Remembering Some Dads Who Started It All

What Comes Around Goes Around

Was reading the other day about a fella who was reliving some moments he had spent with his dad.

"We started fishing together when I was only 4," he said. "And I still recall Dad jokingly saying that was the last day of his fishing career...but his best day ever on the water. What he meant by that statement was that he knew he would be spending a lot of time teaching me the basics, tying my knots, taking my fish off, and trying to get my lures out of trees.

"Twenty-nine years later," he continued, "my dad is a healthy 64-year-old. However, his eyes aren't as good as they used to be, so he relies on me to tie his knots. He loves to use very light tackle, nothing bigger than 4-lb. test. Anything bigger," he says, "is cheating (which means I cheat).

"One particular day, while fishing a great bass pond in my area, we were doing pretty good. My father was landing some pretty big fish, so he was asking me to retie numerous times for him. I must have tied 40 Palomars for him that day.

"As a result, I didn't get much fishing of my own done...but that's OK, because it was my best fishing day in 29 years."

A Time to Take a Break, And a Time to Rekindle

Another fella wrote: "I've been fortunate to have a dad and grandfather, both of whom were huge fishermen in my life.

"When Papaw passed away in 1997, I hung up my rods for a spell. He and I had spent every summer on the lake for five years while I was out of school, and I just didn't feel like doing it any more. I had lost my passion for it.

"My dad and I continued to hunt and bowfish together, but it wasn't until 2003, at the coaxing of my brother-in-law, that I again took down my rods and went fishing with him. The passion came back, and I went out and bought a bass boat. Haven't missed a beat since.

"I take Mom and Dad every chance I get. And every once in a while, when I'm out by myself, I feel like there's a special person on the backseat of my boat. There's no better feeling in the whole world.

"It's always nice to take your elders out fishing and help them forget their problems for a while. You also create more memories that will last a lifetime."

Take Advantage of All Your Time With Dad

That's the advice from yet another fella, who went on to divulge that he lost his dad back in 2002 but hasn't let that impact the wealth of great memories he has about him, adding, "my one regret is that Dad passed about eight months before I bought a bass boat and thus never had an opportunity to take him out with me."

This fella went on to describe something he and his dad often talked about until the latter's demise. The story went like this:

"Dad and I were fishing in his 15-foot fiberglass boat, with a 25-horse engine. I was in the front and had foul-hooked a small shad, so decided to put it on a hook and drop it on the bottom for a catfish.

"It was January, I think, and while the water was a little chilly, the air wasn't..and usually isn't...that bad in South Texas. We had one of those old, massive aluminum tackleboxes, with a hip roof and about 20 trays on each side, and as luck would have it, the box was wide open. As I stepped off the deck, my foot went directly into the tacklebox, and I lost my balance.

"While reaching for air, my hand found a swivel seat (the operational word here is swivel). In the process of breaking my fall, however, I swung around and hit my dad from behind, sending him overboard. Moments later, a hand appeared at the side of the boat, followed by Dad's head, with his eyeglasses hanging from one ear. He had this look of disbelief on his face that was so funny I couldn't help but laugh.

"I then asked him the fist thing that came to my mind: 'Hey, Dad, how deep is it?'"

"His response was pretty straightforward: 'I don't give a d*** how deep it is! Just get me out of here!'

"At this point, though, is where I had some trouble. Both Dad and I were laughing so hard, I could barely get him back into the boat. And you know what? I still burst out laughing, even today, every time I remember that incident."