I was working with pro angler Raymond Martinez on a photoshoot for NuCanoe kayaks. We were fishing Wheeler Branch near Glen Rose, Texas. The water in the lake is clear and paddling over the thick vegetation was like a scene out of Avatar.
Ray was fishing a creature bait on the edge of the grass fields when he caught this picture-worthy bass.
After we finished with the requisite grip-and-grin action shots, I had an idea. The sun was low, the light warm and inviting, the water silky smooth and the air thick with early morning heat. Maybe I felt a little romantic. I asked Ray to give the fish a kiss.
The feeling must have been in the air, because he leaned down and planted a wet one on the largemouth’s slimy lips.
When Ray released the fish, I was still snapping photos. The bass immediately jumped into the air and splashed us with spray. We both broke out laughing, shattering the morning stillness and any romance left in the air.
“Maybe she wanted another kiss,” Ray chuckled. I laughed back, “Maybe she wanted something more!”
After a kiss, the bass jumped into the air and splashed the smoocher with spray. | Photos: Dustin Doskocil
