I got to thinking.

What a nasty day today is. As I sit by my computer reading the posts and seeing all those nice pictures, I look to my left and peer out of the window to see grey skies, and wet lawns. I also see the thermometer is reading 37° and that is the highest it's been all day. Now as much as I like fishing, I think I can persuade myself to wait a little longer for nicer days. I'm just not that mad at them fish. I got to thinking about times past and how I arrived to where I am today.

There was a time when nothing else mattered, neither rain nor cold would stop me from fishing. Now I look at fishing differently. It used to be excitement and numbers, then it became numbers, then I let it all slip by. The yearning was still there but the want wasn't, nor the ability as I had gotten rid of my means. Where we once fished 3 days a week now we didn't fish at all. I concentrated on work, raising a family, building a house, tending to aging parents and in-laws and just living the daily grind. The yearning never went away and slowly over time I work in the direction to get myself in a position where I could once again go fishing.

Part of my plan was to re-educate myself, and try to meet some like minded people. I used to have some great fishing partners but they also have passed to the wayside or just passed away. Joining CDC was the beginning of my re-education. It was the greatest thing that I've done that put me back into my fishing seat. Now I feel much more confident and can catch fish with some regularity. I now have some favorite spots that pay off well, all it took was time and dedication. You can't hurry knowledge, it has to seep in one trip at the time.

My plan was at my retirement, I would give to the wife and I the means to go fishing again, a nice new shiny boat for her love of fishing is as great or greater than mine. Well my daughter kind of moved my plans up a couple of years by presenting Linda and I with a nice shiny new boat one Easter. I still had a couple of work years ahead but what the heck, we could start learning all over again, and we did.

I got some new tackle, looked at some maps, checked out Google Earth of my old hot spots but found that a lot of them had changed. Many hurricanes had ravaged our area in the last 20 years or so. What used to be nice quite waters were now part of the open marsh or lakes. Stump laden banks of fresh water streams are now part of the brackish coastal system. In many of the areas we fished we are now locked out of. I started reading fishing reports and talking to people to find out where in general they were catching fish. Slowly I put together some places to go.

My only problem was I had forgotten more than I remembered about fishing. That first year with the boat wasn't very productive. We caught a bunch of bluegills and a few bass but sac-au-lait were far and few in between. The second year was much better as I explored more waters and honed my skills. For beginners we did fairly well, and I even caught my personal best bass, a 6.97 pounder, and I was fishing for sac-au-lait. Each year we get under our belts we get better at catching but I also noticed another thing.

Where once it was excitement and numbers, now it was all about the enjoyment of the moment. The boat ride to "the" spot used to be a mad dash, now it's a pleasure ride. It was once hurry and jerk them in the boat, and now it's enjoy the bite, the fight, and then admiring the catch. Then we need to decide weather or not to keep that particular fish. Once we have a meal on board we consider it a successful day of fishing. If the fish co-operate then we'll catch a few to give to my daughter as a thank you for the boat. We no longer need to be up before the chickens to be the first boat out. Leaving at 8 or 10 o'clock is fine. The sun is up and warming and we can now see much more of the landscape and it's animals. Once we have fed our addiction, we leave joyfully and come home in good spirits and not worn out from too long a day on the water.

If we happen to meet someone while we're fishing, if they are willing, we stop and talk a while, introduce ourselves and mention Crappie.com. We share as to what we are catching them on and how and how many we have caught. We have met some really nice people doing that. Making a new friend is better than a days catch.

And speaking of new friends, oh how many have I met on Crappie.com. You have all added to the pleasures of my life and been a blessing. You are now part of my life, and it is one of the better parts. I've been on this earth just short of 7 decades and have spend 6 of those with fishing on my mind. I don't know how many more days I have left but if today was my last I have no regrets. It's been a great ride and I hope to ride some more.

"gene"



Sign on our new gifted boat.



Linda in shock and disbelief.



After getting over the initial shock.