Bait Shop

The old guy at Malchow's says, "You want me to measure that?"

"That's what I brought it for," I says.

I took it out of the newspaper for him and he laid it on the blood stained ruler.

"Its not 17," he says.

"Ok. But it gets me on the board."

"You want me to take a picture?" he says.

"Yeah."

"Hold it higher. Hold it with two hands."

He takes the picture.

"You want it on the board," he says.

"Yeah, I want it on the board. That's why you took the picture, isn't it?"

"Its not going to win," he says. "You won't win that rifle. 21 is gonna win."

"Then give me the picture," I says.

"No."

"It doesn't matter then, so give it to me."

"No," he says. He pins up the picture.

"They catch them on Round Lake," he says. "That's where you need to go."