Nowadays, catching and releasing trophy-size largemouth bass is the norm. Motoring up on one in trouble and then saving its life, however, makes a day of fishing a bit more unusual. That's just what happened to Renia and Stephen Fairbanks while taking their daughter, Amy, out for a fishing trip on Arkansas' Cove Lake on Friday, August 14. Cove--a 160-acre lake located east of Fort Smith, at the base of Mount Magazine--holds a plethora of fish species, including largemouth and smallmouth bass and panfish. The trio was motoring back to the ramp after a morning of jigging up small fish when they came upon a hefty largemouth that couldn't swim more than a foot below the surface. After pulling the fish from the lake, they discovered its dilemma. Renia Fairbanks
