A Dakota Rod and Nimrod

It was early fall 1973, and I was the high school principal in Burke, South Dakota. Around dawn, I had gone fishing in one of the areas many stock dams in an effort to catch a few bass before my workday began. I caught a good-sized bass, and I took it to Fernaus Grocery for official weighing. It went 5 lbs. 9 oz. Apparently, the word was out. During the course of the day, Pries Fahrenbacher, owner and publisher of the Burke Gazette, called and asked if I still had the bass. He wanted a pict...