About five years ago I was fishing a local pond near Ocala, Florida. It was a hot summer day, so I loaded my canoe and headed out in search of largemouth bass. My wife decided to come along, planning to relax on shore with a good book while I fished.

After launching the canoe, I paddled toward a fallen tree that always held bass during the heat of the day. The only drawback was that the same spot also happened to be a favorite hangout for the resident alligator we'd seen from time to time.

I rigged up a four-inch electric grape worm and made my first cast. The lure didn't land exactly where I wanted it, so I lifted the rod to reposition it. That's when everything happened at once.

A largemouth bass weighing about four and a half pounds exploded on the worm. I jerked hard to set the hook and the force sent me completely backward, dumping both myself and the canoe into the water.

For a split second all I could think was that there might be an alligator nearby. As tackle floated around me, I somehow managed to grab my fishing rod before surfacing. Holding onto the rod, I swam the canoe back to shore.

Once safely on land, I started reeling in my line. To my amazement, the bass was still there, fighting as hard as ever. After all the excitement, I had actually landed the fish.

When I looked across the pond, my wife was lying on the ground laughing hysterically after watching the entire spectacle unfold. I proudly held up my bass and announced that this was definitely the one that didn't get away.

Fishing with Alligators