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Carol Perkins: On the Pond Bank Carol Perkins writes about a wonderful part of entire life: Always having access to the three Reece farm ponds, all loaded with fish The next earlier Carol Perkins story: GPS By Carol Perkins Although I am the least likely candidate for an outdoor sporting event, I do like to fish. I have always had access to a pond loaded with fish. As a matter of fact, there was a "front" pond, and "upper" pond and a "lower" pond on the Reece farm where I spent many summer afternoons. The "front" pond was deep, and never did I go across the yard with my pole in my hand that I didn't hear, "Stay away from the edge!" Stayed away from side with cows, who thought they owned the pond There was one good side for fishing, as far as I was concerned, and that was the side with no trees and the farthest away from the cows, who thought they owned the pond. I would wait until they were in the lower pasture before I fished. I didn't need my own pole because there would be a couple of rods and reels in my grandmother's hall closet, so I would use one of them. In this closet was a collection of other stuff too, so "fishing" out a good pole with the line in place and a hook and bobber on the end was a challenge. Sometimes I would pull out one and it would be wrapped and tangled around two others. Fish liked little, feisty worms best Digging for worms did not bother me, slime and all. I would find a coffee can in the house, punch holes in it, and get a shovel from the shed. Next, I would kick a stick of wood over in the woodpile and begin digging because that was the best place to find the juicy worms-plump and lazy. However, a little feisty worm, I learned, attracted more fish. With my can of worms and a fishing pole with a bobber and a hook, I would set off to the pond. Usually my grandmother Reece sent a bottle of RC, her favorite drink, along with me. While digging the worms and baiting the hook was easy, casting was not. If the line were too tight, the rod jerked to a stand still above my head, with the dazed worm in midair. If it were too loose, it looked like tangled thread in the water. Once the pole cooperated, I made a good cast to the middle of the pond and waited for my bobber to bop. What a pretty sight! That was when the battle began. Toying with a fish was exciting, but most of the time the fish won. I never quite got the hang of jerking the line at the right time. I have jerked so hard that the empty line flew over my head. That was the time when I moved from the clearing to another part of the pond, which happened to be under a tree. When the fish wouldn't bite in one spot, I moved to another. I jerked so hard one time that my line flew into a tree, taking the pole with it. One of my uncles had to get it down. I have also caught my share of moss. Have you ever tried to fish "around" moss? Seems like that is where the big bass gathered. Every time I threw in my line, I reeled out heavy loads of moss and then spent more time getting it off than I did fishing. I might not mind touching worms, but I hated the moss. Little blue gills put up heroic fights A few times I thought I had caught the elusive fish that was touted to big the "biggest bass in the pond." I tugged and reeled and let out on the line and reeled some more until the fish gave up. I proudly reeled her in, only to find a little blue gill flopping helplessly on the end. How could such a little fish put up such a fight? There is a life lesson in there somewhere. I seldom fished anywhere but the front pond, but the lower pond and the upper pond were supposed to be the best. The lower pond was in a beautiful area of the farm with a large tree protecting the narrow banks. The grass around it was tall, and the bull in the field was menacing. The men of the family fished there. Upper pond was also a beautiful spot The upper pond was also a beautiful spot, with the banks surrounded by sugar trees whose leaves, in the fall, were lush. I loved this spot as a child, but also feared it. The water was deep, the banks were overgrown, and the location was too far from the house. The adults wanted us grandchildren at the front pond where they could watch us. I look back now and realize it wasn't that far away from the house at all. My children, especially Carla, loved to fish too. The first time my nephew went fishing was with me. I made him wear a life jacket. He was five, so you can imagine how much he protested. Fishing is good for the soul. Peaceful, relaxing, and rejuvenating. As for the fish, I don't think I ever kept one. I liked throwing them back and watching them swim for their lives. That reminds me of when I caught the same fish twice, but that's a story for another day. About the author: Carol (Sullivan) Perkins is a lifelong resident of Edmonton, KY, in Metcalfe County where she taught high school English at Metcalfe County High School until her recent retirement. She is a now a freelance writer. is married to Guy Perkins and they have two children: Carla Green (Mark) of Brentwood, TN and Jon Perkins (Beth) of Austin, TX and six grandchildren. Her latest book, Let's Talk About, is a collection of over 70 of her works, and she is presently working on the second book in this series. Carol's ties to Adair County go back to Breeding where her grandfather, Rufus Reece, and her grandmother Bettie Strange, began their married life and later moved to Metcalfe County. You may contact Carol at cperkins@scrtc.com or write at P.O. Box 134 Edmonton. If you would like a copy of her book, you can order through email. Watch for her next story next Sunday. IF YOU'VE ENJOYED READING CAROL PERKINS' STORIES on ColumbiaMagazine.com, you'll love her book, "Let's Talk About It. . . ." The books are $15 plus $4 for shipping. Send check or cash or money order to Carol Perkins, P.O. Box 134, Edmonton, KY 42129 They can be bought at the Herald Office in Edmonton, KY, or Terri's Fine Jewelry in Glasgow, KY. This story was posted on 2009-11-22 01:01:21
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Have comments or corrections for this story? Use our contact form and let us know. More articles from topic Carol Perkins:
Carol Perkins: GPS Carol Perkins: Deliver the Letter, The Sooner the Better Carol Perkins: The Fortune Teller Carol Perkins: Dating Carol Perkins: The Bird Carol Perkins: The Bullfight Carol Perkins: Right Now in a Minute Carol Perkins: The Harvest Carol Perkins: Worry Wart Carol Perkins: What Page? View even more articles in topic Carol Perkins |
 
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