The beginning

These are some truly great stories, and I find it amazing how I can relate to each and every one of them to some degree or another. With that said, I'm going to add more to my story.

We (my family) returned from a tour in Germany in 1969, it was that year when my beginning took place. Like Butch, my mother had to whip me to get me to come in the house, not like the kids nowadays, who have to made to go outside.

All the neighborhood kids got together for sporting events, we played everything from football and baseball, to kickball and basketball. I hated to lose at anything I competed in, and my desires to win fueled my abilities to practice until I was good at whatever the event was.

We had a couple of nearby ponds, and when ball games were not being played, those ponds were where I could be found. Bream and bass were the species of choice back then, we would dig our own bait when bream fishing, for bass, the artificial lures being used were mostly plugs that were found snagged in trees and stumps.

Plastic worms became the go to baits for bass, so I begin cutting lawns and cashing in returnable soda bottles for money to buy more and more fishing stuff.

A new couple moved in two houses down from us, Charles and Linda Hallman. Charles was an avid outdoorsman and took a liking to me and my brothers. He would take us deer hunting and fishing in the many private lands and ponds he had access to. He was also the first person that I fished in a boat with.

Bass fishing was his thing, and a purple spring tail worm was his bait of choice, so it became my favorite bait too. I eventually changed to Jelly worms, then to Mr. Twisters. Though I enjoyed bass fishing, the action was never fast enough for me, so I evolved into a bream fishermen.

The miles I traveled on bicycles to the many, many ponds I found would surely be in the thousands. Every chance I would get, I'd be sitting on the pond bank fishing. I absolutely loved it, and to this day nothing makes me happier than being on the water.

Tim, i also went through a few bikes going fishing. Brings back many memories. :) Mom couldn't keep us in the house, she did good keeping us at home as all the kids spent many hours in the woods and creeks. We would find a deep hole in the creeks and dam them so we had a swimming hole. Good times even with the hard times everyone had to deal with.

well i grew up on on the 3 rivers savannah chagua & the chadtoga . trout fishing with my father to him that was the only fish that swam in fresh water he was great at trout fishing setting 2 state records back in the late 60s to mid 70s im thinking they was rainbow and a brown trout and he had a great love for deer hunting. oh i forgot he was a Yankee but a red neck yankee from way up in the Adirondack mountains on the u.s. and canada border but spent his adult life here in good old s.c. he went in the u.s. navy at the ripe old age of 17 where he met my uncle a cook on the uss cv60 saratoga and the rest is history well now i fish with my father in my hart he past on last dec 12 once i got up to age got me boat i did get him out and show him that they was other fish to be caught i also grew up fishing creeks for Horne heads and swamps for brim and cats and frogs a trick my dad showed me get ready to a kick out this one frog fishing yep frog fishing you can take a stick or a rod and reel or a fly rod and use a fly and stick it in his face and bam you got a frog for the sack boy it would be nice to go back for a week and do it all one more time.

Your stories bring back a lot of memories some I relate to. My tracks where following the foot steps of my brother and a older cousin. They helped me learn all the ways to fish and hunt rabbits and squirrel and later took up deer hunting. My trail was and is right here Rock hill area except my 22 years in the Air Force where I had the chance to see parts of the world and continue my habit of fishing and hunting. I have forgot a lot of things over the years and choose to for some of them. But I think you hit the spot with your tales. It brings a gentle smile to me. Thanks for reminding me I was a kid one time too.

My dad started me fishing when I was four years old. Loved it from the start. We fished for bream, crappie, and catfish. He left home when I was seven. But my mom and older half brother who would take me some. However we didn't get to o to often so got away from fishing. Then, when I went to work in the furniture industry, I met a man we called, "Steel" Keller. Steel, who never had any children, took me under his wings (I was 16 at the time) and re-introduced me to fishing by giving me a Zebco (black one) reel and rod. That was 52 years ago and I haven't stopped since and whenever I can, I take a child fishing.