On April the 23rd, 2003, Matt Allen was fishing at Rancho Seco Lk. Ca. when he made a very memorable catch. Of course I am always happy for a fellow angler, when he is able to catch and release his first double digit bass. However, it was Matt's report on the "Fish Talk Forum", and his subsequent e-mail that struck me the most.

Matt made this post >>> I've been reading about you guys catching these monster bass almost every day for months, but I've never had a chance to contribute because I hadn't caught any big ones. Well, my turn finally came. There was a slight breeze blowing, but I managed to find a couple beds with fish on them from the shore. I flipped out to a deeper bed and I set into my new PB by far! It was a gorgeous 12.2 Lber. I got a nice guy who runs a local taxidermist shop to take a couple pictures for me and then I put her back. I personally want to thank all of you because a few years ago I would have had her mounted, but after reading about your views it didn't even seem like an option. Matt Allen

Later, Matt sent me an e-mail in which he added >>> .....yes, I'm ready to catch more. I've been trying for a long time but i wasn't until I started reading your forum that I had some confidence in it and that was the difference. Matt