By Tyler Garber

I have been fishing since I was five. I thought you would like to hear about the largemouth bass I caught on a hot day in Florida on July 20, 2005. Using my Ugly Stick, I was flipping shiners in a pond.

One time I cast a little too hard, throwing the shiner off the hook. As I watched the shiner swim, there was a huge splash and then a bass grabbed the bait on the surface. I could see the size of the bass and knew right away that I wasn't about to go home until I caught it.

I put another shiner on the hook and cast to the same spot where the bass hit the bait. Sure enough, I got a reaction strike and it was a hard fight but I was able to pull it up. The bass weighed about nine pounds.

Since then, I have caught many big bass in that pond and in East and West Lake Tohopekalega which are considered to be two of the best bass lakes in the country. I'm luck to live only minutes away from these great fishing spots.

Tyler Garber
Kissimmee, Florida

Editor's note: Tyler is the starting pitcher for his baseball team. He enjoys learning about fish and baseball players.