Went fishing yesterday for the first time in the New Year. My kinda fishing trip, don’t have to go far and don’t stay long, just a couple miles and a couple hours. I’m that guy, most of y’all have seen him, he’s standing on the road side fishing in a ditch, and most people think he’s nuts. Well I am a bit “off” but that aside, I like my ditch fishing, I have honestly never gone and not caught something. Most times it’s a small bluegill (bream) or the like but I have caught largemouth bass up to 15” from a ditch you wouldn’t think a frog lived in. I get the horn toot and giggle to myself at the strange looks passers by give me as they drive past, I’ve had folks stop and chat in disbelief that I just caught that fish from there. Had people stop and talk about how they used to do the same thing when they were young and that this brings back memories. I encourage each one that does stop, to give it a try when they have a few minutes or even now as I always have an extra rod or two in my truck, I can almost guarantee they would catch a fish if they would but try. I don’t fish to keep them, I snap a picture and toss them back, to me it’s just fun to catch them. It’s something I remember doing as a kid, riding my bike to each of the culverts on that long country road and stopping and fishing, such fun. So when I retired I decided I would start going again and I’ve had a blast. Peach goes with me at times, but she’s busy with work and schooling and it leaves me to wander by myself. But yesterday was different, yesterday Jason our youngest son went with me. It was a hoot! We hit all the same spots I like to go and between the two of us we caught over 40 different fish. Copperheads (bluegill) Redbreast (sunfish) Spotted sunfish (Stumpnocker) and even Largemouth bass, all from ditches and all within 2 miles (as the crow flies) from our house. Fishing with the boys is always something I want time for and when they can go and want to, it’s a wonderful experience. I still have a small 10’ boat and electric motor for the ponds and pits people sometime let me fish (always looking for more ponds so if y’all know any where I can go, pass it this way) and I’ve gone with my oldest son James that way a time or two, but honestly my favorite is the ditch fishing, I can’t help it m! I’m hooked (pun intended) on it. Anyways, Jason and I hit each spot and caught fish until they stopped biting and then we moved on to the next, enjoying the day, the fishing and the company. We bumped into a fella at our last spot, who we chatted with a while, he had run out of bait and was leaving, as we talked Jason caught a good redbreast, which he gave to this fella as he was fishing for food and we were just catching and releasing. I showed him what we were using (pink trout magnet lures) and even gave him one, he stayed and fished more, he was still there when we left for home. At the end of the trip I realized that these are the days people wish for, maybe not fishing but just a nice few hours with family, with nothing else interrupting. Y’all try it sometime, and if you see a fella standing on the side of the road fishing in a ditch, toot the horn and wave, or stop by and chat. Who knows, you might find yourself fishing with him and enjoying every second.
Above are just a few of those we caught, they are not giants but each one is a memory and cherished like it weighed 5 lbs.
“See that Peach, I can catch fishes”
The Adventures and Musings of Peach and Batman 