re: Proudest moment of your outdoor life

When I was about 15 or 16 my dad and I went to Toledo for a weekend in early February. I hardly ever caught more fish than him, but that weekend I killed him! On the Saturday I caught 9 to his 3, and I caught a 6 and a two 5's. I had never even caught a five pounder before that day, I was pumped!

Sounds kinda like mine.
Growing up fishing Lake Eufaula (Al) dad wore me out time after time when we went. Of course he had a MBAA World Championship and a Georgia Top Six State Championship on his resume as well as 15 or so Basser of the Year honors in the Ft Benning Bass Club.
Anyway I'm home from Saudi (1st Gulf War)on leave and he asks me if I wanted to fish a pot tourney with him that Sat.
Mind you it was Dec and Sat morning temps slated to be in low 20's
Anyhow, we go hit some spots, water freezing on the line , and rod guides...good times.

Go all day without a hit till we hit a creek ledge just off the river. Boom he sets on one and up comes a 4-5 lber. SOmehow the chunk managed to pull off and the old man swears up a storm (something he VERY rarely did (despite being an Army retiree )
Usually I would be the hothead after losing a potential winning bite like that, but in a change of events I actually managed to keep a cool head and told him it would be alright...we'll get 'em.(something he has had to say to me countless times)
With God as my witness my next cast into a sunken tree on that creek ledge gets halfway down and stops. No line tick, no movement... just stopped. I take up slack, feel it out for a split second (nothing on the end of the line...) and take a chance on a hookset.Thought I had set into a limb until she finally decided her crawdad had a mean bite. After a couple tense moments working her out of that tree pop slipped the net under an 8-2.
As he handed her to me to put in the livewell he had the biggest shite-eatin' grin I've ever seen on his face.
I'll never forget that smile as long as I live.
And , needless to say, that big girl got us 1st place and big fish pot.
On the way home it was finally MY turn to pull the cash out and give him "his" split.