Lake Erie Was The Fishing Universe

When I was growing up in the late 50’s and early 60’s my family lived in a Polish neighborhood in Cleveland. Our house was only minutes away from Lake Erie. Travel down what was Liberty Boulevard, now MLK Drive, and you could be at the East 72nd pier very quickly. My earliest memories of fishing are from the pier that existed at that time.

It was always a summertime activity, as the extended daylight hours allowed my father to fish after a long day at work. He’d come home, grab something to eat, and we would head out the door with poles, a bucket to sit on, and a tub of worms.

For whatever reason our backyard was a worm farm. The soil must have been perfect for harvesting worms. The night before we would fish we’d get the hose out and wet down the backyard. Then we would take a flashlight and hunt for them. The size and quantity we found was unbelievable. Keep them wet and they would last for days.

Back then Lake Erie wasn’t clean. That was before the environment was a concern, especially for an industrialized city. I remember keeping perch that we caught but other fish always went back. In addition to perch, sheepshead, carp, and catfish were the other species that were caught. This was years before walleye made a comeback.

I had an uncle who lived in Marblehead, near Sandusky. He owned a home near the bay. Our family would go there for a weekend visit and we would fish from the rocky shoreline (see photos). I don’t remember much about the fishing but what I do remember is my uncle’s house. The second floor was one big room with about 10 cots. I never knew why all the cots were there.

What I now realize is that back then there were no other fishing spots in my universe besides Lake Erie. We didn’t fish small inland lakes and river fishing in northeast Ohio wasn’t popular at that time. It would be many years before the rivers were cleaned up and Ohio started stocking programs that included coho salmon and steelhead. Little did I know that late in life I would quickly become addicted to river and stream fishing.

Go out and fool a fish!

When Fencing Made Fishing Possible

My grandfather not only made sinkers but also made rods. Never having a lot of money to buy new equipment he would scour the scrap yards for any steel or aluminum that could be made into a tapered rod. In addition, he realized that a fencing foil would be ideal. Oftentimes he would go to Case Institute of Technology, now Case-Western Reserve, and watch the fencing team practice. Whenever a foil broke he would ask for the broken parts. From those parts he would construct a rod that may not have been a beauty to look at but was very functional. The quadrangular shape of the foil made for a sturdy rod.

(Click on image for larger view)

Unfortunately what remains from my grandfather’s creations is a rod made from a round tapered piece of steel. The rod from butt to tip is only about 5’ in length. I’m assuming the handle was from a previous rod as to my knowledge my grandfather did not make handles or reels. My guess is the rod is at least 75 years old.

Here is a close-up view of one of the guides. You can see how the guide was soldered to the rod. Again, very functional for that time.

The reel that was paired with this rod was a Pflueger Summit. It has the most intricate design pattern that I’ve ever seen on a reel. I don’t know if the reel was the original one used with the rod but it is the one that was paired with the rod when I used it as a child. The line on the reel is at least as old as the rod. It is brown in color and has the texture of a braid. If someone could do a DNA test on the line I’m sure they would find traces of catfish, carp, perch, and sheepshead.

Go out and fool a fish!

It Was In My Genes

One of my earliest memories of anything to do with fishing was nowhere close to a river, stream, or lake. It was at my paternal grandparent’s home. My grandparents arrived in the USA in the early 1900’s from Poland. Like many immigrants from Poland they made Cleveland their home.

Sinkers made by my grandfather

My grandfather supported a large family with a full-time job. In his spare time he would fish to put extra food on the table. Never having spare money to buy equipment and tackle he improvised by making his own. In one particular visit when I was 5 or 6 there was a horrible smell in the house. I asked my grandmother what that was and she replied “that’s your grandfather.” My father heard that and started to laugh saying “he’s making sinkers in the basement.” He took me downstairs and my grandfather sat at a small machine pouring lead into a mold, making sinkers in the shape of a bowling pin with a hole at the top. He had a small group of friends who would buy the sinkers.

What I remembered the most of that was the smell and the cloud in the basement from melting the lead. Can anyone imagine doing that now? There are so many restrictions on the use of lead for obvious reasons. The late 1950’s was just a different time and many immigrants did whatever it took to survive.

More on grandpa later.

Go out and fool a fish!

Waking Up Early Creates A Blog

First time fishing for trout. Beavercreek, Virginia with Brian Trow, Mossy Creek Fly Fishing

Having retired eight months ago and now sleeping soundly again it surprised me when I was awake looking at the ceiling at 3:00AM. The quiet only made that voice in my head louder. Over and over it said “Start a blog”.

Me: “Start a blog.”
Me: “What?”
Me: “Start a blog.”
Me: “About what?”
Me: “Something you like.”
Me: “Money?”
Me: “No, something interesting that other people may relate too. Maybe write about a hobby.”
Me: “Well that boils it down to golf or fishing.”
Me: “OK, good. But pick one. After all if you start a blog on golf and one on fishing you won’t have time to enjoy either sport.”
Me: “But I don’t know how to start a blog.”
Me: “Hey dummy, your wife has five successful blogs. Maybe she can help.”
Me: "That might work.”

By that time it was 3:02AM and then my mind went into overdrive. With a balky back and diminishing skills I never know how much golf I’ll be playing. And ever since I started fishing again after about a 40 year layoff I much prefer wading a stream casting for anything I can fool. So, fishing it is.

After deciding on fishing the memories of my youth started pouring out of what is left of my brain. In future posts I’ll be sharing these memories with you in hopes they stir similar memories for you. Thanks for listening, stay tuned, and get out and fool a fish!