FMTSO - Fishing

(Frank)

I grew up fishing with my dad...

Most weekends of my youth were spent at a creek or river in North Florida fishing for Bream but often we would head to the pier on the beach and fish for Red Fish and whatever else we could catch.

Growing up on the Gulf of Mexico we had our pick of what to fish for and fish was a staple of our diet.

 (Buoy from our time in Maine)

I was taught at an early age that respect for the land, water and catch were a priority and we were always encouraged to leave a spot cleaner than how we found it.

(The dunes at Port St Joe on the Gulf of Mexico)

 

                    

My dad not only taught us how to bait a hook, but how to remove the same hook in a humane way. We always cleaned our catch and never wasted a fish that we caught.

(Crappie we sent back to  his Momma.)

I can honestly say I was a fair angler on land but I never developed my sea legs... Sadly I grew up in a family that owned a 30-40 foot cabin cruiser and no trip to Boca Grande was complete without a trip on the open ocean. I spent more time chumming than I ever did fishing and was quite glad when my grandfather finally sold the last boat. I have found that I can tolerate fishing out on the lake as long is the water is calm but still don’t do open water.

(Fish basket holding the catch of the day...)

In 1979 I met a young man whom I later married. To say he was a fisherman does not come close… many of our dates were spent at the local lake in Barnwell, SC and I still treasure those few times we are able to get away from it all and fish.

Some times I fish, many times I take a book or better yet my camera and I enjoy the day, the catch and the quite time.

(Frank again, on the dock at Fair Play and in the boat at Hi-Ki Pen.)

 

All our children fish or have fished at some point in their lives, we were known to pack the play pen and 3 toddlers up and head out to the lake or even for a weekend trip camping and fishing somewhere… nearly 3 decades later we find our selves doing the same thing...

(Dorie's first catch.)

(Althea in her fishing hat!)

Some of them have kept up the tradition with their families and although Becki does not camp or fish, her daughter Althea is a born angler. At 2 years old she already knows how to hold a rod and cast it and loves fishing from the bank with Dorie and their Papa.

(Fishing on the bank with Papa.)

My dad would be proud....