Luca Lauber cast a Texas Rigged Bass Pro Swipe worm into the calm water and let the worm glide down toward the bottom on a recent trip. But the worm didn’t get far.

“Wham!” A hungry bass smashed the lure and bore down towards the salad patch greenery but Lauber set the hook and drove the Gamakatsu hook deep into the jaw of the bass. After a short battle Lauber landed the bass and we took a photo and he quickly released it so that it could grow up and we could feel the thrill again and again.

Lauber, an exchange student from Switzerland, came to the United States to meet with educators and visit area schools, as a part of his university educational studies. An avid fly fisherman and angler back home, Lauber had never caught a bass before coming to Mississippi but his angling appetite was whetted after reading a fishing article by yours truly.

Our trip had been delayed by extremely high temperatures and the birth of our first grandchild, but we did get to make a short trip on his last weekend in the country. Though he’s never fished for bass the young man is no stranger to catching big fish as he goes after pike and catfish in Switzerland. His biggest cat was a 30-pounder caught earlier this year.

Though we faced tough conditions with water surface temperatures of 95 degrees, we were able to coax a few bites from the bass.

Luca used a Bass Pro Shops Carbon Lite spinning rod and reel combo with light line and it did the trick. The bass were holding tight to wood cover and brushtops and you had to put your lure right in their breadbox to entice a strike because the bass weren’t active.

Lauber pitched his lure in the edge of a brushpile and another bass struck hard and bore down towards the bottom. Lauber set the hook and turned the bass toward the boat and wore him down before finally bringing him into the boat and landing him. After another picture he released him as well.

We continued fishing and Lauber kept enticing strikes and catching bass. Though he had never used a casting reel before, he was proficient with a spinning rod and he was able to quickly make the transition to catching bass instead of pike or catfish.

As the sun sank low in the western sky the surface activity picked up and fish started swirling and feeding along the top.

Lauber switched to a Bass Pro Shops XTS popper and worked it over a submerged grass patch like a seasoned pro.

Plop, plop, plop, Lauber worked the popper in a rhythmic chugging retrieve spitting water as the lure worked across the top.

Ka-Whoosh! A hungry bass smashed the chugger as it exploded through the surface and tried to eat an easy meal. Lauber was having none of that, however, as he snapped the rod back and set the hook. The bass wallowed on the surface and tail-walked across the water until Lauber wore him down and landed him.

We admired his bass before taking a few pictures and then releasing him.

With the last rays of sun rapidly disappearing we caught a few more bass and our late afternoon fishing trip came to an end on a high note. Though separated by several thousand miles and different cultures our love of the outdoors and fishing quickly bridged the divide and made for an enjoyable afternoon on the water.

Lauber adjusted very quickly to my bass fishing tips and techniques and he was a very good student and quick learner. After spending a month in the deep south Lauber had very complimentary words about his visit.

“I can’t talk about the rest of the country but down here people have made me feel welcome and the whole community has been warm and treated me very well,” Lauber said. “I don’t know about up north but down here people are very friendly and inviting. I enjoyed everything but catching my first bass and getting to sample fresh country fried fish was definitely something to remember.”

Call Mike Giles at 601-917-3898 or email mikegiles18@comast.net.