He was 11 years old and went fishing every chance he got from the dock at his family's cabin on an island in the middle of a New Hampshire lake. 他11岁那时，只要一有机会，就会到他家在新汉普郡湖心岛上的小屋的码头上钓鱼。

On the day before the bass season opened,  鲈鱼季节开放的前一天晚上，

he and his father were fishing early in the evening,  他和父亲早早开始垂钓，

catching sunfish and perch with worms.  用小虫作饵钓太阳鱼和鲈鱼。

Then he tied on a small silver lure and practiced casting.  他系上鱼饵，练习如何抛线。

The lure struck the water and caused colored ripples in the sunset,  鱼钩击在水面，在夕阳中漾起一片金色的涟漪，

then silver ripples as the moon rose over the lake. 夜晚月亮升出湖面时，涟漪就成了银色。

When his peapole doubled over,  当鱼杆向下弯的时候，

he knew something huge was on the other end.  他知道线的另一端一定钓到了一条大鱼。

His father watched with admiration as the boy skillfully worked the fish alongside the dock. 父亲看着他技巧纯熟地在码头边沿和鱼周旋，眼神充满赞赏。

Finally, he very gingerly lifted the exhausted fish from the water.  最后他小心翼翼地将筋疲力尽的鱼提出水面。

It was the largest one he had ever seen, but it was a bass. 这是他所见过的最大的一条，还是一条鲈鱼。

The boy and his father looked at the handsome fish,  男孩和他父亲看着这条漂亮的鱼，

gills playing back and forth in the moonlight.  它的鱼鳃在月光下一张一翕。

The father lit a match and looked at his watch.  父亲点燃一根火柴，看了看表。

It was 10 P.M. — two hours before the season opened.  十点了--离开禁还有两个小时。

He looked at the fish, then at the boy. 他看了看鱼，又看了看男孩。

You'll have to put it back, son, he said. 你得把它放回去，孩子，他说道。

Dad! cried the boy. 爸爸！男孩叫道。

There will be other fish, said his father. 还有其他的鱼嘛，父亲说道。

Not as big as this one, cried the boy. 但没这么大，男孩叫道。