and actually act like brothers. After a few hours back at home, we would slowly slide back to our
rituals of slapping each other on the head while calling
each other ridiculous names. But on the water we were
one happy unit — a father and his sons.
As my brother and I grew older and gained additional responsibilities, fishing time with dad dwindled. He continued to share stories and advice on fishing and life with other children. My nephews were treated to the pure enjoyment
of fishing from a boat with grandpa. Once back home, they would share some new information that grandpa had passed along. Some stories were true but unbelievable and some were, well, fish stories.
Dad’s desire to share his love for the water and fishing was not limited to only family. A family of Mennonites, which included several children, moved onto the property next to ours. The children were attracted to my father and his good humor. After dad extended several invitations to take the kids fishing, their father finally agreed to let them go.
There were four boys very close in age. For safety reasons, only two could go at a time. After the first trip to the water with dad and his fishing boat, the four brothers squabbled about who would go next. My father’s kindness and concern for children being introduced to his beloved sport of fishing, and the excitement that the v-bottom boat provided, broke down the barriers between our ways and beliefs of life.
My father has since passed and my brother still has his boat. I have also fished from a boat—like dad showed me. But what dad also taught me, was that a boat on the water was much more than a means to catch more fish. It was a way to enhance or renew a connection with family or introduce a neighbor kid to one of nature’s finest pleasures.
For additional information on localized boating, fishing, and caring for the water, visit waterworkswonders.org
Robert Loewendick is a freelance outdoor sports writer in Ohio. E-mail him at
loewendick@theparklander.com
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