My dad and Jonathan Creek
This post is more about memories of my dad than it is about fishing.
My dad loved to crappie fish, and he would schedule a week's vacation every year for that purpose. We lived in Hammond, IN, and Dad would make the seven hour drive down to Aurora, Ky, to fish Jonathan Creek on Kentucky Lake every spring. He had to schedule his vacation well in advance, so he never knew which week to pick in order to hit the peak of the spawning season. Some years he would hit it about right, and other years he would miss it badly.
Dad lived for his week at Jonathan Creek each year. He worked at a department store in Hammond full time and also had his own parking lot striping business. He worked so hard to support Mom and me, and if there had been any justice in this world, Dad would have hit the perfect week each year to make his trip. Unfortunately, he probably missed the best time more often than he hit it.
It was during the 1960s that Dad was making his trips to Jonathan Creek. He would stay at what was called "Bill and Bob's Boat Dock" back in those days. The place was sold and it became "Sportsman's." I don't know if that place is still open or not.
Dad ate a lot of meals at "Sue and Charlie's Restaurant," which I believe became the "Willow Pond Restaurant."
There was a gal who was affectionately known to some of the fishermen as "The Crappie Queen," and I believe she might have worked at Sue and Charlie's, or she might have even been one of the owners. I might be way off on that, though.
Dad took me with him for his week at Jonathan Creek in May of 1966. He somehow got me out of school for the week, and I can't remember what excuse he gave the school officials. I remember that I brought my text books and did home work in the evenings. I was a junior in high school that year.
It was a great week! I don't think that year was one of his best years for catching crappie, but we were catching some, and I loved it.
The biggest crappie Dad ever caught was a 3 lb 10 oz slab from Jonathan Creek, but I can't remember what year it was when he caught it. It was not the year that I was there with him.
I haven't fished in years, but I know I will get back into it one of these days. Crappie fishing will probably be my favorite kind of fishing, like it used to be. I live only about an hour and twenty minutes from Aurora, so I won't have far to drive, like my poor dad did.
I would LOVE to hear from anyone who fished Jonathan Creek back in the 1960s. Someone please tell me, who was the "Crappie Queen?"
It would REALLY be great to hear from someone who remembers my dad from those days when he was coming down to Jonathan Creek. His name was Paul Johnson, and he was missing his left arm. Dad lost his arm in a hunting accident when he was only 16 years old. Does anyone remember a one-armed crappie fisherman from the 1960s at Jonathan Creek?
Dad passed away in September of 1994 at the age of 79. He had prostate cancer that turned into bone cancer. I miss my dad very much. He was the best. I'll soon be 60 years old myself, but I will never forget what a great dad he was.
Tom
