whole lot longer and the memory will last in my heart forever. My little man with his Shakespear Scooby Doo kiddie rod definitely out fished his Dad, landing a 21 1/2 inch Large Mouth Bass.
Mark sent this back in June, and I misplaced it.
But he sent a reminder a couple weeks ago, along with this note:
P.S. Allan is a Cougar of the Month at Queen of the Rosary, in Elk Grove Village. Not only can he fish but, he’s very smart for a first grader.
Smart enough to fish to the last worm.
And make for some wonderful photos.
E-mail FOTW nominations to outdoordb@sbcglobal.net.