In fishing, as in most activities, it sometimes becomes necessary to call an audible when the original game plan goes awry.

The day started on a bright note as fishing friend John Hirschbeck and I readied the Bass Cat for a few hours of fishing on one of our favorite local lakes.

We launched the boat, and I pulled out a drop-shot rod to pick up where I left off last week on largemouth bass taking advantage of prime conditions to restore the fat they worked off during the spawn. John picked up his spinning rod and began casting a stick worm.

It was looking like a headline-making day when I stuck the hook in the mouth of the morning’s first bass. It cleared the surface in a spectacular leap, its oversized body silhouetted by the sun glinting off the lake.

The bass fought stubbornly as I carefully worked it to the boat on 8-pound-test fluorocarbon line. After a minute or two, the fish glided up and I guided its open mouth to my outreached hand.

John provided commentary as he watched the tussle from the back deck and complimented the catch when the digital scale registered 5.50 pounds.

Surely, we both assumed, this was going to be a day for several home runs.

Retired Major League Baseball umpire Hirschbeck, of course, has seen his fair share of homers, including Rajai Davis’ blast that tied the score for the Cleveland Indians against the Chicago Cubs in Game 7 of the 2016 World Series.

Game 7 of the Indians-Cubs World Series was John’s last hurrah as an umpire, as he retired after 33 MLB seasons. Now he has lots of time for fishing, hunting, golfing and other events that keep him busy.

He’s also seen his share of twists and turns. He was there when the rallying Indians were forced to cool their jets in the 2016 series as a rain storm blew over Progressive Field. By the time the rain subsided, the Tribe had cooled off and the Cubs won the deciding game in extra innings.

Back on the lake, meanwhile, the lunker largemouth was still fresh in our minds as we fished on with high hopes of knocking a few more out of the park.

Then, like the rain-laden cloud that doused the Indians’ World Series hopes, nature pitched a glitch our way. A rock I’d never noticed reached up and punched the spinning blades of the electric trolling motor. The impact tripped a circuit breaker, which refused to reset, so we were dead in the water.

Anglers hate to leave the lake with the fish biting, but we called the audible. Time to cut our losses and head home.

“We’ll get back after them next time,” John said as we loaded the boat on the trailer.

His optimism was understandable. Our day was spoiled, but it was just a minor setback compared to the adversity he has endured along with the glares and heckling directed his way from ballplayers and fans.

We both knew we left the bass biting and we would soon enough get another crack at them.

Jack Wollitz’s book, “The Common Angler,” is a collection of stories that explain why anglers are passionate about fishing. Send a note to jackbbaass@gmail.com.