The one that got away

I was talking to a friend of mine the other day who was fishing off the pier on Fowler Lake. He was not having any luck with the fish so he thought "I will just finish up with this last worm and then I am gone." Just then he saw a small fish start to nibble on his bait. Thinking that this would not last long he continued to hang out as the sun started to set. Just then the little fish took a bite of the worm. Knowing full well that the fish was not of a legal size he thought he would reel the little guy in and release him. Just then a lunker appeared and as he was pulling the little guy out of the water the lunker lunged up out of the water and grabbed what now appears to be bait for the bigger fish. The little guy didn't make it. The worst part of this story is that my friend had no one there to witness this event. I believe him though.