[Grant]

A few years ago, the kids and I were snorkeling around our shore, flipping over rocks and logs looks for crayfish and other critters. A small-medium smallmouth was loitering around, so I released a crayfish and he darted over and gobbled it up.

So, for the rest of our week, the same bass would appear and shadow us whenever we were swimming or diving. I hand-fed him a bunch of crayfish, and he go to the point where he'd get very close -- watching in anticipation as I flipped a rock. We named him "Basil."

Fast-forward to the next summer. We're snorkeling, as usual, along the shore, looking for nothing in particular. Along comes this bass -- and it looks exactly like the one from the previous summer. And he's hanging VERY close to us as we flip rocks. I'm sure it was Basil again.

He came back a few more times, and once brought along a very large (close to or greater than five pounds) buddy, who kept his distance. That's probably how he got so large. Didn't see Basil last year.