[Hollylane]

Originally Posted by June

When I was little throughout my teens, my Granddad (AKA - The Tank) would take me salmon and steelhead fishing on the Columbia River. Sometimes we went to the Bonneville Dam, and sometimes to a place called Draino Lake.

I would sit quietly in the rocks and listen to the sometimes bawdy stories he and his friends would tell. We had an open faced tent and a kerosene heater for when it was cold and I remember that smell vividly.

The poles were big, set into holders pounded deep into the ground. They had bells on them, so when a fish would strike, not only would you see the pole dip sharply, but the bell would ring and whomever's pole it was would sprint over to "set" the fish and begin the long arduous process of reeling it in while their friends readied the long-handled net to scoop it out once it was close enough to shore.

I love the bells idea. Were the bells attached to the poles or somehow to the line? I would love to try this!


Hayden and I fish every year. Since I have been ill this year we haven't been able to get out there and do it.

We should be taking a trip next month for Hayden's birthday. We will be down in the Seaside/Astoria areas. I am looking forward to casting my line in my favorite spot on the Brownsmead slough. I have caught some whoppers there (big mouth bass).

When we are not camping, we fish at Hagg Lake. When we lived in SE Portland we had to get up at about 3am to make it to the lake by sunrise and get our favorite spot. Since we now live in Beaverton, it will make for a much shorter trip.

Hayden has a love/hate relationship with my fishing poles. He can be pretty impatient, casting and re-casting. I have two poles (both are pink!) and I generally pick a spot on instinct and cast once, set it, and put it in the holder. We generally catch our double limit by 10 am there. So, I will never share our prime location! The reason Hayden gets frustrated is because he generally catches one fish to my ten. I think the fish can feel him fidgeting with his pole, but who knows. He does enjoy the excitement of my multiple hits/catches, but would rather he caught more then one or two each time.

Sadly, it is a rare occasion that I actually like to eat the fish we catch. I generally only like it if I can catch it, clean it, and eat it off the campfire immediately. Hayden is not a big fan either. What we end up doing is finding people who love fish, and bring them our catch. In our new community, there is a community pantry and freezer, so we can share them with people anonymously who may be in need.

Wow, I can yap when it comes to fishing! Who knew? Happy casting people!