Smalloholic and Smalloholic in training...

Today has been the best day that I have had since before October due to all my health issues that everyone knows about. I decided last night around 3am that I was going fishing this weekend come hell, high water or more sickness. The Misses does not fully like it but knows I need this trip more than any other in my life. I was watching a show a minute ago called HooknLook. Never seen the TV show before but have seen a couple of their videos. They started the show with the EXACT following words spoken by the announcer "In deed, Smallmouth Bass Fishing is one of those sports that can lead to dependancy. Anglers must understand that the first sted to recovery is simply admitting you have a problem" Then both the guys in the boat said the same line that would go like this for me - "My name is Elwood Lumpkins, aka elnutsmalljaws and I am a Smalloholic." I rewound it 5 times just to hear it again so I could write it down word for word. When my wife and son Joshua got home this evening, he had a suprise for me. Mind you Joshua is 4 years old, cute as a button, and thanks to his mom smartest and brightest kid of his age that I have ever seen and that in including his 2 older sisters when they were that little. They went to the store on the way home because Joshua told Mommy that he wanted to get his Daddy a Get Well card and give it to him. He gets home and I am cooking up the "World Famous Elnutsmalljaw Jambalaya Special", Rob and Cliff have both just licked there lips in the thought of the last time they had my Famous Jambalaya. Anyways, Joshua comes in the Kitchen and says I Love You Daddy and I got a suprise. I sit down in the chair in the kitchen and he hands me a card. The card reads sometimes recovering takes a while...That's why I'm sending you this SMILE. He wrote Get Well Joshua in his own writing with no help on the card. My wife said it was all his idea when they were in the store, Joshua said MOMMY I want to get Daddy a Card. Krista said she showed him where they were at and he picked it out all by himself with no help. For all the trials in tribulations in life, moments like these that may only happen for a few minutes in the day makes all lifes troubles and curves that much better when you are raising a fine upstanding son that one day will inherit all my Dale Hollow knowledge, Maps and Fishing tackle (He better have a big garage with lots of storage for I will be the first to admit, I HAVE TOO MUCH FISHING GEAR, but don't tell my wife that or she will go buy more Stamping and Scrapbooking stuff just to try to catch up. She will have to spend a lot of money because Curados, G Loomis Rods, $5 Crankbaits and Spinnerbaits, $3 for plastics ain't cheap.

Now for Smalloholic in training. I bought Joshua his first official fishing rod and presented it to him tonight after supper. He got a nice 5' Medium action Zebco spincast setup. You will never know how happy I was to see the joy of him holding his rod. We rigged up a little "Lure" and he sat in my lap for an hour casting it out to hit the book shelf then reeling it back in. He was pumped and asked if he could sleep with his fishing pole. Of course I said yes so off to bed he went and the rod was in tow. I check on him about every hour just to see if he is covered up, plus he squirms all over the bed. He had his hand wrapped around the reel with a pretty good grip just snooring away. Yes I am a Smalloholic and my son is training to be one to follow on in the families tradition. There are more of you out there, you know the ones, the guys that beat off the ice from the boat cover to head to the lake, the guys that launch out of Dale, Pickwick, Cherokee, Cumberland, Laurel, Green or whereever else with air temps barely reaching the 20's on some days, wind, sleet, rain, snow will not keep you away. Knowing you could be sitting at home by the fire with your feet up wearing your favorite robe and slippers, sipping hot chocolate just waiting for the game to come on. I set my DVR to record whatever I want while I am on the water because I easily fast forward or go backwards on the game but once you miss a day on the water, you can never ever get that day back. You know who you are and step up to the plate and admit it, I AM A SMALLOHOLIC!!!!! I AM A SMALLOHOLIC, I AM A SMALLOHOLIC, I AM A SMALLOHOLIC, see that was not so bad.

Yes indeed you are a "Smallaholic Elnut", but I believe that is a good thang...... Keep the little one on the right path and he'll be your side kick when no one else can be.......Good luck this weekend, I know tomorrow can't come fast enough for you.....Good Fishing......:)

How right you are. My son is 14 now, and loves to fish more than i do, if that is possible. There is nothing greater in this world we live in than to have your son wake you up at 4:00 in the morning, saying "Dad are you going to sleep all day, or are we going fishing" You will have a fishing partner for life, and believe me, there is no greater thrill in the world, than watching your son enjoying the outdoors with a burning passion for fishing.

well now thats bout the best story i have heard in a long time. man how those kids get away quick. i can remember when my sixteen year old would get me up and we headed down to the creek to catch those smallmouth and redeyes. now it's girls and cars( things that will get you in more trouble than fishing) lol. my 7 year old now tags along when he can and i got my 2 year old little girl who you can bet i will have in a boat till she is at least 30( legal dating age in my house LOL ). enjoy those times, seems like they go by too quick and before you know it your an old man of 32 years like me. Again good luck elwood to you and cliff this weekend. and remember if you get a hold of that 12 lb brownfish that is lurking in the shadows waiting for your return, just pass the rod off to cliff and not get yourself hurt again lol. looking forward to the report when you get back.

That little guy's lucky to have someone like you to train him in the ways of smallaholism. Best of luck on your trip tomorrow. I hope he gets to christen that rig with a nice smallie :)

[QUOTE=dcbasser;317839]well now thats bout the best story i have heard in a long time. man how those kids get away quick. i can remember when my sixteen year old would get me up and we headed down to the creek to catch those smallmouth and redeyes. now it's girls and cars( things that will get you in more trouble than fishing) lol. my 7 year old now tags along when he can and i got my 2 year old little girl who you can bet i will have in a boat till she is at least 30( legal dating age in my house LOL ). enjoy those times, seems like they go by too quick and before you know it your an old man of 32 years like me. Again good luck elwood to you and cliff this weekend. and remember if you get a hold of that 12 lb brownfish that is lurking in the shadows waiting for your return, just pass the rod off to cliff and not get yourself hurt again lol. looking forward to the report when you get back.[/QUOTE]

Don't worry Mike, I will make sure when I stick that 12 pounder that Henson is close enough for me to pass off the rod for him to reel in......NOT!!!!! I love him like a Brother and have so for about the past 33 years but I don't love him enough to let him tangle with that monster. We have a pretty good arrangement when we go fishing that I don't seem to have any problems with, he might, but it is a very simple arrangement that EVERY fishing guy needs to have with his best buddy. The arrangement is "I catch them and he nets them". He even has a nice Blue tee shirt with the word "NETBOY" in white lettering on front and back. Ask Biggw about it for he saw it on Cedar Creek when Henson was sporting it around on Labor Day I think it was when we were there. He looks very good in it but for some reason he only wore it that one time when my wife asked him. When I had the shirt made for him, the lettering did not look that big but that day you could read the words for a good 300 yards away and I think I heard several laughs and snickering as we motored by. I have some super polaroids of him in netting action with the shirt on that I will sell for just the right price.

By the way, 32 is not OLD, wait until you hit 40 and everything is more difficult. 32 years old was, 12 surgeries, around 170 days in the hospital, lost 220 pounds, 1 of my 3 kids, 2 - 6 pound Brownfish and about 20 or so over 5 ago. Give you 8 more years and you will be BEGGING to be 32 again, I know I am.