Fishing with Grandpa

From the time I could hold a pole, I used to go fishing with my grandparents.  We fished in farm ponds, small lakes, large lakes, streams - any place where they were biting.  Grandpa had an aluminum boat and trailer and we used it often.

(found on-line: http://www.barteverettphotography.com/Kansas.html )

The farm ponds in Kansas didn't involve the boat.  We drove out to some one's acreage and parked as close to the pond as possible.  Then we walked out to the pond, sometimes dodging cow pies!  Mostly it would be a day in the sun, since most farm ponds didn't have many trees around them.  We fished from the banks and skirted around the reeds.  We mostly caught bluegills and crappy.  If Grandpa was lucky, he would get a couple bass.

(found at:  http://www.visittablerocklake.org/page.php?id=9)

The big lakes were mostly in Missouri - like Tablerock.  That was one of his favorites.  We would use the boat and go out for most of the day.  We'd go around and hit little coves and I'd always wish I could just jump in the water and swim.  Fishing taught me patience and how to sit still and be quiet.  It wasn't always a pleasant lesson, but when I caught a fish, it was worth it!

I remember going to "fish camps" with my grandparents.  There we would rent a little cabin for a couple days.  The owners were always friends of my grandparents and we spent as much time sitting and visiting as we did fishing.  We would sit outside the cabin in the late afternoon, as twilight creeped up on us, Grandpa smoking his cigarette, listening to the whip-poor-wills and other birds.  The frogs would start croaking, as the sun went down.  The colors of the sunset played over the water and I could hear Grandma working on supper.  It was a different time.  There were no TVs or radios.  The cabin only had one bed.  I slept across the foot of their bed at night.  We got up before dawn to get out on the lake.  And I loved it.

By the time I got to be an adolescent, Grandpa had gotten excited about fly fishing for trout.  My favorite summer memories were our trips to Bennett Springs, Missouri.  It is an underground spring-fed fishery that was about the most beautiful places I had ever been.  I had total freedom there. 

Fishing there had time limits.  It began about 5:30-6:00 AM, with a loud siren going off.  We were up, dressing in chest-high waders, and out in the river by the time it went off.  Believe it or not.  Think of walking out into COLD water, in the dark, to wait for the chance to throw your line.  It was exciting!  The fish bite best in the early morning and drop off after that.  I had learned to fly fish, as well, and took pride in how well I could handle the pole.  Nothing was exciting as pulling in a big rainbow trout!  They were smart and not easily fooled. 

Grandpa always made a big deal about my catches.  It was our job to clean the fish we caught, since Grandma had to cook them.  I loved everything I did with my Grandpa.