I have often wondered at times what hobby I would have taken
up if my Dad and yes my Mom hadn’t shown my brothers and me the joy of fishing.
When I say my Mom, I should explain; I can remember my younger brother and I fishing
with our Mom in the three-acre pond located near our house. I was six and my
brother was four and we love the outdoors especially when it involved fishing. My
Dad would cut cane poles from the cane break located below the dam of the
pond each year for us to fish with. By the end of the fall, we had broken the
tips off of one or sometimes both poles, so we would use Mother’s cane pole to
finish the season. These were not your ordinary cane poles; they were designed
to withstand a heavy catfish and sometimes a stocky largemouth bass. Dad would
use a piece of tape to attach the end of a mono light from the midsection of
the pole and wrap it around the pole all the way to the end leaving at least 10
ft. of mono to fish with. The tape was wrapped every foot to whole the line in
place on the pole. Dad would tell us that the tape served as the guides,
although none were there my brother and I never knew the difference. I can
still see the green tape on those poles. With poles in hand, we would follow
Mother to the pond at least once a week. That was the highlight of our week
getting to go to the pond and catch bluegill and catfish. Our other highlight
was getting to go swimming on the weekends with our older brother who worked at
my Dad’s sawmill during the week. My Dad had bought him a green 52 Ford Sedan,
and he would always carry it to the pond on weekends to wash it and get it spic
and span for his Saturday night date. My brother and I would help him wash the
car and then get to go swimming with him afterward. The pond is where both of
us learn to swim before we were seven.
The swimming was fun but our favorite was the cane pole
fishing we did with our Mom and our Dad who would fish with us on some
weekends. Owning and operating the local sawmill took up most of his time; so
when we got to fish with Dad, it was exceptional because then only then were
we allow in the boat. Dad would paddle us around the edge of the pond letting us
fish every stump with our cane pole rigged with a grasshopper and bobber. During
the boat excursions were when we thought we were fishing on a huge lake; the
boat added that imagination for two young boys willing to listen and follow every
word Dad was telling us as we meandered around the edge of the pond. The thrill
of landing bluegill and catfish around most every stump brought out the excitement
in both of us. Those are memories I will never forget because the pond is
where I found my life long hobby. It is also where my younger brother who is
gone now, but not forgotten found his as well. My Dad and Mom use the pond as a
teaching tool not only for fishing time but for quality time spent with the
family as well. Numerous picnics, church baptizing, and holiday outings were
spent at the pond. No computers, internet, twitter, or television, to entertain
just the pond, times were good!!!
This image was taken this past fall showing all that is left
of the once large pond, we enjoyed as young boys. Erosion and tree lines have
filled in large portions of the water's edge. The spring that feeds the pond is
still active and is all that sustains the water level now.
