I liked to Fish

I have always liked to Fish, never had caught anything big enough to Eat until I got Married, I rented a house on Marlin Street in Russellville, I remember the Rent was $30.00 dollars a month, I had a Brother in Law that liked to Fish and every evening when we would get in from Work we would grab that Car Hood Boat and go to number six Lake.

I worked as a molder, I would make Molds all day and about 1 Oclock they would start that Old Blast Furnace and we had to carry the Metal from the Blast furnace over to where we had the Molds sitting and we would pour the metal into a Hole, we called it a Gate, we poured Cast Iron and it about 2000 degrees hot.

I made several different things, one thing I would make was Gas Burners. that molding will kill you, when I got off I was about too tired to drive home, but I did and then we would go Fishing.

we would go fishing just about every Evening and one day my Wife told me that this Fishing was going to stop, and I slacked off a little, we would go out there and the Bass would be Flopping and Rolling in the Water, and we would always catch a few.

I used a Devil Horse to Fish with and one Evening I remember this Bass came up under it and knocked it up above the water and then he rolled and slapped it with his Tail and knocked it about 4 or 5 Feet.

then a Man moved in next Door to me and he liked to Fish, so me and him would go about every Saturday, my Wife and his Wife were good Friends so she didn't say anything else about this Fishing is going to stop. we would get a hold of some of the strangest Boats, we would borrow the Car Hood Boat from my Brother in law, this was about 1965, then he got one made out of Plywood and had a 5 horse tiller Motor sitting in the middle of it and a shaft was fastened to the Motor with a universal Joint and this ran through a pipe out through the Bottom of the Boat, boy it made a Wave.

when me and him got in the Car Hood Boat there was about 3 inches of the side above the Water, and we would get so bored that I remember one day we went over and got the Boat and went Fishing and it was Snowing, we had to be Crazy, another time we went and caught 3 Fish and didn't have a Stringer so we had a piece of Rope and we run it through their Gills and tied them on and threw them out, we finished Fishing and loaded up and got nearly Home and I said "Buck did you put them Fish in the Boat?" and he said no, so I stopped and went back there and looked and we had dragged them down the HWy and there was three Fish heads and Gills was all that was left.

it got better, I finally bought me a semi-V bottom with a 25 horse Johnson, I would go to Wilson Dam and Fish and I could catch from 3 to 6 Catfish and they were never over 7 or 8 inches long, then in 1985 I bought me a real Boat, a wide Flat Bottom with a 35 horse Johnson, that is the best Boat for Fishing you can buy.

I decided I would get one of the "Brothers" to go with me and show me how to Fish, well we would go to Cane Creek and put the Boat in and go down the River to two Big White Rocks on the South Bank and we would fish.
we used mostly Chicken Livers, but then we tried Worms and that worked alright so we got to where we would bring 2 Butter Bowls and we would put in and go across the River and get out on the other Bank and where the River had been out of Banks there was Silt, and you could rake the Silt back and you could pick up 8 or 10 worms, they were about 4 inches long and you could have enough to fish all day in just a few Minutes. Rudy called the worms them TVA Worms.

One day it was hot and Rudy caught about a 2 pounder and he would let his hook drag the Bottom but I always fished straight down, let it down to the Bottom and then reel up 2 rounds, well Rudy stood up and reeled the Fish in and when he got it close to the Boat he lifted his Rod and was going to swing it in, well it came in and hit him and stuck one of them side Fins in behind his Knee Cap, man he got sick.

then I got another Man started to Fishing and I learned him all the tricks and we would go every Saturday, I remember me and him went 17 Saturdays in a row plus Labor Day, I only remember 3 times out of 5 or maybe 6 Years that we went and didn't catch Fish, it is all how you fix up and knowing how to use it, the most we ever caught in one day was 81, we couldnt shut the Livewell Door.


you go to the River and you will see these Boats running up and down the River and they don't catch anything, Me and Lowell were sitting along about the big White Rocks Fishing and there was another Boat close by and two men came up the River in a Boat and they stopped and talked to the men that was fishing there close to us and we could hear everything they said, so they talked awhile and then said "we are going Home and come back when they are Biting," Me and Him had 24, so you can Fish or ride, but you can't do both and catch anything.

we drifted down the River and we would go about a half Mile and Crank up and pull up and drift down again, stayed at the same place until Eleven O'Clock and go home, we would start at six in the Morning,it got to where we would give the Fish away, I had all I needed to last all Winter so we would give them away.

I finally got Old and had to have both Knees replaced and then I wasn't able to Launch the Boat and my Friend Died, and so I sold the Boat after keeping it twenty one Years and quit fishing, but my son ""Engineered Garden" took me and his Step Son fishing one day, he can't catch Catfish but he can catch Scaly fish and we got there at six AM and stayed until Eight Thirty AM and we had caught 15 that would have weighed I am sure 42 pounds or more. Remember it is the way you fix your Hook and Line whether you catch anything or not.