Days of Fishing
This is a diary of a trip to Florida to fish for big bass by Philip Hamling, a 7 year old from Warwick, NY.
Day 1, Friday, April 4, 1997
We took off from Stewart Airport at 6:30 am. We flew on Midway Airlines to Raleigh Durham. We flew over New York City. From Raleigh we flew to West Palm Beach. Then we got in a bus to get a rental car. We drove 1 1/2 hours to get to the Lake Port Lodge on Lake Okeechobee. We stopped for lunch and I ate some gator bites. They were good. On the ride we stopped and saw 6 alligators. We also saw the Space Shuttle take off at 2:00. We went to bed early to get up at 5:00 am to go fishing.
Day 2
I got up and woke up my Dad to go fishing. We tried to take a shower but I guess there were so many people taking showers in the morning there was no water. We were signed up for two boats and guides from Glen Hunter’s Guide Service. I went in guide J.R.’s boat with my Grandpa. My Dad and Uncle Craig were in guide Bob’s boat. I caught 2 Bass, an 8-pound mudfish and a Pickerel. Anything except Bass they call "Trash Fish". In the afternoon my Dad and I went in Bob’s boat. We caught a lot more fish. I caught a 3 pound bass.
We saw a school of Gar in the water. We also saw a big orange dead alligator that was puffed up.
Day 3
My Dad and I went in Bob’s boat again in the morning. We caught 19 Bass. I caught a Catfish. Bob was kissing the fish. And then we saw a 10-foot long alligator. After fishing in the morning my Dad and I went on an airboat ride. I was freaked out. I thought it was going to flip over. We saw a lot off alligators. My Dad saw a 12-foot alligator lying in the weeds. We scared it and it swam under the airboat. Then we ran over it and first I thought that it was a rock. Then I looked down and saw an alligator head and knew it was a gator. I was freaked. In the afternoon I went fishing with Uncle Craig in Bob’s boat. I was really sunburned. I had to put pants on to cover my legs. After 15 minutes I thought I had a Gar on my shiner. But then I felt my line and I felt something tugging like a Bass. I reeled my slack in, then I set the hook. When I was reeling it in I thought it was a 10 pound bass but it turned out to be a 6 pound bass. And I have proof. I was proud of myself because that is the biggest bass I ever caught in my life.
Philip Hamling, Bass Master