Crappie.commers

[BuckeyeCrappie]

This is a great thread

[skeetbum]

I agree with both buckeye crappie and mister Dan. We have so many memories and the ability to go and get enough for dinner easily. I had no grandpas and only one grandma that I saw very few times so little was handed down to me. Dad planted the seed of the outdoors but we didn’t fish much. Now here I am a grandpa and having to wing it, and y’all teach me well. One story that stands out in my memory was at woods reservoir in one of the cooler months. I had a cooler of fish and was loading up when an SUV pulled up with mom and dad in their late seventies at the youngest, pulled up to watch. Dad got out and came over to talk, a very nice old school gent he was. Seems he and mom used to fish together a lot but due to age and health issues, they could no longer. We talked a while and I really enjoyed his company. I interrupted him and asked if he had a bucket in the back of the car. He said no. So I asked if he had something to put some fish in their nearly new very clean car. He said “why would I need that?” I said because I’m going to give you some of these fish. He looked up at me, hesitated a moment and asked “you’d do that for me?”. Then I realized why he hesitated. He had a tear running down his cheek and had to gather himself before he could speak. I’d touched him deeply. At that point I was going to give him everything in the cooler. Never before or since have I been taught something in so short a time. I told him yes and that I had the ability to get what I needed anytime. To shorten this, he went to look and came back with a heavy garbage bag that I began to fill with my catch. Most of these were over 12” and he became tickled, thanking me repeatedly. I got to about 8 or 10 and he told me to stop and reached for his wallet. I didn’t let him get it out and told him that it was my pleasure. We talked a while more, all he cared to, and we shook hands and parted ways and I never saw him again.
I’ve been treated well in my life and adopted the “pass it on” way of doing things long ago.fortunately I’ve never needed a tow but have given a few. It must be a bad feeling to need help like that and there be no one around. Mostly I’m glad to be around all of you that make me smile and teach me something every time I log in. To think that this thread is this old and still relevant and revived is cool also. I still share my catch but it’s become harder cuz I don’t keep much. The smiles from those receiving make all the time and expense worth it. God Bless and have a good day.

[Mstr Dan]

May. Just be a coincidence but today as I was trailering my boat a couple in the lane next to me was doing the same. The wife was waiting for her husband to drive their bass boat on. He ran it up but had trouble getting it the last couple feet. The wife was fumbling with the winch do I offered my help. After getting the winch unlocked I connected it to the bow and cranked it up to the bow roller. The wife thanked me saying she was not able to crank it. It was a workout fir sure. Big bass boat so I understood. It was a small act on my part and was glad I could. Turns out it was the first time out in the boat.


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[Ketchn]

the act of giving to others no matter what it is, is VERY much what this world needs more of .
I stopped at my friends house on the way back from the lake the other day and dropped him 50 or 60 bare jig heads and a bunch of just ketched iced down slabs ....
did he need either of those items you might ask ....kinda yes on the jigs , but not so much on the fish , but to be sure he was all smiles when I rolled off ....
it is a factual thing and not just a fish story ,that giving is better than receiving for sure .....

[Hanr3]

Great stories all around.
I have a few of my own. I always stop when people look like they need help or are struggling. I've towed a few off the water over the years, got a sail boat unbeached with my little 14' and 10hp. That was interesting, but the couple was happy I stopped to help. Everyone else just blew by them. I give my left-over minnows away at teh ramp, prefer kids, but it really doesn't matter to me who they go to. As long as they have a good time and hopefully catch some fish. I've giving away rod/reel combos to kids that fished with me over the years. One kid was so excited you would have thought I gave him a million dollars. It was great too see and made it worth the donation. Even gave my 50+ year old brother-in-law a rod/reel combo. He started going camping with me and brought his dads old equipment. After he lost Walter I hooked him up with an upgrade. He still talks about both of those a year later.
Even off the water I stop to help. Change numerous flat tires, first on accident scene's and offered first aid. Etc. Even stopped in an ice storm. Family totaled their car and I let them hang out in my van until the police arrived. I put on a movie for the kids and offered up beverages and snacks. Something to keep the kids occupied while their parents dealt with the situation.
Kindness goes a long way in your mental health.

[JUNGLEJIMJIGS]

The most fun that I ever had without catching a fish was volunteering to help fifth graders on a class fishing field trip with my granddaughter this year. I gave away some of my jigs and helped quite a few kids catch their first fish that day. For 3.5 hours I unhooked fish, baited hooks, untangled lines, etc. and had a blast and the kids did too. Several called me "grampa " and I didn't even know their names. Time flew by and I was disappointed that the day had to end. Hope to do it again one day.

[Ketchn]

Got a call yesterday for myself and my family to come ketch fish for a friend at his place and clean them ,so he and his sister could have some fresh fish from his pond ....
So you see , giving them away is now creating an opportunity for me to go hammer them ...
Works just like that ...KABOOM is near

["D"]

Great posts. I will share. When I was young(30's/40's), I used to fish 3 or 4 times a week in the Atchafalaya spillway. I normally brought home 20 or 30 mixed fish. Sometimes I would clean them and give them to my MIL and some of her friends who live in an old people community. Sometimes I would keep some. If I did not feel like cleaning them I would look for someone at the ramp to give them too. If no one was there I would drive through a poor section of a little town and stop if I saw someone sitting on the porch. Most times the first person took them. One day I tried 3 or 4 people and no one wanted them. I was about to give up when the last old man said his grand daughter lived behind him and she and her man might take them. I'm talking poor people. I was walking around to her place and she saw me. She asked if she could help me. I offered her the fish. She politely said yes sir and was cordial. Then it got funny. She stuck her head in her door and yelled at her man to get his a** up and get a bucket. He said what for she yelled again just get up, this man giving us some fish. I had to laugh, she was like two different people and she turned to me and said thank you sir , he's coming. He brought a bucket and got the fish without saying much. She glared at him and when they were in the bucket told him loudly, you gonna clean them right now and thank this man. He shyly thanked me and then she thanked me. Then I noticed her belly sticking out. Sure that had her moods swinging. I laughed all the way home and still chuckle about it. I gave fish away many times more in that town, but never seen her again.

[Yak Fish]

I was fishing one of my favorite lakes that's overpopulated with bass and crappie. In the spring, there's lots of people fishing off the bank there. Most of what gets caught hits the bucket, as there's no limit on crappie and bream and it's not far from a poor community. Once the crappie move out to deeper water, there's only small bream near the bank. I was pulling crankbaits out over the channels and catching loads of 8"-11" crappie. (I usually don't keep them until they're 12"+). I paddled back in to get some cold drinks off the truck and saw a man and his son (~9-11 years old) fishing from the bank. I asked what they were fishing for and the man said "Supper!". I asked if they were doing any good and the boy held up their bucket with one bream maybe 4" long in it. I told them that I'd found the crappie and if they wanted some, I'd bring them a mess. I paddled back out and started keeping any crappie over 9". After an hour, I dropped off what I had on board, maybe 14-15 fish (I don't have much storage on my kayak.). They were absolutely thrilled. I went back out 3 more times and ended up sharing 66 crappie, an 11" white bass, and one 10" yellow perch. The man asked my name and when I told him, he asked if I knew Talmage B.(a friend of mine for 35 years). Turns out that he used to do odd jobs for Talmage and I'd met him 7 or 8 years before when his son was just a toddler. I told them that if they wanted to fish together sometime, I'd rent a boat and we'd go. Unfortunately, the man is scared of water, doesn't swim, and won't go in a boat. I gave him my phone number to let me know when they'd be out there again. Haven't heard back yet.

Jim

[Ketchn]

nothing beats making others smile for sure , good on you bro ....