This was in the Daily News of L.A. today.

Thought it amuzing and interesting!

The one that didn't get away held an unlikely surprise for a Texas man. The blue-stoned class ring of Joe Richardson, engraved with his name, turned up in an 8-pound bass 21 years after he lost it while fishing on Lake Sam Rayburn. "My first reaction was, you gotta be kidding," he said Wednesday. The fisherman who discovered the tarnished ring inside his catch contacted Richardson on Nov.28 in Buna, about 100 miles northeast of Houston, after tracking him down with help from the Internet, Richadson 41, said he lost the ring about two weeks after his 1987 graduation ft irom Universal Technical Institue in Houston. His mom had bought it for about $200 and wasn't pleased when it went missing.

Question: Do you think the bass had it in his gut for 21 years? I think at some point it was shiny and we know how bass like shiny objects.

No the question is how did he know the ring was in there? Did he take home the slob to eat? Means the fish was not going to be released. Maybe one time trophy?

He probably stole the ring and his guilty conscience finally got the better of him, so he made up a crazy story, looked the guy up and returned the ring... after all, no one would EVER kill an 8lb bass... right? That's either a lie or a sin either way... something smells fishy!

Excuse me but how big are 21 year old Texas largemouths?? Here in NY that fish would be at least 10#. I think Brendan hit it on the head.

Inspector Cucinello is on the case

I agree...

I guess that Joe Richardson could answer if he fished at Sam Rayburn 21 years ago or in a tributary. If not, sounds fishy as he**.

Apparently this story is getting a lot of talk. If you look at it from Frank's perspective, that bass was way too small to have eaten it on the initial drop some 21 years ago. So that would lead us to conclude that the ring was lying around on the bottom and after many years (perhaps) a bass just decides to eat it. Maybe the sun just hit it right that day. What if the bass was spawning and made a nest (unknowingly) right on the location of the ring... then while the bed was being fanned out by the male, the sediment was washed off the ring making it once again visible and then the sun hit the ring... this could have triggered the 8+ lbs female to eat it...

or, maybe the "anonymous" ring finder finally decided to return the ring to its rightful owner...

All that's missing here is some Hobbits, two wizards, a lot of elves and a big eye in the sky fighting for control over "Middle Earth"... after all in JRR Tolkien's book, didn't Sméagol and his friend find the "RING" while they were fishing and then Sméagol killed his friend over the "RING"? This might explain why the person returning the ring to Joe wanted to remain anonymous...