Fishing Report May 31, 2007

What a fitting way to end the month of May for Neal Patrick. NP and I got down to lake just before dark and caught this large fish 45 minutes after arriving. The large flathead catfish normally strike hard, but this one bit differently. There was just a slight movement of the rod, which was barely noticeable. We thought perhaps it was turtle, since we have seemed to have encountered quite a few turtle bites lately. NP decided to set the hook at the next twitch. Immediately he thought he was hung on a large log, but then the line started screaming outward from the reel, spool spinning. We knew immediately this was no small fish. It was so dark that it was hard to tell the size of the fish. I was guessing 20lbs from glimpses of the fish I would catch, but then another flash of the fish, showed a tail considerably further back from where the fish's head broke the surface. This indicated a much larger fish. The flathead catfish weighed in at 32 pounds. We gladly called it evening, this was another early birthday gift for me to enjoy. What a great way to end the week with Neal Patrick.