Dave Bracy's number 1 trout catch
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Dave Bracy recalls: During the 1974 derby, I was fishing with my family in our usual spot, right across from the shelter house. Halfway through the derby I suddenly got a hit on my daredevil lure.
I reeled the fish in to see that it was a trout. As my dad helped me net the trout and get it on the bank, we noticed it had a tag on its mouth. I asked dad what number it was and I thought he was going to have a heart attack right then and there.
It was tag number one! Dad was really nervous as we walked over to the shelter house to turn it in. From then on I had my high school nickname of "Big Arb," after the number one fish named for Arden Baker.
This is a sample of the content of "Bluffton Anthology - A creek runs through it." Copies are now available for $24.95 plus tax in Bluffton at:
• Roots by Strattons
• The Food Store
• The Black Lab
• Bluffton Senior Citizens Center
• The Dough Hook
• Polished
Stories Posted This Week
Friday, September 11, 2026
- Mennonite Home Communities provide backup phone numbers during outage
- Pirate volleyball wins in four vs. Elmwood
- Howard Thornsberry worked in the produce industry
- Pirate girls soccer silenced by Bath
- Pirate boys soccer nipped by Liberty-Benton
- September 11 Bluffton High School athletics lineup, streaming
- Sept. 12 Open Doors offers sneak peek at future Bluffton museum space
- Innovation Forum challenges leaders to think deeper about AI
- Invitation to Sept 15 Bluffton Lions program with Dr. William H. Kose
- Deer archery hunting begins Sept. 12 in Disease Surveillance Area
Thursday, September 10, 2026
- Women in Business program with Positive Nutrition
- It's time for Fall Storytime at the Bluffton Public Library
- Pirate girls golf win vs. Lima Central Catholic
- Pirate boys golf splits NWC tri
- Bluffton PTO is collecting Community Markets receipts
- Richland Twp. trustees hire mower and Zoning Inspector
- Schumacher Homestead plans a farm full of Fall Fest activities
- Hindsight is 20/20: Recent reports for RSV, flu, and COVID-19
Wednesday, September 9, 2026
- Darrell Lee Diller, 92, managed a farming business
- Bluffton alumni will discuss pathways to chaplaincy
- Beaverdam cleanup day is Sept. 12
- Pirate boys golf 3rd at NWC quad
- Pirate volleyball outlasts Arlington
- Pirate girls soccer blanks Crestview
- Pirate boys soccer tie vs. Kalida
- Letter: The future of American agriculture
- Maple Grove Cemetery records now online
Tuesday, September 8, 2026
- Bluffton Historical meets Sept. 9 at the 1899 Depot
- Jerry L. Blosser worked for DTR Industries
- Bluffton Schools cancelled on September 8, cleanup for biodigester malfunction underway
- July 2026 Bluffton Police Dept. activity report
- Hillville Rd. closure on Sept. 8-9
- Lions and friends will count pathway users in September
- Bluffton Ohio Historical Society takes part in Ohio Open Doors, Sept. 12