I’m sure you can guess what happened just by the title. Very excited to go fishing this morning, I joined an online tournament for the month of July for the biggest bass. About 5: 30 this morning I pulled into the boat dock and started happily walking towards the boat. Coffee, phone, wallet and new ruler to measure my fish, all in my hands. I went to reach in my pocket for my boat keys and yes, you guessed it, they fell out of my pocket, hit the pier and bounced right through the board cracks. I just watched my only set of boat keys sink to the bottom under the pier. My heart stopped briefly, but I immediately set everything on the pier right where I stood, and proceeded to empty my pockets and take off my Nikes. In the water I went.

For the first 45 minutes of my vacation day fishing extravaganza, I was hanging out under the pier, looking desperately for my freaking keys. Using my toes wasn’t cutting it. Had to go under and run my hands along the bottom. After a few choice curse words, and then a short prayer, I touched something that made a rattling pinging sound under water.. just like a set of keys. (made me wonder what fish hear when my worm weight smacks a stick or something down there.)

Anyway, good news, I found them next to the pole in about 4 foot of water just under the silt. I was ecstatic and could not wait to get out of the water and back up on the pier, and in my boat and out to the fishing hole.

Once I found some grass, it didn’t take long to hook one. I started fishing with a watermelon and black fake worm, not much happened for the first 10 casts so I grabbed the other rod with a red worm on it. The second I switched over to that ‘Tomato Seed’ colored worm I immediately caught a big heavy mean disgruntled bass.

Took the customary picture & measured him on the new ruler for the tournament. He measured out at 18. 75″ almost 19″. I am in first place in the tournament with a 16-inch Bass next in line. It started getting humid out but I caught 2 more fatties before pulling out.

What a morning – swimming in the river at 5 am looking for my keys and I get lucky and catch a good bass that puts me in first place. …For now.