Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/478498
S P O R T I N G C L A S S I C S 1 2 By the end of his month-long excursion Graves had canoed upwards of 175 miles. Rather than wallow in the river's demise, he focused on its beauty and the joys of living among the creatures that inhabited its waters and shores. After the trip, Sports Illustrated passed Graves' article onto Holiday for publication, but the author soon began fleshing out the piece into what would become his magnum opus, the stunning Goodbye to a River, in which the previous passage appears. The book, which celebrates its 55th anniversary of publication this year, commemorates and mourns the Brazos through a collection of essays, histories, and personal narratives that together form a meandering and fetching view of the waterway. In it, Graves channels the styles of Ernest Hemingway and Henry Thoreau—masters of outdoor literature—but also develops his own voice, concerning himself with the tenets of environmental stewardship, hunting, fishing, and simplistic living. After the publication of Goodbye to a River in 1960 the book quickly found favor among conservationists, sportsmen, and general readers. Graves soon developed a cult following, and over the next several years the state decided to build only three of the proposed dams, which many attribute to the author's influence. Graves, who passed in 2013, went on to pen nearly a dozen more books, most of which involve nature, sport, and rural living, but his fans still consider Goodbye to a River his most-essential work. For many, such as myself, its legacy extends beyond the river it helped save and demonstrates that perhaps the best way to protect our forests, lakes, and streams for the future is to help people understand nature and their places within it. Only after one experiences the outdoors, Graves suggests, can he or she digest its importance and unravel its patterns and rhythms fundamental to us all. —JR Sullivan THE DISPUTED WORLD RECORD SMALLMOUTH Editor's Note: Following is a brief introduction by Jack Vitek in his article entitled "Timeless Freshwater World Records," which appeared in the October-December issue of International Angler, the official magazine of the International Game Fish Association. I t's been nearly 40 years since the IGFA began keeping freshwater world records—previously the responsibility of Field & Stream. When the torch was passed in 1978, the current freshwater records were handed over to the IGFA. Presently, the IGFA has more than 2,000 approved freshwater world records from 67 different countries. But this isn't a lesson in stats. It's about ten incredible freshwater world records; records that have not always received the same exposure as say, George Perry's largemouth or Cal Johnson's muskie, despite being comparable in significance. What follows is the fascinating story behind one of these world- records: the smallmouth bass. In the world of freshwater fishing, especially in North America, there are few species more heavily targeted than the smallmouth bass. So it is no surprise that David Hayes' celebrated 5.41 kg (11-pound, 15-ounce) smallmouth has seen its share of controversy over the years. Hayes caught his record fish on July 9, 1955, while trolling a lure in Tennessee's Dale Hollow Reservoir. Hayes held the All-Tackle title for 41 years, despite swirling rumors denouncing his catch. These rumors, coupled with an affidavit stating that the dock owner had added lead weight to the catch (unbeknownst to Hayes), resulted in the temporary ousting of Hayes' record. However, nine years later multiple polygraph tests proved that the sworn affidavit that denounced the legitimacy of Hayes' smallmouth had been falsified, thus returning the All- Tackle title to Hayes. Despite the controversy continued on page 125 David Hayes and his world-record smallmouth bass he caught in 1955 from Dale Hollow Reservoir.