My earliest memories of fishing are with my grandparents on the banks of the Ohio River and small public lakes near their house in New Richmond, OH. I don’t remember exactly how old I was when I started fishing but my guess was that I was about 6-7 years old.
The day would start with my grandma making pancakes with her homemade syrup. They were so good and to this day I cannot find anything close to it. My grandma would pack snacks and sandwiches while my grandpa would get all the fishing gear together. I remember they had a Chevrolet Caprice that had a trunk the size of a standard truck bed today. My brother and I would fight over who got to sit in the front seat between them. (Yes, this was before many laws were in place that we have today, we still survived).
Anytime that my brother and I would ride with my grandparents they would play country, bluegrass, and gospel music. The four of us would sing along and just enjoy the day and each other’s company. These are some of my favorite times with my grandparents. My grandpa passed away in 1989, and I remember shortly after his passing my grandma and I took a ride along the river just as we have countless times before, thinking about all of the good times we have had. My grandma lived for many years after him eventually passing in 2014.
One of my favorite times fishing happened at Chilo Lock 34 Park. Prior to retirement my grandparents cared for the grounds and lived in one of the homes along the river. I believe one of those buildings has since burned and the remaining one is now a museum.
We spent a good part of the day down along the banks of the Ohio River and we were not having a lot of luck. I remember my grandpa had made catfish balls which resembled clay but had a strong scent that would attract the fish in. Right before we reeled in our lines and admitted defeat, I had a bite on the line. I remember being so excited I could hardly breathe! Looking back it was just a small catfish but to me it was everything. In a strange way it taught me to go that extra mile, toss the line in one more time, and to not give up. It meant that for that day only I could do something the rest of the people fishing with us could not do, which was catch a fish!
I don’t have a lot of memories with my grandpa because I was so young when he passed but sitting on the banks of the river and small lakes with him will stay with me forever. Sometimes while out on the boat fishing, I will see a young boy and his grandpa fishing and it takes my right back to those shorelines.
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