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Fishing With Gramps

When I was a boy my maternal grandfather would take me fishing in the creeks, streams, and lakes in East Central Illinois.   We would often fish the bottom for bullheads or yellowbellies with nightcrawlers.

My patient, loving grandpa would bait my hook, take off swallowed ones, tell me stories, and keep me busy building a lifetime love for fishing!

When I got older he became a member of a fishing club near a hot water discharge lake in Vermilion county . We went “catin” or would fish 40 feet straight down for bluegills with catalpa worms during the dog days of summer! I remember he always made me sit still in the boat and wear that damn orange life vest that choked me and felt like a heater!!!!!

Well, during my 12th year grandma passed away and we bought a cabin in Northern Minnesota. That summer we took gramps up north with us. He had never fished lakes that received so little fishing pressure and catching fish in big numbers used to amaze him!

The first time that I took him fishing, I was twelve years of age and I was running the boat. He sat in the middle and tried to steer the boat with the oars as I ran the motor! We went out on a drizzly day and were throwing Rapalas in the bullrushes and catching 2-4 pound largemouths one after another.

I had never seen that old man have as much fun and giggle like a little girl as we caught and kept twelve fish and released another 31 bass! I was so proud that I could give back to gramps some of the fun and excitement he had given me as a boy!!!!