A ‘reel’ experience

A local little girl made the catch of a lifetime at Bass Lake recently when she, if somewhat reluctantly, reeled in a bass nearly half her size.

Clad in a swimsuit and sporting a pink life jacket, Nyeli Reel, 6, snagged the big bass which was estimated to be 18 inches long and weigh six pounds — one pound for every year of Nyeli’s life.

Her mom, Cynthia Garza, said the family goes fishing all the time yet the matriarch has never caught a fish as big as the one little girl got last week.

“Nyeli casted her pole out and the fish was actually so big that it pulled her pole so hard out of her hands it fell into the water,” Garza said.

They were fishing off a beach near The Forks and the scene was more than Nyeli bargained for.

“She was screaming because she got scared and was telling us she caught a fish. We grabbed the pole out of the water and there was no fish. She casted it out again and, sure thing, she caught the fish she was so scared of! She didn’t want to hold it — that’s why I was holding it.”

As usual for this angling family, including daughter Aiyana, 8, and stepdaughter Blair, 4, it was a catch and release sort of moment and the big bass swam off into deeper water.

Originally from Mariposa, Garza said she enjoys where they live in Oakhurst now.

The kids are involved in lots of sports and get to be outdoors at the lake and rivers, fishing and playing in the water.

“We are very active in the community and love taking the kids to events and stuff. We just love it here. Oakhurst is like a fresh start and we have met and made some amazing friends.”

It’s safe to say the family is making precious memories as spring arrives and feels like summer.

“The weather is amazing right now and we are all excited to go back to the lake this evening.”

On a related note, the Bass Lake Fishing Derby is set for Saturday and Sunday, May 2-3, with $55,000 in cash prizes. Visit basslakechamber.com to register.