Once there was an 11-year-old boy who went fishing with his father in the middle of a New Hampshire lake. On the day before bass(巴斯鱼) season opened, they were fishing early in the evening, catching other fish with worms. Then the boy tied on a small silver lure(鱼饵) and put it into the lake. Suddenly he felt that something very big pulling on the lure. His father watched with admiration as the boy skillfully brought the fish beside the bank. Finally he lifted the tired fish from the water. It was the largest one he had ever seen, but it was a bass.
The boy and his father looked at the big fish. The father lit a match and looked at his watch. It was 10 p.m.—two hours before the season opened. He looked at the fish, then at the boy. “You’ll have to put it back, son,” he said.
“Dad!” cried the boy. “There will be other fish,” said his father. “Not as big as this one,” cried the boy. He looked around the lake. No other fishermen or boats were in sight in the moonlight. He looked again at his father.
Even though no one had seen them, nor could anyone ever know what time he had caught the fish, the boy could tell from his father’s voice that the decision couldn’t be changed. He threw the huge bass into the black water. The big fish disappeared. The boy thought that he would never again see such a big fish.
That was 34 years ago. Today the boy is a successful architect in New York City. He often takes his own son and daughters to fish at the same place.
And he was right. He has never again caught such a large fish as the one he got that night long ago. But he does see that same fish ... again and again ... every time he has an ethical (道德的) decision to make. For, as his father had taught him, ethics are simple matters of right and wrong. It is only the practice of ethics that is difficult.

从前，有一个11岁的男孩跟他爸爸去新罕布什尔湖中央钓鱼。在捕猎巴斯鱼季来临前的那天晚上，他们提前钓鱼，用虫子（作铒）捕其他的鱼类。男孩用一个银色的鱼铒，把它扔在湖中，突然他感觉到有很大的家伙在（使劲）拽鱼饵，当男孩熟练地将鱼拖到岸边时，他的爸爸赞许地看着他。终于，他将那条（挣扎得）精疲力尽的鱼从水里吊起来了，这是他见过的最大的一条鱼，不过是巴斯鱼。
男孩和他爸爸看着那条大鱼，他爸爸划亮一根火柴，看了看表，已经是晚上10点了—2个小时前（巴斯鱼）捕鱼季就开始了。他看看那条鱼，又看了看男孩，说：“儿子，你把它放回（水里）去。”
“爸爸！”男孩叫到。“还会有其他的鱼。”他爸爸说。“不会象这条这么大了”，男孩叫喊到。他看看湖四周，月色下，看不到别的鱼民或船只。他又看了看他的爸爸。
尽管没有人看到他们，也没有一个人知道他们捕到这条鱼的时间，男孩从他爸爸的声音中辨别出没有什么能够改变他父亲的决定。他把那条大巴斯鱼扔进湖里。鱼游走了，男孩想他再也不会看到这条大鱼了。
这事发生在34年前。如今，男孩已经是纽约市里一名成功的建筑师。他常常带自己的儿子和女儿们去同样的地方钓鱼。
他是对的，他再也不会钓到象多年前那个晚上（钓到）的那么大的鱼。但是，他确实看到同一条鱼…..一次又一次，每一次他都作了合乎道德规范的决定。因为他的父亲教过他，道德规范就是简单事情的对与错。只有道德规范的实践才是困难的。