Tracie Carline Leleu was very proud of the fish she caught near Charenton on April 30.
“It was April 30. We were fishing near Charenton when my little sister’s bobber vanished, leaving a splash that only told us whatever took the hook was hangry (hungry/angry). She set the hook in shock and was in for a fight! It took nearly 90 seconds to land this beast. The light tackle and rapidly exhausting muscles managed to bring the small whale to surface twice during this battle of wills. With a sweat beaded brow, she managed to swing this prehistoric creature up the side of the bank and onto the grass where a small audience had gathered. All were in awe and speechless for the first few seconds as we were all in dismay. Then, like a gunshot awakens the woods on a calm morning, my sister shrieked with excitement. This fish could have been a world record. We should have been contacting the local news outlets for live coverage of this monstrosity. But there was a spiritual connection between the two. She held the defeated fish up for a picture, then released it so that it may continue its magnificent journey. Since this day, we still talk about the one that didn’t get away. The one that didn’t win. The one that will live on in story for generations ahead. The fish she named Goliath.”
-Craig Carline