![Kriet's Birthday Miracle]()
Jeff Kriet and Gene Eisenmann show off part of their 31-pound stringer in a Lake Murray event. (Courtesy Jeff Kriet)
By Rob Russow, OutdoorChannel.com
It wasn’t a world record, but the 11-pounder Jeff Kriet netted May 19 turned out to be a pretty special birthday present.
To understand the significance of the catch, it’s necessary to start at the beginning, two years ago. On April 6, 2010, Jeff Kriet went fun fishing on Lake Murray with Gene Eisenmann, a friend of his. He found and caught a giant bass bedding on top of a stump, and Eisenmann encouraged him to have it weighed.
“I was just going to let it go,” Kriet said. “My buddy Gene told me I needed to weigh it.”
The behemoth tipped the scales at 12.12 pounds and was certified as the new lake record.
“After they...