READ: Biggest Crappie.com contest ever -Eight Driftmaster Crappie Stalkers NEW DESIGN

Lets have a “Story” contest. Tell us a story about any one of these topics:

• A good deed you did, fishing related.
  
• A good deed you were the recipient of, fishing related.
• Why you like Crappie.com.
• Why Crappie.com has been good to/for you.
  

And include at least one (or more) related photos.

Post your story here in this thread. This contest will end (end of day) on Flag Day, June 14th 2013.

My family members will choose a winner based on which one they liked best.

The prize is a big one! The retail value of this prize is over $650. This a a new design.

A set of EIGHT:

CRAPPIE STALKERS
SPIDER RIGGING SYSTEM
NEW OFFSET DESIGN 692 B1
# T-275-HCX;

Attachment 122233

Thank you Driftmaster for your generous contribution - Visit their site: Driftmaster-Black River Tools


Standard disclaimer: Prizes and Rules subject to change without notice.

What Crappie.com offers everyone is opportunities for:
1. Knowledge and the ability to share.
2. Opportunity and the chance to express artistic flair.
3. Growth and experience in the art of catching crappies.
4. Photos to express excitement and friendships.
5. Atmosphere for good natured humor and discussion.
6. A place to acquire and share information for designing effective and attractive baits.
7. Variety in techniques for successful angling in different water types and conditions.
8. A vision shared and expanded upon by a family willing to step up and out into a market with optimism and a dream.
9. A greatful public forum shared by thousands of eager and knowledgable men and women.
10. A public house everyone can share and learn to play by the rules and make friendships that will endure the test of time.

Thank You for all your efforts to provide a place men and women and youngsters from all walks of life can come together and share and care
about a common passion. May your efforts continue to be fruitful and provide a place where so many can speak and provide knowledge that
has yet to be written in books. Where there is an opportunity to build a better mouse trap, the innovators will gather. I've read the posts of
both thick and thin skinned fishermen and they all eat from the same skillet. We live in stressful times and we have uncertain tomorrows. My
hopes for all is a common effort to transcend and surpass the wills of man, and follow His will. Good luck to all.

Last fall was fishing at Sardis and had one of my best days (up until that time) caught my limit and had a great day. Got to the ramp and was getting everything put away and started talking with two older gentleman. They were in their 80's and used to fish all the time. This was their first trip out in a long time and had driven down from somewhere in Memphis. They hadn't caught any fish. I asked them to come take a look at what I had in the livewell. They were like kids seeing the boat load of fish. Well I asked them if they wanted all of them--they asked if I was serious--I said of course--it's my pleasure. So I loaded them up for them and finished squaring the boat away and went home. It was a very good day.

i go to camps :biggrin

My grandfather taught my dad how to fish for crappie, my dad taught me, im teaching jr. And making sure he always has a place to fish.

On 1-19-2013 I was fishing in the bigeyecrappieman tournament. All started out well, had made it to the section of the lake that I planned on fishing. Got all my rods put out and had caught two small crappie. Then I had a very good take down reached down to grab it and slipped and fell in the water! It was cold the air temp was around 28 the water temp was 47. I had every bit of clothing on a man could get on including my life vest . I made many attempts at getting back in my boat ,but was not able to due to being to heavy and tired . Then it hit me I had my remote for my trolling motor around my neck, but it was to wet and was not working. There was hardly any wind blowing and I was 50 yards from shore so Just hung on till my boat got to about 10 yards from the shore , then I grabbed my rope tied to the front eyelet of my boat and wrapped it around my hand. My only thought was I had to get out of the water quick so I swam as hard as I could till I hit the rocks with my hands, I was give out by this time and had to sit there for a min. to catch my breath. I pulled my boat to me and got in, I was just lucky there was a boat ramp just ahead . Just as I pulled up to the boat ramp a man was putting his boat in the water and seen that I was soaking wet .He grabbed me and put me in his truck and asked me where I was parked while dialing 911. His name was Mr. Johnston I wish I had a first name , but he helped save my life by his quick actions My body temp was 90.5 and EMS told me if I had been in the water another 10 min. I probably would not be here today. I was in the water for 20 min. I believe Mr. Johnston was sent from God to be my angel. I also had a lot of prayers from crappie.com members that found out after the accident .I love this site and have made many new friends on here. Thanks Slab for creating such a good web site!

Getting back out after accident in Tournament

Quote:

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Originally Posted by KDAVID1

Last fall was fishing at Sardis and had one of my best days (up until that time) caught my limit and had a great day. Got to the ramp and was getting everything put away and started talking with two older gentleman. They were in their 80's and used to fish all the time. This was their first trip out in a long time and had driven down from somewhere in Memphis. They hadn't caught any fish. I asked them to come take a look at what I had in the livewell. They were like kids seeing the boat load of fish. Well I asked them if they wanted all of them--they asked if I was serious--I said of course--it's my pleasure. So I loaded them up for them and finished squaring the boat away and went home. It was a very good day.

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Forgot the pic (just of the fish though)

This one time at band camp I.............................

Attachment 122398I don’t know if I did a good deed or the kid did? Midsummer3 years ago I went to the sand docks on the Niagara River to see what was goingon and to just get a line wet. I set up my stuff and sat down with a leach setup drop shot to jig along the wall. While I was relaxing I picked a voice upout of the crowd around me, I think I picked it up because it reminded me of mylittle cousin Tiff. Tiffany has a disability and right away I knew the kid I heardwas maybe the same. He kept calling for his dad, over and over but no one cameover to him. He was holding a closed face pole with a 3inch yellow Mr. Twisteron a bait holder hook with a split shot that was too small for the rivercurrent. I knew he was most likely tanglingwith every one, so I said to him ill help and he kept saying thank you over andover while I set him up the same as me, drop shot but with a yum worm and toldhim to put the twister in his stuff. He said thank you and went back to hischair and I went back to fishing. A bit later his dad was getting his stuffready and he came over and said goodbye and I told him it was nice fishing withhim and he gave me thumbs up and left. And I was the one smiling….. Thanks kid..............Pic is to show Tiffany she is in the blue, Cant take em off the line but she can catch-em.

One day last summer my fiance and I took my jon boat into a private pond to go fishing. When we arrived to the pond there was a young boy (probably 11-12 years old?) hanging out by the water all alone. He watched us load our boat into the water and asked several questions while we were doing so. "you guys going fishing?" "what are you fishing for" things like that... I could tell he was very excited to see us fishing. My fiance and I fished the pond for a couple of hours. The entire time the boy stood on the bank, never taking his eye off of us, in hopes to see us catch a fish. Well unfortunately we didnt catch anything so we called it a day returning to shore where the boy greeted us with more questions. "did you guys catch anything?" "you think there is fish in here?" "how come you didnt catch any?"... He really wanted to see us catch a fish! so after loading the boat on the trailer i stood on the shore beside the boy fishing for awhile longer trying my best to catch a fish for him. FINALLY! A BITE! so i set the hook and reeled in... it was a little white perch caught on a gulp minnow. The boy was soo excited! "can I hold it?" "what kind of fish is that?"... So i showed him the fish and let him hold it and release it. After that I said goodbye to the boy and headed back to my truck. As i was about to leave something inside me told me to go back to the little boy. I asked him if he has a father or older brother that takes him fishing? He said he has an older brother that goes fishing. I asked him if he has a fishing pole of his own? He said he didnt... So I went back to my truck and grabbed one of my fishing poles as well as an assortment of hooks/weights/and lures.... went back to the boy and gave it all to him. Before I left I taught the boy how to tie an easy knot and how to rig up the hooks and lures. Then I showed him how to cast and how to jig the lures and what to do when he gets a bite. I dont think I have ever seen such a huge smile on somebody's face before! After his many "thank you's" we said goodbye and went on our separate ways.

Also there was 2 very friendly ducks by the pond that I hand fed. I thought it was the funniest thing ever when they bit my fingers thinking it was food!

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a1...psee894956.jpg
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a1...ps210510bc.jpg

here is a video of the ducks... click the picture to play
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a1...psdf62ab83.jpg

I took my youngest son to a local pond last year, we were using my hand-tied jigs in 1/32, and 1/64. We were catching big bull blue-gills on virtually every drop. soon after we arrived, I see an elderly gentlemen, with a young kid (prolly 8-9) , and they have some heavy artillery with them that day. They were fishing 3/4 or 1 oz bucktail jigs, that the grandpa had used with good results back in the day. My son, and I continue catching at a good rate, and i could see disappointment in the young kid as he had not got a hit, or caught a fish yet. A few more minutes went by with the same result, i opened my jig box, and took out a few jigs in 1/64, 1/32, and some 1/16 jigs with a # 6 hook. I put the jigs next to them on the bleacher they were sitting on fishing the dock, and told them to try a couple of those jigs to see if they would do any good for them. The elderly man asked how much i wanted for the jigs, and i said ill let ya know shortly. They tied on a couple jigs, and in about 5 minutes his grandson hooked a nice blue-gill, he was smiling ear- to -ear. We had a few conversations over the next 30 minutes, and they were catching pretty good ,by this time my little one was ready to go. As i started to walk away , the older gentlemen said, you never told me what you needed for the jigs. I responded, your conversation, and the smiles were payment enough. We shook hands, and told each other to have a blessed day!

I have looked for them each time we visit that pond, but have not seen them since our first encounter......

http://i598.photobucket.com/albums/t...86516CDE43.jpg

Well, it's been some years ago now, but I will share this with everyone. I was out one Summer day with my son. It was my Saturday to have him, and I'd always try to make the best of the little time I got to spend with him as best I could. We didn't have a lot of time, so we grabbed the poles, and headed on over to a public lagoon located smack dab in the center of a city. Not much in the way of keepers of any type come out of this water mind you. But the bites come real steady, which keeps a young boy's interest, and Dad's busy taking fish off hooks. All the while we fished, a young boy sat watching us from a nearby park bench. Before too much longer, he mustered up a conversation with us. Now I'm kind of a burly guy, but this young man's words hit home real hard for me. You see, like me, his Dad used to take him fishing too, and he surely loved going fishing with him. He said that he really missed fishing, and that his Mom loved to eat fish, but they hadn't had any since Daddy had went to Heaven to be with God. Turns out his Dad was a Marine, one of them that didn't make it back home from Iraq to his wife and son. I asked the boy if he'd like to fish with my pole since he didn't have one to fish with? His eyes lit up, and his smile was a county mile wide as he said "Sure mister!" He soon was catching the little gills and crappie just like he was an old timer. My son was smiling up at me, and it made me feel good all over that he was there to share this experience too. But soon it was starting to get dusk out, and though I hated it, I knew we were going to have to leave to head home before too much longer. All of the sudden, the young boy was calling for me frantically with fear in his voice. He'd hooked a monster! He kept trying to get me to take the pole, but I wouldn't and told him it was his whopper to land! I'm glad I had Fire line on that reel, because the boy ended up landing a 6.5lb flathead! He was so proud he could hardly get the words out! It was the biggest fish he'd ever seen! I then asked him what he wanted to do with it? And he said he'd love to bring it home to his Mom, but his Dad never got the chance to teach him how to clean fish, and his Mom didn't know how to either. So the three of us went through the finer points of how one goes about fileting a fish. As I watched to boy ride off on his bike, he took a little bit of my heart with him, and I couldn't help but to tear up. And this is why one of my tag lines reads "Take the time, and take the kids!"

Several years ago my wife and I were in Michigan on vacation. A friend named Harvey came to the house to see us and we started talking fishing. He said he had a small boat at Fletcher's Floodwaters and that he really wanted to go fishing. Because he was in his late 80's he did not fish alone and wanted us to go with him. We agreed and set it up for the next day. Harvey was a very fit man for his age and even in his 80's I would not have wanted to tangle with him. If he liked you he would do anything for you but if he did not like you he would tell you and tell you to stay clear of him. He was a man who cussed like a sailor no matter who was around. That was just the way he was. He picked us up and we made the 35 minute trip to the lake. It was a hot day and there was no air conditioning in his truck. Harvey did not like to ride with the windows down so it was like a sauna all the way to the lake. His driving scared my wife. He rode right at the edge of the road almost going in the ditch. Limbs on trees were hitting the widshield and he never batted an eye. My wife and I were SO relieved when we finnally made it to the boat. He and my wife did not know each other well but got to know each other on this trip. He gave her the nickname noisy because she did not talk very much. We caught several fish and the day was over so we went home and cleaned the fish. My wife had a blast. She said it was one of the best days of fishing she had ever had and she loved Harvey. The day before we left to come home we went to say goodbye to Harvey. As we were leaving we went over to his chair and we both gave him a hug. I told him we would see him next year and do it again. He said no this is last time you will see me. I will not be here this time next year. I laughed it off and said goodbye. Harvey passed away before we got back up the following year. We made his day by going fishing with him and he made our day by giving us one of the best days we have had. If you mention the name Harvey my wife will smile and start talking about that day. It is the small things in life that mean the most. We do miss old Harvey. He was a great friend.

I was the recipient of a good deed. Not only myself, but countless other fishermen, too. Last fall I went crappie fishing out of Sportsman’s Park on the Elk. Fishing by yourself is always a bit complicated what with getting the boat off and then later back onto the trailer. I had the boat straps off and my safety rope tied to the cleat when an older gentleman approached and asked if I would like him to back me in and park my truck. I started to say no, but there was something trustworthy about him. I just had this feeling he was honest and serious about his offer, so I accepted. With no hesitation and a whole lot of practice under his belt, he backed me in, waited for the boat to float off the trailer, drove up the lot and parked my truck. I nudged up to the dock and in a moment or so he walked down to me passing my keys and said the truck was all locked up. Profusely, I thanked him and asked if he’d done this before. He surprised me by answering that he did it all the time. His idea of paying it forward was offering to put in or take out for single fishermen. He isn’t always at Sportsman’s Park, doesn’t do too much fishing himself, and likes the idea of helping others. My biggest regret of that day is I don’t remember his name, and I didn’t take him fishing with me or make plans for another day. I’ve seen him once more at Sportsman’s but I was fishing with my neighbor and wasn’t alone.
One thing’s for sure, his kindness and helpful attitude sure made a lasting impression on me. Oh, the attached pic was my big crappie of the day, too.Attachment 123156

Here's a short story:

I took my boy fishing last year on his 1st trip...My buddy let me use his private lake... We had fun... We caught fish... I posted it on Crappie.com

Attachment 123422

Why Crappie.com has been good to me.......................................
Attachment 123496

As an avid crappie angler and once diehard tournament fisherman, I needed an out to express and share my fishing adventures. I’m a middle aged divorced man, children grown, night and weekend worker, due to this, I’m left with a lot of alone time. I have always found solace in fishing; I’m not your everyday kick back and relax fishermen, I’m a search and destroy guy who relishes every opportunity, every minute I have when on the water. I pride myself as being a well-rounded crappie angler able to use most techniques that are favored by today’s anglers. One evening while searching the web, I stumbled upon Crappie.com, I entered the site not knowing what to expect. My eyes were glued to the screen as I was engulfed by the reports and stories from anglers just like myself. I read report after report, scanned the many quality pictures of the great, and not so great catches and knew that this was exactly what I had been looking for. I signed up that night, and have been a nightly visitor ever since. I enjoy sharing in all my glory when things go right, but I also enjoy posting those humbling trips that remind you that some days your fishing, whiles others you are catching. The one thing that this sight offers that few speak of is the camaraderie. I have made many, many online friends. Some of these have turned into personal friendships. Not having children that are real interested in fishing, this sight gives me an opportunity to share my many years experience, to express upon others knowledge or information they may find valuable to making them understand this beloved species of fish we all chase relentlessly. Thank you Crappie.com for giving me this outlet that has become an important part of my life.

I have to give a little back story before I explain why I love this site... Sorry ahead of time for the book... :)

When I was very young, my grandfather used to take me fishing a couple of times a week (we lived at Lake of the Ozarks, in Central MO). We were always fishing for crappie off of his dock (right where he would sink the Christmas tree every winter). He must have had 10 years worth of Christmas trees at the edge of his dock! We would get up at 5am, eat some breakfast (his favorite was oatmeal and raisins, which to this day, still conjures up pleasant memories for me), and then we would walk down the road to his dock and sit there for hours. He taught me how to load minnows, we fished, the sun came up, and he taught me things the way that only a grandpa can - patience, kindness, humility, etc... I cherish every moment of those trips - they are among my fondest childhood memories... The times when we would go fishing faded as I got older. Unknown to me at the time, he had developed cancer from asbestos at work and was in poor health, so we didn't go much. I was somewhere around 6-8 yrs old, so I didn't really understand what was going on - I just knew we weren't fishing too much any more (even though I was always bugging him to go)... Looking back, I can now see that whenever he could get the energy together and tolerate the pain, he would take me. He passed in 1978, when I was 8 years old, which was also the same year my parents divorced. That was also the last year I went crappie fishing. I can't say for sure if it is all related or not (I'm a computer guy, not a psychiatrist), but I do know that's when I stopped fishing for crappie...

Fast forward 30+ years - I'm now in my 40's, have a great family and 2 wonderful kids. I have taken my family fishing many times - and we love the peaceful time together on the lake, even if we catch absolutely nothing. But, we have never gone crappie fishing - we have always fished for catfish because it was easier to teach. So my wife and I were out fishing a few weeks ago, and I had a brief flash of my childhood - something about the lake triggered a memory. Remembering "back in the day", what fun I had fishing for crappie with my grandpa, and how much those memories still mean to me today as a grown man. That's when I decided that I wanted to get back into crappie fishing...

Enter crappie.com - considering how long it had been since I fished for crappie, I was (putting it mildly), rusty... I looked around on the web and found this site. I have looked through many of the forums, looking for things to spark an old memory or technique, and have found a wealth of information that has brought back my desire for fishing where there is a bit more action (catfish are good to eat, but kinda slow and lumbering with regards to "action"). I also appreciate that this site is family friendly, and that all of the veterans on here are so willing to share their tips and tricks. It has already helped me unlock a few things that were somewhere in the back of my mind... Thanks for hosting and maintaining this site! :)

That's my story - sorry for the mush at the beginning, but there it is... :)

I believe it was 2 years ago myself and a friend fished a striper tournament on a chilly March day. To my knowledge the water temp was in the mid/upper 50's. I was extremely confident that we would do very well as i was killing BIG fish (to this lakes standards) at a certain portion of the lake very steady and havent told a soul. The tournament started at 7am and ended at 3. We were the only boat making a long 15 +/- run to the fishing grounds on this large lake. I dont have the fastest boat in the world, but she still scooted at a good clip with 2 large guys and a 30 gal bait tank full. About 3/4 of the way there, in the slight fog i saw a skiff with rods in the water fishin and a black lab constantly barking. Couldnt see anyone in the boat. i kept easing up and looking and still see no one in the boat. As i passed it, something told me to turn around and check it out. As we get closer to the boat i see this dog get our attention and divert it towards the other side of the boat. as we ease to the other side of the boat we see an old man hanging on to the side of the boat (with a inflated life jacket) trying his best to crawl back into the boat. as we approached it, you can tell he was winded and out of energy just holding on for dear life. we quickly tie off, jump into his boat and pull him in. he was extremely exhausted but completely alert and in good shape/spirit. come to find out he was only in the water for just a few minutes but apparently slipped and fell off the front deck and possibly broke his wrist. Lucky for us, he lived on the lake and within sight of the incident so my buddy drove the boat to his dock while i followed in mine. we get to his house, tie the boat off and meet what im assuming was his wife. explained what had happened, and she thanked us and quickly proceeded to take him to the hospital.

Wow we though what a morning this has been already. As luck would have it, good Karma paid off. we were fishing at my spot by 930, and i was extremely confident that by 1130 we had smoked the field of 15ish boats. went a perfect 10 for 10 live baiting...kept 6 to include a pair of 8-9 lbers (usually a pair weighing 12-13 lbs always wins the tournament as this lake isnt known for large fish). we were back at the landing by 1 and enjoyed a few victory beers (with confidence) at the marina prior to weigh in. Yes we won the tourney by several pounds.

I dont fish that part of the lake much at all, but the few times ive been that was i stopped by the dock to say hey but everytime, no one has been around

The pic included is the pair of the fish from that day that won it all for us....perhaps the fish gods were watching!

http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f1...IAIMAG0344.jpg

My old fishing partner, who owned the boat, etc decided to give up fishing. We had fished together for many years. When he did, I thought well I will too. Then a buddy of mine, who had gone with me some decided he wanted to buy the boat and equipment. We could go in half on all. I didn't really want to, but he insisted, so we did. He wasn't feeling well at the time and I kept thinking, maybe you should fnd out what is wrong with you before we do this. Well this went on for a few months. The day after we took the plunge to buy the boat, he was diagnosed with a rare form of blood cancer. Our last day to fish together was 12/19/12, before he went to Vandy to have a stem cell transplant. He has been in the recovery process since. He seems to be getting better each day, goes back this week for hopefully final tests. Any way the 12/19/12 fish day, we limited out (60) crappie in less than 3 hours. Most fish he had ever caught that quick. He said , well I have to go to Vandy tomorrow, we can at least leave early today and get fish cleaned. I told him I was off till after Christmas, I had a week to clean fish. If he wanted we could keep fishing and cull. He said OK. We did for another hour or so and when we had caught 90 keepers, we went home. What a day. I know it gave him something to look forward to doing again while going thru some hard times. Doctors had told him they were not sure he would survive. So far he has. I was thinking, man if this is the last day you get to fish, what a good day it was to go out on. He has been with me one time in April 2013. Hopefully more to come. I think he did me as much good to be a part of it, as it as for him to be.

Crappie Stalker's Good Deed:

He won't tell this story himself, but I'll tell it for him. We were at the Sippi spring camp last week and just about every night, folks would sit around a different campfire to visit, tell fishing stories and just enjoy the company. On Friday night, we were gathered around Ennivator's campfire enjoying Doodler's fatties (rolled, stuffed log of meat, don't get the wrong idea!). Crappie Stalker (Paul) had just leaned over to slice off some fattie when South65 (Mason) came around to get him a piece too. When he rounded the corner of the fire pit, he stumbled on some loose rocks and into the fire he went - face first and hands down. Even though it actually happened in the blink of an eye, it seemed like slow motion watching him fall. Before anybody could get out of their chair, Paul reached down with one hand, grabbed Mason by the back of his shirt and yanked him backwards out of the firepit and onto his backside 4 feet away. Now, he said he was okay, but I think that was the barley pops talking, because once Mason started to feel it, I know it hurt like heck. He had some pretty good burns on the palm of his hand but luckily, nowhere else. We got some ice on it quick, but it was already starting to blister. My mom swears by plain old toothpaste for burns, so Paul hustled down to our camper and got mine for him. Mason painted up his palm and says it helped. I guess it did, cause his palm was still painted up the next day.

Funny thing is, Paul never dropped the food plate in his right hand when he grabbed Mason with the left hand and yanked him out. Let me tell you, that boy flew out of that fire. You know what he was worried about when he landed? His hat! As you can imagine, the story spread around camp pretty quick and poor ole South65 took some ribbing about the incident. A couple different people started calling Paul that boy's "savior" and he said to please not call him that, he'd rather just be called "friend."


Of all the pictures I took, I didn't get one of Paul and Mason together, dang it. I borrowed this one from another member.

Attachment 124208

Well my good deed is not as impressive as Crappie Stalkers but here goes. After I burned my hand good I decided to stay an extra night at spring camp after Rip A Lip invited me to stay with him. We were all sitting around with Slab , Billbob , Yankee Doodler and Rip A Lip and could hear some man getting irate across the campground. We seen a silver SUV riding around the campground all evening pulling a red boat trailer. They never stopped and spoke or nothing but was making the same loop over and over. This morning as Slab and Yankee Doodler were packing up their stuff Slab gave me the last 4 c.c flashlights he had to give away at a later time. About 15 minutes later the same SUV came back thru and stopped. There was a lady and 3 young kids inside. She asked if we would help her load her boat and back her truck in the water since the people was with her would not help due to a dispute they had last night. I obliged and unhooked my boat and told her I would meet her at the ramp. Rip and I rode around to the boat ramp and rehooked her trailer to her SUV and I took her back to her boat while Rip waited at her truck with the 3 children. As we were on our way back around to her boat she told me that their father had just passed and they were coming to live with her. We arrived back at her boat and we jumped in and took it back to the boat ramp. I loaded the boat on the trailer and Rip strapped her down. She was very thankful that we had helped. We all rode back to my truck and we split ways. When arriving back at our campsite I remembered the flashlights and decided to give them to her and the kids. As they were leaving they stopped and gave the flashlights to them and explained crappie.com to her and the kids were tickled to death about the prizes. Billbob and Rip snapped a few group pictures of us. If everyone showed everyone the same respect that c.c users did we would live in a much better place. Thanks ED for bringing us all together Attachment 124230Attachment 124231

Not really a good deed but a story of what happened yesterday.

Living right on my home lake, I tend to somewhat isolate myself. Not intentionally (Well, maybe a little) but never the less with a cabin/home that seems to need constant attending it seems like and a lake beaconing right off the back yard, I have everything I need and want to do when I’m at home. I work all over the world and coming home is a ”vacation” for me.
So, getting up early one fine spring morning, I thought I would call my Dad whom I hadn’t spent a lot of time with even though I had been home a while. Regretfully I had poured all my time and energy into working on the place before I had to go back out on the road the next time. I asked him if he wanted to go fishing. To my surprise, he said yes and could my uncle come. Of course there’s only one answer to that so I told him I’d meet them at the boat ramp.
I was early and proceeded to unload the boat, put the truck away and idle over to the dock to let him get in. At 69, he’s getting a little stove up to be clambering in a boat from the ramp. As I saw his old truck come pulling in and parking I remembered when he’d loaned me that old truck when my marriage had went south way back then and I didn’t have even the proverbial pot for a couple of months while I got everything straightened out in my life.

He come out alone saying my uncle couldn’t make it. I was secretly kinda glad as my boat will really only fish two comfortably and three tightly. Got him loaded and as he looked across the whole array of Shimanos, Revos, Kistler and B&M rods and the rest of the stuff I seem to accumulate, he asked if he could use the Zebco 33 mounted on the Ugly stick strapped down on the deck. I remembered the Zebco 202s he had got my brother and I when we were little. Mine had red tape around the handle to keep us from fighting over whose was whose.
He had a floppy hat on that I was told to not make fun of. He was supposed to wear it to keep the sun off from too much. My wife had admonished me also to bring water and not keep him out there in one of my marathon sessions that I’m known for. As we got up on plane, he’s hanging onto that hat to keep it from blowing off as I’ve did so many times before. I remembered the ball cap collection he had when I was a kid from all the various reps and companies associated with him working in the oil fields. Musta had over a hundred at least. Also told me that he’d forgot his teeth in the truck if we had to bite anything.
Across the lake and up the river we went. I saw it’s still a little chilly for him so I pull it back and just keep the boat on plane. We cross the lake and work our way up the river with a bite once and a while but nothing in the boat. Talking and shooting the bull the whole way.

He’s been a Mason for a while and goes to a different lodge because he hates the arguing and politics at his local chapter. Also, he confesses the local lodge has like 50 steps to climb up to enter. He has to stop and catch his breath bout half way up he tells me. So he goes to the nearest other one as they are on level ground. I remember him two handing a ford v8 short block out on the fender of some old car they were working on in the driveway when I was a kid when the chain hoist jammed up. Strong as an ox back then. After Prostate cancer and a double bypass and one now too close to mess with, he has be a little careful now. “Get winded easy”, as he calls it. I manage to bump a couple of stumps like I always seem to do and he tells me it was always was kinda shallow there. Even back before I was born when he used to come there with his cousins in a old tin boat with board seats that pinched you if you sat on it wrong.

Spent about half the day out and I worked my way back towards the ramp. A pontoon boat scooted in just in front of us on the dock so I circled back to a brush pile across the inlet while they sorted everything out. As we trolled it a couple of times the bites came in but no catches. All of a sudden, I saw his bobber dip and the tip of the rod ease up in his wrinkled hands. With a tug a fish was on! Watching him work it a few moments, I remembered some of the times in my past and when I had taken my sons fishing whom have grown and moved away doing their own thing.

The fish on his rod? It was a crappie. Not a big ol slab or anything. Just average. Only fish in the boat for the day. After we loaded up, he drove away in that old truck after telling me, “Best fishin trip in a long time!”
As I got in the truck to head back towards the house with a coupla tears in my eyes , I just sat there a minute or two and thought that even though I had been going nearly every day the last three months and sometimes twice a day even, he was right.

It had been the, “Best fishin trip in a long time.”
http://f1200.mail.vip.ne1.yahoo.com/...stuff&inline=1

@Lowe170w - I have to reply to this one... Great story! It's so hard to explain to people who don't fish what it means. For me anyway, it isn't all about catching the biggest or the most - or in many cases for me, catching anything at all. It's that quality time with family or close friends doing something we all enjoy. There's just something about being on a lake that is so peaceful and gives a guy a chance to see what's really important in life... Reading these stories has really inspired me to make more time to take my son out more before he gets old enough to move out on his own... :) Thanks to everybody for sharing!

Not to often one hears about GREAT people, OUTSTANDING companies. I am part of an organization called ARM ( anglers as role models ). We work with the Big Brothers, Big Sisters to take kids fishing for a day that other wise would never get a chance. These kids are from broken homes, or problem kids, some are from the inner city. Each child is given a brand new rod, reel and tackle box, set up ready to fish DONATED by company's in the area, that the kids get to keep. A local resort gives us FREE access to there grounds, launches, docks, supplies all live bait, and a tent set up that they rent for the festivities. Local super markets supplies food, beverages, and snacks for the kids. Most of these kids have never been in a boat much less fish. Many kids and there Bigs come from as far a way as 150 miles on buses DONATED from various companies. We average around 50 kids a year. The anglers donate there time boat and gas for this occasion, we have one angler that makes a 275 mile trek one way, to participate. The fun and smiles on these kids faces, when they get to fish and ride in some pretty cool boats is unforgettable for all that take part. This is a HUGE THANK YOU TO COMPANIES AND PEOPLE that donate there time and money to make someone else's dream and an unforgettable time come true. ( I am not aloud to post any pics of the kids in a public forum, to protect the kids. )

Thanks Bricks, jarred my memory and remembered a time in the 1970's when I was a member of the Big Brothers &
Big Sisters of Tarrant County of Fort Worth. My little brother lived just one block from our home and I saw him a lot
more than the schedule suggested. We spent most of our time fishing from my 16' jon boat for any kind of fish in
any lake we decided to fish. First trip we scheduled, we had a long talk about safety and procedures to follow prior
to launch and the drain plug was the last and most important detail we discussed. When we arrived at our chosen
lake, we went through the details and check off list to make sure all bases were covered for a successful trip. After
the launch I had him hold the rope while I parked the truck and all seemed to be right for a great day of fishing.
I loaded him and pushed off and made my way to the back of the boat and when I stepped in water that splashed
into my tennis shoe, I knew I had forgotten to double check the plug. I started the motor and off we went parallel
to the bank and all the while the water was sucked out of the back of the boat and he never knew until he saw me
install the plug. He apologized for the oversite and I apologized for not double checking and we agreed to keep our
minds on our business and that was to catch a bunch of fish. He caught his first fish that day and we had many more
successful trips for the next couple of years. He moved to Washington State near Mt. St. Helens and was there when
the top blew off. He mailed me some of the ash in a plastic baggie and we stayed in touch until he started playing
sports in school. Hat off to you Shawn, where ever you are today. Fond memories of years gone by and the beginning
of many years working and coaching with youngsters playing baseball.

RetiredRR hats off to you the Big Brothers Big Sisters help a lot of kids, thanks for taking the time to share your life experiences and help a kid.

The most satisfying deed I have ever performed related to crappie fishing was at Fall Camp on Lake Nimrod Arkansas, last year. After fishing the day and being involved in the camp Saturday night cook, I found myself with a nice mess of fish to clean after most of the festivities were over. When I got up to the cleaning station at the campground, a man and his boy were scaling 2 fish, a bass, and a crappie. I laid my fish out and started fileting what my wife and I had caught and struck up a conversation while we were cleaning. After they had finished with the 2 fish, the man turned and said to his boy, mamma is sure gonna be proud to have fresh fish. I quickly did the math and figured out there were three people and 2 fish. By that time, I had fileted 8 and I asked the man if he would like to take those filets. He gladly accepted my offer.

Helping those in need seems to be an unspoken rule of Crappie.com people. Whether it is sharing some of the best eating fish on the planet, expanding your fishing knowledge, or helping a fellow fisherman in need, crappie.com people always step up strong. The simple little words of "prayer sent" says volumes about the forum and its people. Yes, it is a crappie fishing forum, but the friendships across the country, that crappie.com has brought together, are far more valuable than the quantities of fish that are caught daily by its members. I'm so glad to have found this forum and it's people to hang out with.

I was fishing a few weeks ago and a new warden and his mentor warden were checking on the lake. They pulled up killed their motor and asked to see my license. We talked a little and I explained being new he should really be careful on the lake at low pool with submerged stumps. After that their motor refused to start. I offered to help but they declined and after the battery went dead from cranking I offered again. Again they declined , explained they had a portable jumper to start it. I returned to fishing as the wind blew their boat away from the ramp even farther. I heard something and looked up to see them waving and hollering ''we changed our mind''. I rolled up my line and motored over. Tried to jump their motor with no luck and towed them to the ramp. They sure were thankful and I just asked them to remember I was on the lake almost daily and if I ever needed a tow. They smiled and said you sure got it as we parted ways. I know they had to notice all the Crappie.com stickers on my boat transom as I towed them in. They are not the first and probably not the last I'll rescue on the water.

I was at the ramp one day and just so happened so was another Crappie.commer. Two elderly men were trying to load their boat and one was on a walker. We helped load their boat and got them on the way. One explained they had been fishing buddies for many years and hoped to catch enough for a good meal. They had no luck and we are just glad to be able to go again . I asked where they camped so later when I went to leave I pulled into their camp and gave them my catch. Was good to see two elderly friends so happy. They could not thank me enough.

My goodness what a day, bumping my reserve power all day,my energizers are about worn out, but thank goodness he put some new gas in the carb's after sitting for 2 years. Oh yes here we go, we get to stay in the water, I so love the water and not sitting on dry land on those rails, they stick to my ribs. A slip, a wonderful slip for me to rest tonight, wonder if he is going to face me into the wind? Well, guess not. The water is slick yet I do feel a front coming in as my seams begin to shiver. Whoa don't leave me like this only tied to the dock, what about leaving thebilge on, oh that's right he didn't put the auto bilge on, yep I was hoping when rigged we would go that one extra step. Oh well.
Ouch what is that banging to my side, again and again, the wind, the waves? The temperature must have dropped 20 degrees and the wind where did that come from, the waves so high, oh my, NO what is the water doing coming over my backside, NO it cant keep doing that, I feel like I wet my pants...please come turn on the bilge or at least check on me, take me outa the water, I want to feel my ribs,not this cold, cold water on my insides. Hey, where are you? Cant you see whatis happening here? 20-30 mile per hour winds. The waves they are white capping this cold blue water into my belly? Don't you hear it? Hurry!!! Oh no, its happening, I am sinking.
Wait, who is this coming down the dock, oh yes here he comes to rescue me. Whew I thought we had it. What, what is he doing? What's he doing laying down on the dock? Take me out, crank me up and away we go. What does he mean taking my seats out, whoa that is mine not yours, what are you doing removing my electronics, what do you mean taking my fishing gear, NO not my life jacket I may need that, NO I do need that.
I know I keep hearing a woman's voice, what's she saying? Be careful, watch out, don't get your hand between the boat and dock, here hand that to me. Oh my what am I to do? These folks are not my owners. They are trying to save me but how as I have gone as far as I can go, my ropes will hold me, hurry please get me out of here. Do they know who I belong too?
All is at rest till the owner is found then the bad news and the scene is one of wind, rain and cold. Cold that sinks as low as the vessel can go. Oh how he wished he had of loaded me up for the night. Oh what are we going to do?
Next morning. What are they doing? All this chatter, what is the matter? Get me outa here. What is the problem, its only water, what do you mean there are so many variables. You should have ....yep you thought it, taken me out of the water.
Hey what is this, a rescue? Oh what a little boat, does he think he really can?I so hope he can I want to go back to my rails, oh how sweet it would feel right now to have my ribs upon the rails.
OK, what are you doing? No, don't put the rope there I will spin in circles.Not to my cleat, it wont hold. Oh my, I can tell these are amateurs, they don'tknow boats they only think they do, but when at their mercy I will concede. Oh boy here we go, I can feel it, I am moving, once again I am under power. But,not my power what is that boat think he's doing going backwards pulling me?Where is he from? I cant believe this. Does he think he can pull me to the rampand bail me out?
Does he think he can? Oh I believe he is. Look at me I am moving...whoa don't go to fast there, that's it keep the bow up, there you go buddy, I think youcan, I think you can, oh yes I know you can we are getting there...oh yes I can smell the ramp now...yes I can smell them rails, come on keep her up ...your doing great little buddy, keep her straight, that's it, oh my what would I do without friends like you? Oh how we work together all of those who come tohelp, yes but for one small friend who just thought he could and did...thank you again little buddy.
Not as long as I, your motor a tad bit small, your courage to do what the others only said could be done, but they couldn't, you did it, I knew you could, I knew you could...

A short story from a different perspective, our boats. When I saw the contest I thought well I don't have any pictures of anything we have ever done to help anyone. Why would I take a picture of that, we are humble people who would rather help. I just wanted to throw in 3 cents worth and say it is better to give and to receive and when my wife told me Sunday evening just before going to sleep that it had been a good weekend. We had helped someone, spent time with family, and enjoyed the service Sunday. What more could you ask could you ask for? Yes, just another day...Attachment 125101

Okay, be honest and admit it. You’ve got notifications set up for pm’s and new posts on subscribed threads, you get Tapatalk notifications on your smartphone, but you still check crappie.com multiple times during the day. When you get home from work, you kiss the dog, pat the wife (or hubby) and log on to catch up before supper. You're probably on c.c while watching tv, too. Then, just before you go to bed, you’re back on one last time, just in case you missed anything.


We may seem obsessive to those poor souls unfamiliar with crappie.com, but they don’t know what they’re missing out on. Sure, you initially join to gain knowledge and confidence in your fishing skills, to find some new spots to fish or maybe just to find a good guide. Then, after making some posts and finding out that some of these folks fish the same waters or live nearby, you meet them in person. Next thing you know, you’re also fishing and sinking mats together, talking on the phone and visiting with each other. A friendship has developed around a common interest as a result of a few posts on a website.


Your participation on c.c continues and you participate in your first crappie camp. How cool is it to finally put faces with names! You’re fishing new water and don’t have high expectations, but the local guys help you out and you catch some nice fish. You spend time around the campfire, share fishing stories, a few life stories and have a great time. You’re already making plans for the next one before you leave the one you’re at.


Before you know it, you’ve been a member for years and been to a dozen or more camps/shindigs in multiple states. You’ve made lasting friendships and have a whole family on crappie.com. Sure, some of them are folks you’ve only communicated with through a keyboard, but they feel like family nonetheless. You’ve read about their triumphs and accomplishments, their spouses, kids and grandkids. You’ve shared in their sorrows when they ask for prayers, when a loved one passes or when someone is in the midst of a crisis. You’ve sent care packages to soldiers, contributions to a member whose home burned, or a member’s relay for life efforts, all as a result of something you read on crappie.com.

I know all of this firsthand, because it’s a condensed history of my membership here and I know it runs a close parallel with other members as well.

At its most basic definition, crappie.com is a website for crappie fishermen to gather and share information, but we all know it’s so much more than that. Besides the wealth of knowledge that’s available and entertainment it provides, it’s an opportunity to form friendships, an incentive to fish in lakes you’ve never been because you know there will be a friendly face when you get there, and just maybe, a chance for you to grow in character and spirit.

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I have a little story i would like to share;

When you were a kid, time just crawled along. Things for me never seemed to happen fast enough. You always seemed to be waiting for you birthday so you could be old enough to do this or that.

Now that i am not quite a kid anymore, It seems like the exact opposite is true. Special things happen and you wish you could keep those times going on forever.

Yet time just keeps marching on.

About 5 years ago my wife and I lived in Maryland. We had a nice little house, in a nice little neighborhood with all the normal things that accompany that. Our kids were pretty much out of the house (oldest son joined Air Force, Daughter was senior in high school) I had just purchased my first new boat, we were starting to plan cruises and plenty of vacations, when we received a phone call.

That phone call was from the Department of Social Service's and was to inform us that a distant relative of my wife's family had abandoned her baby at the hospital at birth. We learned during that phone call that although the child had been drug exposed he was 100% healthy. We were asked if we would consider becoming foster parents because as "family members even very distant ones" we were considered to be in the childs best interest. The caller ended the phone call by saying they would call us back in 2 days to find out if we would take this child in.

After a few minutes of soul searching on our part, my wife and I called back right away and advised DSS to bring that child home. They showed up promptly the next afternoon with my future fishing buddy wrapped up in blankets.

Attachment 126027

So fast forward a couple years, spending summers in the pool trying to teach Anthony how to swim, before he was even 3 he was able to swim from one side of the pool to the other without life vest. That's when i new it was time take my buddy fishing for the first time. We went out to a couple of freshwater "ponds" that through a system of slews are connected to the Chesapeake. I had previously caught rockfish, bluegill, and bass in those ponds. We anchored up in a little spot with some brush and threw out a worm under a bobber on my buddy's new mickey mouse rod. First bite, I help him set the hook and he start's reeling in the catch.

We get it in the boat and to my shock and amazement my little buddy's first fish ever is a Crappie. The fish was maybe 5-6 inches long but it was bigger than the biggest 3 lb'er i have ever seen in my book.

Here are some pic's mom took of the action.

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We completed adoption proceeding's with Anthony just a few day's after these pictures.

Fast forward a couple more years after these picture's and we find out that Anthony's Birth mother has had another child that was left at the hospital, I don't think i need to tell the story again, you guys get the picture by now :)

Shortly after we finished the adoption for her, we needed to head back home to my old stomping grounds in Louisiana. My parents are getting old and mom suffers from Alzheimer's. Wanted to be there for them as they get older.

She's just 2 now but she loves it when daddy takes her out on the boat, and loves to pet the fishes when daddy catches them. We were out on Toledo Bend just the other day, and she was trying to hold the rod and reel with a fish on but has not quite yet got the hang of it. I plan on having pictures of her first fish pretty soon.

Say hello to little Miranda

Attachment 126032

I plan on having pictures of her first fish pretty soon. With any luck that will be a Sac-a-lait as well!

June 14th is so long to wait to congratulate someone, ain't it?

•why I like crappie.com? Well the reason why I like this site, is because this site has helped me and gave me a lot of information about crappie fishing. This site has helped me to become a better crappie fisher man. Crappie fishing is a big part of my life, so without this site I would had never have caught any crappie. The jigs I see on this site looks really good to use. I would give this site a 5 star! So keep up the good work. Thank you

While performing my daily duties as a temporary park ranger at Enid Lake on May 16, 2002, I happened upon a situation that we had not been prepared for. A visitor/fisherman driving a large Winnebago motorhome about dark-thirty had passed out from a medical condition and driven into the flood waters at the Hwy.32 turnoff toward Water Valley campground . Due to its large fuel cells, the motor home floated out some 80 yds. or so and came to stop in a cluster of cypress trees .The man's brother-in-law, who was following him to help set up the campsite, bailed into the water and opened the large side glass window about the time I drove up and observed what was going on. After pulling his wife's brother out the window, however, the second man was unable to stay above water, as the depth was about 20 ft. My first thought was to call for help/backup but it would have been too late. The motorhome was tilting toward them as they clung to a small bush, and I was afraid it would pin them both under the water. The would-be rescuer saw what was happening and left the bush, starting toward the road as best he could. I am not a great swimmer, but his plea for help was too much to bear. I grabbed two personal flotation devices and went after them. I got the men to the bank about the time the motor home sank. The only visible part was the tip of the air conditioners. The two men were transported to the hospital, and a local wrecker service with the assistance of a local scuba diver retrieved the water-logged motorhome.

Rangers are like any other profession. There are good ones and not so good, but you may need one someday. Please be courteous to them. I received an award for saving their lives, but GOD saved them, and me.

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My youngest son and I used to fish a local "city park" lake for fun...We had a favorite spot, right near the playground where most days we could wear the small bream out, sometimes racing to 50 ... Well, lots of times "city kids" would come along and start asking questions..I'd let 'em play with the worms, look in the buckets, try to teach them to stay out of the way of the casts...My son would get aggravated with them and move around a bit...

One particular evening, a group of 5 or 6 came along, ages about 6 to 12...The older ones were real aggressive and obnoxious.. "Hey, let me catch one" said the oldest...I looked at how they were acting , lack of respect for anything around and then spied the youngest... You could tell he was a bit "brow beat" by the others...As the rest started to go aggravate somebody else, he hung behind watching...Didn't take me long to figure out he'd never caught a fish, never had anybody around to show him how to fish... So I hooked one for him and taught him to reel it in...The others came running back, basically barking "ME, ME, ME"...I said it was time for me to leave, maybe next time if yall are a bit more polite...

The next week, we were back over at the same spot, same bunch came by...Whoa, what a difference in attitude ! Each one got to reel in they're first ever fish...And they're 2nd and 3rd... We all had a blast ! Even my son , who was 15 then, let a few reel 'em in on "his pole"...

On the way home, my son and I had a nice discussion about the reality of those kids' lives...Maybe a little bit of kindness would make an impression on one of these kids...

Over the next few years, I watched my son help no less than 30 other kids catch they're first fish.... Someone must've learned something, I know I did...

My son quit fishing once he figured out "girls"....My total "first fish " adventures is up to 84 now...I pray that just one of these kids remembers and it makes a difference in their lives, Lord knows they need some direction...

A few more years back than I like to remember, I was managing a sporting goods store in the mountains. Like most small tourist based towns, money was scarce except in Summer, and you had a lot of folks just scraping by. One Saturday afternoon, two young gents about age 10 came into the store, toting long maple sticks with strings tied to the end, checking to see if they could afford a box of hooks. I couldn't help but remember what that was like. My cousin and I would save for a couple weeks, head into the local tackle shop, and proceed to look over the hula poppers and jitterbugs and still have too little to pay the price. But the owner, Clyde, would ask what we were interested in every so often, and explain that that particular lure we were interested in was "on sale that week." He'd count out our change, sometimes even give us a dime back, and send us packing, with the two of us already arguing over whose turn it was to try it first.

As I looked at the two of them trying to figure out what small pack of hooks they could afford, it struck me it might just be a good time to pass on Clyde's kindnesses. I beckoned the two of them over to the counter where I was fixing reels, and I explained we were looking for a couple local fishermen who could do a bit of tackle testing for us. Their eyes lit up like Christmas. I walked them over to the bin where we kept the inexpensive combo's of spincasting reels and rods, set them up with a small box of hooks, and explained I expected a regular report on whether or not the reels held up and how they felt the rods handled the big ones. I quietly told the owner to put it on my running tackle account ( a dangerous benefit to offer any fisherman/employee!). You'd have thought somebody just gave them a million bucks. As they headed out the door they couldn’t possibly have felt any better than I did, but the owner leaned over and told me quietly that he heartily approved of my intent, but warned me such gestures often backfired.

It wasn’t two hours later that I looked up due to a ruckus at the front door, and there stood a small woman with a pair of fishermen in tow, each one held by an ear and with a new spin casting outfit held tightly. My tackle testers had returned with their immediate supervisor, and the owner was pointing her directly back at me. Forward she marched, and she wasn’t looking happy. She stopped in front of me and explained that if these two urchins had stolen this tackle, their lives weren’t worth a plug nickel, and then after their demise, she’d deal with them about some “tackle testing” yarn they’d fed her. I remember how difficult it is to look anything but miserable when you’re being held in place by one ear, but somehow these two managed to have a glimmer of hope. I explained that they were indeed telling the truth, and that I’d recruited them to do a bit of testing on those spincasting outfits for us. She released the two of them, but I swear I thought she was going to latch on to my ears as she leaned in. “now how exactly how do I explain to their brothers that these two have fishin’ outfits, and exactly how do I keep the peace in the house when they get borrowed without authorization which they are most certainly likely to do”, and if this was some ‘charity’ handout, they could well do without it, and she may not have a bunch of money but she sure don’t need some fancy pants store clerk dishin’ charity out to her kids, and….well it took a good couple minutes for her to finish explaining her perspective on the situation to me, but it was REAL clear when she finished, and I was well back in the corner of the fishing tackle aisle.
It took me a few minutes to finally get her hackles settled down, and I’m still not sure just how convincing my explanation was about really not wanting to sell any tackle we weren’t sure was going to last and work properly….., and how nobody in the shop had had the time to check these little spinning outfits out….., and how they’d honestly (using the term loosely) be doing us a service if they fished regularly to let us know how well they held up….., and how I’d meant absolutely no disrespect….., and how if I’d been thinking at the moment I would most certainly have conferred with her prior to sending the boys out with those rods…., and how I had no idea they had brothers who also fished, etc. etc……
Well the short of it was that it cost me two more spincasting outfits that day to keep the domestic peace, and I had to religiously accept a weekly report on Saturday mornings from the two of them with mom looking on from just outside the store front window. I think the worst of it though, was that insufferable grin from the owner every Saturday morning until school opened in September, and I finally got brave enough to release my ‘testers’ from any further duties.
I moved on to the Navy a few months later and never returned, so I don’t whether the boys ever grew up to love fishing or pass on my “kindness.” I do know that Gramps always used to jokingly say that “no charitable act ever goes unpunished” and I sometimes wondered if he weren’t spot on with that!

This is not one of those awesome stories, but something I thought I'd share, simply because it made me smile on the inside. I went to the lake yesterday, and was fishing from the bank. After I was there for a couple of hours, a grandma, grandpa, and two very young girls came up to the launch ramp right next to where I was fishing. They were watching me fish, and I could hear the girls asking their grandpa questions - so the next one I caught (7" crappie), I walked over to them, fish's lip pinched, and looked at the girls and said "do you want to touch the fish?" (of course, this was after I made a glance to grandpa to make sure he was ok with it). Maybe it's the daddy in me, and the fact that my own kids are almost fully grown and out on their own, but their responses were so cute - both of them were curious yet afraid to touch the fish - grandpa told them a couple of times - "it's ok girls, go ahead". The oldest one finally reached out, touched the gill, then pulled her hand back real quick and said something like "Ewwwww, it's slimy"... The adults laughed, then we showed them a little bit about the fish - the fins, gills, etc, before I threw it back in the water...

Like I said, it's not one of those super awesome tear jerker stories, and it was only about a minute or so of the day, but the girls' responses/reactions were priceless - it brightened my day - hopefully I did the same for them...