Crazy things happen when you spend a little time fishing. Almost everyone I know, fisherman or not, has a fish story. I have a few .. like the time I caught a giant bullfrog on a spinner bait .. or when I walked into some shallow water, jumped on a huge carp .. and wrestled it to the shore. But the most amazing thing happened to me this week.

I was fishing for bass in a small pond. I didn't have a lot of time, so I was throwing a crank bait. In fact, this green and yellow shallow diving lure was one of my all-time favorites. I have landed so many fish on this bait over the past 7 or 8 years ...the paint is worn off, and the hooks have been replaced twice. Anyway, I got a bite. A good size bass hit my lure and pulled me under some nearby rocks. SNAP!!! .. He broke me off!!

In the matter of a few seconds, my favorite lure was gone .. and so was the fish. I had that lure for almost a decade! It's got a special place in my tackle box. It's the king of all other lures that call my Plano, double tray, deep storage, tackle box home! A few more years, I would have given it a name and let it out twice a day to use the bathroom. We were close .. and now it's gone!! I felt rotten. I felt sick. How could a 3 pound bass snap my 14 lb. test line?? .. and with such anger. He took me into rocks. Every fish knows that's cheating!

After 3 or 4 minutes, I stood there and watched in disbelief as (and this is true) the bass jumped out of the water .. shook it's head .. and spit my lure out of it's mouth. It landed 2 feet away from where I was standing on the shore. I reached down and picked it up. I could not believe it. I The bass returned my lure. It was like reverse "catch and release." He gave it back. He must have heard me crying.

I want to thank that fish, and the next time I jab a hook deep inside it's mouth and drag it to shore, where I will hold him up into the dry air for several minutes to take 2 or 3 pictures that nobody will ever see before tossing him end over end back into the water ... I will. I will thank him. True story.

If you have a fish story and a PICTURE to prove it. I want to see it. Send it to the KAKE Braggin' Board .. or pass it along to me at jeff.herndon@kake.com. Or, share it here under the comment section. Thanks!