Just about 73 years ago, two proud young parents took their first-born at 3 years old on his first crappie fishing trip.
Small, narrow wooden boat with dad paddling in the front, mom in the back and me watching, sitting in the middle of the boat on an inner tube. On a hot spring day with no fish, I started badgering my mama to let me fish. That seemed to fall on deaf ears.
Finally she said, "OK, I'll show you how to fish." I held a cane pole with a red and white bobber. She put a minnow on the hook and said, "Don't stick it in the inner tube."
The big moment happened when the bobber went straight down, and excitement was on as mama helped me land a big ole slab crappie.
That's a story I heard for years to her passing, when yellow bushes bloom in spring. Therefore, I got hooked on crappie fishing. Wow!
Outdoors on 06/19/2014