My wife Bev, a great understanding lady (most of the time), would rather clean the house than get in a boat with me. The last time the walleyes were biting, I kept her in the boat past her limit. After checking our "to do" lists, I finally got my wife to go fishing again.

We went to Weaver Lake, northwest of Minneapolis, and fished for bass with small suckers and weedless hooks. I caught a three-pound bass right away and told Bev she had to give the minnow a lot of action and keep it above the weeds.

That was a mistake.

Bev did exactly the opposite. She cast the minnow out, let it sink into the weeds, then slowly dragged it through the weeds and mud. I said, "You ain't never gonna catch nuttin' like that."

Well...after my wife caught seven fish, I quietly started fishing exactly the same way she was.

Sometimes the fish ignore the expert and reward the beginner.

Needless to say, she has never let me forget that day.