Anyone use a cane pole when they were young?

[sweetwater]

Early spring in Alabama when the lakes were muddy, my Dad would rig us up really stout cane poles with about 6 feet of 50# mono line and a 4/0 live bait hook and no weight. He'd put two or three large nightcrawlers on the hook in such a way that they really had a lot of action then he'd scull the piroque around stumps and flooded timber dipping the crawlers in and around the cover as we went. We caught some monster bass like that. The trick is as soon as you feel the bite you have to quickly pull the fish out of the water and into the piroque or they would hang up every time.

[waterdog101]

you guys were lucky, to have a dad teach you to fish. my Dad served in Korea, he never cared for fishing, my memories of him were, his likes were Whores and strong drinks. he also died very young, age 50. my memories of my dad aren't very good ones. but thats life. but I did learn to fish with a cane pole, lots of them on the creek bank where I was raised. my grand mother loved to fish more than anyone I ever new, and she would let me help her dig worms, well she would dig and let me pick them up and put them in a can. we would walk to this big hole of water in a bend in the creek, and fish all day. make a stringer from a limber limb off a bush. anything that would be caught would be cleaned and fried. I remember her telling me, look honey spit on the bait, before dropping it in the water. and I still do that to this day, if I'm fishing with live worms. my grandmother has been dead for 48 years the 10th of this month, and as I typed this I wipe tears thinking of her, and how she would hold me close to her side on the muddy creek bank.

thanks SLP for starting this thread, it gave me some heart warming flashbacks.

[Colbyt]

It was my Uncle who took me the first time. I wasn't even allowed to use a hook with a barb. He made me a hook out of a large safety pin. I was the happiest boy in the county when I finally was trusted with a barbed hook.

The hardware store always got a new supply of cane poles early in the spring.

[DJD]

you guys were lucky, to have a dad teach you to fish. my Dad served in Korea, he never cared for fishing, my memories of him were, his likes were Whores and strong drinks. he also died very young, age 50. my memories of my dad aren't very good ones. but thats life. but I did learn to fish with a cane pole, lots of them on the creek bank where I was raised. my grand mother loved to fish more than anyone I ever new, and she would let me help her dig worms, well she would dig and let me pick them up and put them in a can. we would walk to this big hole of water in a bend in the creek, and fish all day. make a stringer from a limber limb off a bush. anything that would be caught would be cleaned and fried. I remember her telling me, look honey spit on the bait, before dropping it in the water. and I still do that to this day, if I'm fishing with live worms. my grandmother has been dead for 48 years the 10th of this month, and as I typed this I wipe tears thinking of her, and how she would hold me close to her side on the muddy creek bank.

thanks SLP for starting this thread, it gave me some heart warming flashbacks.

Man thanks for sharing. great stuff!

[sweetwater]

you guys were lucky, to have a dad teach you to fish. my Dad served in Korea, he never cared for fishing, my memories of him were, his likes were Whores and strong drinks. he also died very young, age 50. my memories of my dad aren't very good ones. but thats life. but I did learn to fish with a cane pole, lots of them on the creek bank where I was raised. my grand mother loved to fish more than anyone I ever new, and she would let me help her dig worms, well she would dig and let me pick them up and put them in a can. we would walk to this big hole of water in a bend in the creek, and fish all day. make a stringer from a limber limb off a bush. anything that would be caught would be cleaned and fried. I remember her telling me, look honey spit on the bait, before dropping it in the water. and I still do that to this day, if I'm fishing with live worms. my grandmother has been dead for 48 years the 10th of this month, and as I typed this I wipe tears thinking of her, and how she would hold me close to her side on the muddy creek bank.

thanks SLP for starting this thread, it gave me some heart warming flashbacks.

I'm so sorry about your relationship with your Dad, maybe the war changed him. If it did his behavior is not his fault and all us Americans owe him for his service. My Daddy served as a SCPO in the Navy during Vietnam onboard the USS Sphinx, he had buddies that became "different people" after they came home, at that time no one at home "understood" as Daddy used to say. It sounds like your Grandmom was one heckofa lady who loved her Grandson very much. I lost my Daddy a couple of years ago and I still cry every day. We shared a love of fishing and having fun, everytime I fish to this day it's like he's there with me. I think he really is. It feels so good when I make a nice catch or make that perfect cast, I can see that big grin and those proud eyes and then he says "That's my little girl." I miss you Daddy.

[SLP]

Thanks to all, I really have enjoyed reading everyone's stories and memories. No need for anyone to apologize about derailing the thread either; threads like this are all about our memories and wherever that takes us.