Andy opened his eyes in the dark bedroom and swung his legs out of bed. He tiptoed to the window. The sun was just peeping through the trees. He smelled bacon and heard Dad and Uncle Jimmy talking in low voices. He dressed in a flash and ran towards the kitchen.

“Think we’ll see Old Geezer today?” Dad asked.

“Could happen,” said Uncle Jimmy. “I wonder if Andy’s awake yet.”
“I sure am!” said Andy, coming into the kitchen. “Mmmm . . . bacon. Who’s Old Geezer?”

“Whoa, buddy,” said Dad, “how about a good morning?” 

“Oh, sorry,” said Andy. “Good morning, Uncle Jimmy.” At the table Dad put a plate of bacon, eggs and biscuits in front of him.

“Can’t fish on an empty stomach,” said Uncle Jimmy. “To answer your question, Old Geezer is the biggest old bass in that lake out there.”

“Bigger than the one Dad caught last summer?” asked Andy.

Uncle Jimmy shook his head. “Didn’t even come close!”

“Wow,” said Andy, chewing his biscuit. “Have you seen Old Geezer?” 

“Might have. Something real big swam up under my boat a while back, but before I got a good look, it was gone.”

“How big is he?” asked Andy.

“Oh, some say near twenty-five pounds.”

“Man, I’d like to see that fish!”

“Finish up,” said Dad. “There’s more fish than Old Geezer to catch.”

Uncle Jimmy’s cabin wasn’t far from the water. As they walked along Andy imagined catching Old Geezer with the new fishing rod he got for his birthday. He had worms in a can and four bobbers the color of cherries. Andy loved the lake water smell and the sound of it lapping against the side of the boat. Soon, they were on their way to the best spot on the lake. 

Andy learned to bait his hook when he was seven, and it wasn’t long before he had his bait and bobber on the line. This is where the practice with his casting plug would pay off. He whirled his line into the water and began the wait. Five minutes later his bobber went down. Andy reeled in the first catch of the morning, a sunny. 

“Throwing it back?” asked Dad.

“Yup, too small for me,” replied Andy. “That one grows for another year and it’ll be good eating.”

“Well, don’t bait up again,” said Uncle Jimmy. “There’s something I think we should try.”

“What?” Andy asked.

“See that big pile of rocks over there?” Uncle Jimmy pointed to some lumpy forms sticking out of the water. “I think Old Geezer’s in there.”

“Jimmy, don’t tease him,” said Dad.

“I just got the feeling on me now,” said Uncle Jimmy. 

Andy knew Uncle Jimmy got the feeling on him about all kinds of things; like right before lightning hit the tree on the ridge near his cabin last fall. He’d been right about that one.

“Let’s go Dad,” said Andy. “You never know!”

The boat purred along, heading for the pile of rocks. They were almost there, when suddenly, a huge spray shot up from the biggest rock.

“I got him! I got Old Geezer!” A man screamed.

Andy’s dad sped closer to the rocks. A man in a small rowboat was battling a bass with a mouth the size of a baseball.

Andy’s own mouth opened and wouldn’t shut. He watched as water flew off the big fish’s tail and the man tried to reel him in. Andy’s dad cut the boat engine.

“Do you think that’s Old Geezer?” Andy yelled.

“Could be,” Dad yelled back.

“We’ll have to wait ‘til he lands him!” Uncle Jimmy’s eyes shot wide open. He flapped his arms like he was the one with the fish.

The huge bass finally gave up. The man grabbed a net and scooped his shining trophy into it. Andy’s dad re-started the boat and moved closer.

“Nice catch!” called Uncle Jimmy. “Can we look?”

“Sure can,” the man called back. “It’s Old Geezer!” He grinned and held it up.

Andy, Dad and Uncle Jimmy admired the big bass. Up close it didn’t look quite so big, maybe fifteen pounds. Andy was a little disappointed.

“I don’t think that’s Old Geezer,” whispered Uncle Jimmy.

Andy wasn’t sure either. It was no twenty-five pounder. 

“Thanks for letting us look,” said Dad, as he pulled away from the rocks. They found another spot and fished for an hour. Andy caught two small perch and threw them back.

“What’s the big deal with this bass nobody can catch?” he asked.

“It seems like every pond, lake, river and stream has a legendary big fish that’s hard to catch,” said Dad.

“Yep, and Old Geezer is ours,” said Uncle Jimmy. “Even your Grandpa talked about Old Geezer. That sneaky fish just glides along in the water and laughs at the fishermen.”

“Maybe it’s better if nobody catches him,” said Dad. “I kind of like having our own legend.”

Uncle Jimmy laughed. “Let’s see if our luck is better over there,” he said, pointing towards a quiet cove. “I had a buddy who swears . . .” 

Just then Andy felt the boat move—from underneath. His heart thumped hard. Uncle Jimmy’s voice faded. Looking over the side of the boat, Andy saw a monster bass push its head out of the water. It looked right at him! Andy was so surprised his tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth. He was afraid to look away. He wanted to remember the sight of it forever. The fish slid under the water and splashed once with its powerful tail. 

“What was that?” asked Uncle Jimmy, whipping his head around.

Andy grinned. He was pretty sure he’d just seen Old Geezer, but he wanted to keep his encounter with the legend all to himself until he could tell the story just right. “Didn’t hear a thing,” he said.