And a Good Laugh Was Had by All

It was just a few days before Thanksgiving when a fella's father, brother, and family came to visit for the first time. Prior to their visit, the host had been catching largemouth bass quite often, and after bragging to his father and brother, they couldn't wait to wet their lines. But with their wives organizing the Thanksgiving feast and the three adult males in charge of the kids, how could the guys possibly find time to fish?

With a whole brood of kids, ranging in age from 12 to 16, serious fishing was definitely not on the agenda...that is, until the two brothers came up with an excellent idea--paintball!

"We can kill two birds with one shot, so to speak," they thought. "We will drop the kids off at the paintball field, leaving my father, brother and me the opportunity to pursue our favorite pastime."

On the way to the paintball field, the father noticed a farm pond.

"That looks like a good place to fish," he said.

The host brother, however, was reluctant to fish there because it didn't seem very accessible, and he said so, much to his father's dismay.

After getting the overly excited kids signed into the paintball center, the overly excited adults headed out to fish. The father and guest brother kept insisting on trying the farm pond they had seen earlier. After much friendly banter, including the host brother wanting to go to his favorite spot, because he knew they would catch their fill there, he finally gave in.

The small pond forced the trio to fish shoulder-to-shoulder. While the father and guest brother tried to figure out which lure to use, the host brother selected a 4-inch topwater lure. After looking over the pond, he reasoned that he had only a few feet of water to work with and had to flip his lure over nearby bushes in order to avoid snags.

The flipping technique worked, although his first cast was uneventful. The second cast was a different story. He retrieved it to within 4 feet from the bank, then proceeded to flip the lure right into his forehead...ouch!

His dad looked at it and said one of the hooks was embedded beyond the barb. Both he and the visiting brother found it quite comical, especially after the latter blurted out, "I've never seen anyone land a 200-pound black bass before!" referring to the fact the family involved here was African American.

Needless to say, they all subsequently were in stitches. However, their fishing day was ruined, as they had to leave for the emergency room.

Several hours and stitches later, they picked up the kids from their paintball adventure and headed home. Running into the house, the kids raved about their full day of paintball fun. When the adult men were asked about their fishing luck, though, the host brother removed his fishing hat and related the story of what had happened to him. His wife, who was eight months pregnant, subsequently nearly laughed herself into premature labor!

Just goes to show why you sometimes might want to have an alternative scenario in mind. After all, it's an accepted fact that all fishermen lie...ahem, I meant to say "tell stories."