A Matriarch

I  fished a favorite creek located southwest of my home yesterday. I decided to try a section that I had not fished for 4 or 5 years. I remembered catching a chunky 15 inch smallmouth in a nice looking pool the last time I was there.

 Today would be an even better day. As I  fished the pool with a homemade 3 1/2 plastic worm I felt the worm stop and I set the hook. The little Daiwa spinning reel's drag began to scream as the fish had deep runs trying to reach the logjam down stream. I was able to stop her each time and slowly guided her into shallow water where I grabbed her by the lower jaw.

19 inches of small creek Smallmouth. I imagine there is a good chance that she's the same fish that I had caught years ago when I fished this pool. Her bottom fin had some sores on it and her tail was getting worn around the edges, signs to me that she was getting close to the end of her years.

As I slipped her back into her pool, she finned slowly in the shallows getting her strength back and I hoped that she would live another year to spawn another nest of smallmouth fry to keep this stream stocked with her genes.