I think that when most men and women look back and try to remember when and who got them interested in fishing, most of us will say our Dads. I am no different. I would like to tell you a little about my Dad.
He was a very simple, quiet, hardworking man. Dad had grown up on a farm in northern Indiana during the depression. School was not much to Dad's liking and he quit after the fourth grade to help on the farm.
As I look back on his childhood, I realize just how much effect your early upbringing has on the person that we eventually become. Growing up on a farm during the depression no doubt gave Dad the strong work and family ethnic he possessed, as well as his love of the outdoors.
As my brother and I were growing up I am sure we did not realize the sacrifices that my parents made for us. We lived in a lower class blue-collar neighborhood and my parents never owned their own home. Dad worked as a truck driver for General Motors and my Mom was a waitress.
Even after working hard all day, Dad would come home and fix dinner for us, as Mom worked evenings. Dad always had time for us and never pushed us away or gave us the impression that he had any desire to do anything than spend his time with us. My brother and I were always treated as equals and Dad took equal pride in our accomplishments. Being a 100% tom boy, outdoor activities came as naturally to me as they did to my brother.
A majority of my favorite childhood memories revolve around fishing. Dad took us fishing from the time we were small children. As a parent myself, I can look back and marvel at the patience that Dad showed while on these outings.
I do not remember my Dad ever showing impatience or frustration as he retrieved lost bobbers, untangled lines and baited hooks for us. If anyone has ever taken young children fishing, you will understand the extreme patience needed.
Thanks to my Dad's seemingly endless patience, my brother and I became interested in not only fishing, but of all the splendors of the outdoors. Teaching a child to appreciate Mother Nature and all of her wonders is one of the most important lessons a child can learn. A person who learns to respect nature will carry that respect into all aspects of their lives.
Looking back, I realize that much of my dad's far too few leisure hours were spent teaching us about fishing instead of getting much fishing done on his own.
I remember one day sitting on a riprap bank and while trying to put my shoe back on, I found a large spider taking residence in my shoe. Being deathly afraid of spiders, I did the logical thing for an 8 year old and threw my shoe in the water. I don't remember my Dad becoming angry or even annoyed as he waded out to retrieve my lost shoe.
Taking pride in your children's accomplishments is one of a parent's great pleasures and I wish that I had given my Dad more opportunities. He would always pretend that every 6 inch bluegill we caught was a record setter.
One time we were fishing in a small stream and my brother caught his first bass. You would have thought that it was a 'hawg', although I doubt it was much over 2-21/2 lbs. With great pride my brother paraded around with that bass while my parents gave him the appropriate accolades. Eventually he placed his 'prize' on a stringer with the panfish we had caught for dinner.
When the day ended and we were packing up, my brother ran to get his prize catch and found that the only thing left of his'hawg' was the head. A large snapping turtle had feasted on his catch. My brother was devastated and as usual my Dad was there to give him solace and assure him that we would get that 'ol turtle.
The very next weekend we brought a cane pole with a treble hook and a chunk of meat and sure enough we caught a turtle that probably weighed close to 40lbs. Of course my brother was sure this was the same turtle that had eaten his bass. My dad cut off the turtle's head, which laid and snapped for a long time(much to my amazement), and justice had been done.
These were just a few of the many memories of my childhood. As I became an adult and a mother, those memories faded. My brother and I grew apart, even though we lived in the same city. One day my brother called me and asked if I wanted to go bass fishing with him. He didn't have his own boat, but had borrowed his brother-in-law's bass boat. I caught my first bass that day, although I was the one that got hooked.
My brother spent a whole summer teaching me how to fish for bass, drive a boat and back it down a ramp. He showed the same patience that my Dad always showed us kids(although he did laugh at me a lot more than Dad).
My brother and I now both own high performance bass boats and fish together frequently. We have become much closer and are good friends and fishin' buddies as well as brother and sister.
I'm sure that my Dad is looking down and smiling at us. My brother and I often talk about the fact that if Dad were still with us, we would be fighting over who was going to take him fishing every weekend.
So Dad, we know that you are up there smiling down on us. I hope we have made you proud. Mom is with you now and I'm sure the two of you are sitting on a heavenly band with the sun shining while you and Mom look over us as you always have. So Dad, I just want to say Thanks for taking us Fishing."
Love,
Mary Jo
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This page last updated Nov. 13, 1998
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