Well a few years back my buddy and I decide that it is always more fun to go several days after the trout opener for a little competitive catch and release, so we are at the boat launch at a local lake… my buddy said he would go park the truck incase I needed to move the boat for another boat to launch… so I am standing on shore waiting for him to get back… I am looking at these lily pad and I see this Traditional Red & White Bobber slowly moving around amongst the pads…

So, my buddy gets back and I saw “Hey let’s make it fun this time… Let’s put $5 on the first fish caught and the $5 on the first fish in the boat…” and he bites like a winter starved brown… “Ok…!” he says.

So, I say “You launch and I will row”… In we go, I start rowing out between the pad and he is quickly getting his gear ready, with a grin and thinking that I must be a fool volunteering to row after the bet, because he will be able to cast as soon as we get to “our spot”…

Now, I am watching that bobber… and casually making some intentional rowing errors to put me close to the bobber… then as he looks down one more time to finish a knot, I make 2 quick strokes, slide to the side of the boat and grab that bobber! Up I start pulling the line all the while that trout is kicking and fighting… My buddy just sits there looking at me… I finish the retrieve and pull in a nice 14 rainbow right into the boat…

I look right at him and say “Well you owe me $10!” and start to laugh…

At this point is when the back peddling started for him… trying to change the bet… saying I cheated… I couldn’t stop laughing…

Never did get the $10 but… remind him in front of friends all the time about how he doesn’t pay up on bets…!