David and Lou Ana Perales had been married for 23 years and fishing partners for the past four, when they landed four largemouth black bass weighing 6.7, 8.36, 9.24 and 10.23 pounds in a two-day stretch.

On July 16 at 7:30 a.m., an overcast morning with a slight breeze, David hooked an 8.36 pounder. David and Lou Ana took the fish to Toledo Tackle to have it officially weighed and then returned to release the bass in the same spot. Later that afternoon, David caught and released a 6.7-pound bass.

On Sunday morning at 7:15, David caught a 9.24-pound bass and again they went to Toledo Tackle for official measurements. After returning to the lake to release that fish, Lou Ana began fishing by using a Carolina rig with a 1 ounce weight and green pumpkin Zoom Ultra-Vibe Speed Worm.

"On her first cast she said, 'David I got one!'" David Perales said. "I threw my rod down and grabbed the net. "Lou said, 'It's not a bass, I think it's a big gasper goo.' l saw her trying to stay balanced while holding on to her rod and trying not to get pulled over board."

David said the fish darted under the boat several times before it surfaced. When it did surface, Mr. Perales realized it was not a gasper goo, but a big bass. After David netted the fish, Lou Ana started laughing and crying at the same time David said. "We went back to Toledo Tackle where they weighed the fish and to our surprise it was 10.23 pounds," David said.

All four fish from the weekend were caught within a few yards of each other. The 10.23-pound bass was also Lou Ana's biggest bass to date, which topped her previous best of numerous 4 pounders.

David also caught a 12.91-pound bass in March and donated it to the Louisiana Lunker Bass Program (LLBP) that is overseen by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. The program rewards anglers who donate bass over 12 pounds to LDWF for spawning, exhibiting and research purposes. The angler in return gets a free replica of his or her fish and a certificate of appreciation from the LLBP. The Booker Fowler Fish Hatchery in Forest Hill uses lunker bass that are caught in Toledo Bend. If successful, the fingerlings will be returned to the same body of water where the breeding bass was caught.

David and Lou Ana visited the Booker Fowler Fish Hatchery and got a tour of the facilities. "We were amazed with the hatchery and how they get the bass to spawn. We found the tour very educational," David said.

David said that he and his wife enjoy their time together fishing as a great stress reliever. "Lou Ana is my fishing partner and netter, which she does very well. She has never lost a fish and if it wasn't for Lou, I would have never caught the 12 pounder, because the bait came out of the bass's mouth when the net was under the fish," David said. "I had a friend make me a nameplate that said 'Netted by Lou' and now he will make me another one that will say 'Netted by Dave' on her 10-pound mount."

In the McDonalds Big Bass Splash Tournament in June on Toledo Bend, David placed third with a 9.45-pound bass that won him a $16,000 camper.

David said the weekend he and Lou Ana caught those big bass will stay with him forever. "This was a fishing weekend of a lifetime. We have had a good year. Now if my deer hunting will be half as good and LSU makes it to the top again, it will be a year never to forget," he said.

For more information, contact Adam Einck at 225-765-2465 or aeinck@wlf.louisiana.gov.