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Crappie.com Person of the Year Award - JMMA
John Moes, Born 1927, Died 2011.
A little inspiration goes a long way.
My father bought me my first Zebco 202 when I was maybe 5 or 6 years old. I still have that Zebco 202 in my basement. He took us perch fishing off the Montrose Harbor Pier on Lake Michigan in Chicago when we were so young I can barely remember. One thing I do clearly remember from one of those trips is dropping my line straight down in the water, off the side of that concrete pier, and pulling up two Jumbo Perch at one time. I'll never forget that first "double".
He wasn't real big on fishing himself, but he loved to take my brother and I fishing when ever he had the opportunity. My father, taught us the basics of fishing and ingrained into us a healthy respect for Mother Nature. We did not litter, and only kept the fish we intended to eat.
I still remember the many times my father took us to the banks of the Kalamazoo River in Michigan, along with my two uncles, and we fished for Bluegill and Catfish into the night. He may not have realized it then, but he influenced what I did with the rest of my life. I may have been born in the city, but these little trips to the waters edge made me a country boy at heart.
Whenever we went to visit relatives across the country, he made time to take us fishing. Maybe this was his "get away" time (get away from the relatives) or maybe it was his special time to spend with us kids, but we had fun together. We fished many different areas in Canada, Lousiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Illinois. When I travel now, I think of him often and how I was introduced to new fishing styles and techniques all over the country.
There's just something about fishing that's bigger than all of us. Think about the friends you've made on this website. Think about the memories you've made with your father, uncle or grandfather. Think about the memories you have created for others, those young or old, that you've taught fishing, or have just gone fishing with. There's just no way to explain it, but that time on the water is special indeed.
Please realize, this award is not specifically about my father, its about the person in your life that influenced and helped you appreciate fishing. It's about your memories of good times you have had with your fishing partners. It's about learning to fish, and learning to respect nature, and the people that contributed most to that process. But most of all, it's about making future memories.
A special thanks goes out to Shipahoy41, Rev. Michael Carter who has inspired this whole process here on Crappie.com. Here is a thread he started back in 2007 that portrays our members views about their mentors and hero's that have influenced them.
WHO MENTORED YOU? PLEASE RESPOND. Thank you.
Please take the time to pass the torch, pay it forward, and “Teach a child to fish”.
At my Aunts house on Kentucky Lake. This may have been the last time he had a fishing rod in his hand.
My father with my brother in Lake Michigan. This is right near where we later Perch Fished. At the time of the photo I was not born yet!
My father with a big fish when we visited relatives down in Louisiana. That is actually the same Aunt from the first KY photo above.
