Always searching for that monster catch, L.J. Messer and Steve Dong have been casting their fishing lines into the mouth of Storms Creek trying to snag the big one.

Because it is close to home and easy to get to, Messer, an Ironton resident, said he likes to fish at the Storms Creek juncture with the Ohio River, the random bullseye for this week's dart.

"I have heard some good stories. Everybody says it is a good spot to fish, especially the other side," he said. "I have had pretty good luck here."

Indeed, he has. Messer and Dong went down to the water last week to try something a little different.

They used an earring that had a flashing red and blue light on it as a lure to help battle the muddy water caused by the recent rains. It is harder to get

bites when the water is muddy because the fish can not see the bait, Dong said.

Pop! On just the second cast, Messer said he reeled in a 16-inch bass.

"I guess it worked," he said.

Messer, 21, said he got his first taste of angling when he was just four or five years old and "was just barely big enough to fish."

Aside from the occasional boat that passes, about the only disturbance at Storms Creek is the large sand hill cranes that fly by.

He said he tries to hit the shores at least once a week, if possible, because fishing is

peaceful and relaxing.

"I do not really have a favorite," he said. "As long as there is water, that is my favorite spot."

At Storms Creek, he mostly catches wall-eye by using artificial bait. He said he does use chicken livers and night crawlers to catch catfish.

Dong agrees that fishing is "relaxing and helps get you out of the house." He recently moved to Ironton from Williamson, W. Va., in Mingo County.

"I did a lot of fishing up there," he said. "But the Tug River is about twice as small as the Ohio."

Fittingly enough, several large fish hit at the top of the water as the fishermen call it a day.

For Messer, Dong and other anglers there will always be tomorrow to catch that prized whopper that will grow a little bit with each telling of the fish story.