Midnight Shadows and Silver Scales

3:17AM. The swamp's chorus of crickets momentarily hushed as my Coleman lantern hissed to life. Mosquitoes bounced off its wire mesh while I rigged my spinnerbait, fingertips already slick with bug spray. Somewhere in the black water beyond the cypress knees, bull bluegills were chasing minnows - or so the fish finder promised.

First cast sliced through moonlit mist. The fluorocarbon line sang through guides as my lure plopped near submerged logs. 'Three seconds,' I whispered, counting the sink time. Twitch. Pause. Twitch-twitch. The rod arched suddenly, drag screaming as something massive bulldozed toward deep water. 'Not a bass...' I muttered, heart hammering as 20lb test stretched taut.