Fish Tales from Tucker Lake

Baldwin’s lip was still a bit sore, but not as bad as the day before. He noticed Pat and some of the other guys swimming towards him.
“Hi there, ‘Backflip.’ ” Pat said.
“Huh?” It took Baldwin a few seconds to realize what had happened. The other perch had given him a nickname!
“What’s the matter, Backflip? Don’t you recognize your own name?”
“Wow! Thanks guys. That’s awesome.” Baldwin finally had the nickname, respect, and attention he had always wanted. He was still a small fish, but now he was much bigger in the eyes of his friends. Baldwin was so pleased with his new name and popularity that he talked himself into believing that there was nothing wrong with lying about what happened. After all, part of the story was true. I did get yanked, and I wanted to swim to the weedbed. And no one was hurt by my story. Telling the truth now won’t change what happened to Pudgy’s brother, and Danny is over his bad experience. I might as well enjoy myself.
A few days later, Wendy, the most popular fish in the school, invited Baldwin to a party. At first, he was excited to be there, but he soon realized all they wanted to talk to him about was his daring escape. Baldwin felt worse the more he talked about it. He couldn’t look Pudgy or Danny in the eye. They had suffered, and he had lied. He excused himself and tried to find Pat.
“Who are you looking for?” Wendy asked.
“Pat.”
“Him? He wasn’t invited.”
Baldwin’s false popularity weighed on his shoulders, and his fins drooped from the guilt he felt. All he wanted to do was leave the party and spend some time with his true friend, Pat. But the other perch kept dragging him back.
Pat missed Baldwin, but he was happy for his friend. Good old Baldwin had always been big as far as Pat was concerned. He was fun, and kind, and honest, the kind of friend a perch could always count on. Maybe I relied on him too much. Maybe I need to stop being so cautious and nervous. Maybe I should try to be more like Backflip Baldwin. Pat thought about this for a while and then made a decision. He knew what he had to do.

*****
Sidney’s friends bugged him all week about his fish tale. His patience was wearing thin. He finally said, “Enough! What will it take to get you guys off my back? If you think you can catch bigger fish than I can, then prove it.”
“Are you challenging us to a fishing contest, Sidney?” Steve asked.
Landon raised his right hand. “Count me in.”
“Me too.” Jared raised both hands.
“Me three.” Steve raised both hands and his left foot.
Sidney and Jared’s dads agreed to take the boys to Tucker Lake the next Saturday. Sidney’s dad suggested they try for jackfish. There were lots of them in the lake, and they came in a variety of sizes. He reminded Sidney that his fly rod wouldn’t be heavy enough to handle a big jack. He would have to use his spin fishing gear.
The boys wrote down some rules for the contest. Live bait was not allowed. Catch and release only. They set a two-hour time limit; Jared’s dad would be the official timekeeper. Whoever caught the biggest fish—the dads were the official measurers—would win the contest. Whoever came in last would have to be the winner’s personal assistant for a week. The boys got busy putting fresh line on their reels, sorting through their tackle, and choosing their favourite lures—the ones that would catch the biggest fish. When Saturday morning came, they were ready to do some serious fishing.