My Drought Finally Ended

I caught this 30 pounder last night. NP wasn't with me, so it makes landing any large fish difficult, especially in total darkness. Luckily I had the net on the dock with me.I was finally able to land this monster flathead, after a long fight. Somehow catching a fish this large is not the same without a witness, especially my son. Our fishing is a team effort and I get more enjoyment from seeing him land a big fish. Sharing in the moment is what life is about

The large flat head you see here, measured 36 inches and according to the weight chart we use, would have weighed a little over 30 pounds. This chart is just an average, there are some fish actually the same length that could weigh more, we won't talk about the ones that could weigh less.

The next challenge I faced, was figuring out away to provide evidence of my catch. I had my camera, but since I normally take the picture, I needed to figure out a way to get in the photos. I decided to let the gas grill act as my tripod. Pressing the timer button, I ran back very quickly and picked up the fish for my photo session. Luckily I got this shot. I admit it's not that good of the fish or me, but it's the best I could do under the circumstances. Next I placed the large fish on a table to get a better picture and released him soon afterwards. I admit I was lucky to land the fish on the dock without any help. I hope I don't have to that again(well I can't honestly say that, because that would like saying I hope I don't ever catch a large fish when fishing alone and that would be a foolish thing to wish.) It's great to know that a fish of this size can be landed by yourself, but it's not fun doing it. Normally most fisherman will try to bring the fish to shore.Bringing a fish of this size to shore, would bring more structures into play which he could entangle or break the line on. I really missed having my fishing buddy tonight.