- Joined
- Jan 3, 2010
- Location
- Wildwood, MO
My Dad
Well, Sunday was a year since we buried my father. I miss the old cuss in many ways. He and I didn’t always see eye to eye, as most sons and fathers don’t. He drank way too much, had a habit of being a grouch, yelling for no reason, yet I still miss him.
Dad did a lot of bass, trout and cat fishing. We spent a lot of time together when I was young, and even when I grew to a man and left home. However, as these things go, the frequency and length of these trips diminished with each passing year. With both of our jobs and lives, there was not always time, and as my career grew and flourished, syncing our schedules became harder and less frequent. The last time I fished with my father was about 6 years before he passed. We tried to schedule time together, I even tried to get him to go to Canada with me, but his stubborn pride wouldn’t allow him to accept my offer. I believe he said he didn’t need any G@% D@*$ charity! I miss the old man. Every day I’ve spent on the water the last year, I’ve thought of him.
After he passed, I cleaned out his workshop, as my mom asked. Being the only son, and with my sisters not having any interest in his tools and fishing equipment, they all came to me. I’m sorry to say, they have spent this last year in my workshop in storage, gathering more dust. Finally, Sunday, after a full year of pain and healing, I started going thru his things, with the fishing equipment coming first.
When I gathered his things last year, all his bass fishing gear, rods, reels and such were missing. They have mysteriously re-appeared after I let my nephews know how unhappy I was that it just disappeared without asking.
Being as I had all his gear except the bass gear, I started with an idea to clean, service, polish and put back into working order ALL his gear. I’ve finished 6 rods and reels that will go to his great grand children. He had a thing for Zebco 202’s and 33’s. I know the young kids will love having a piece of their great grandfather with them. I’ve also finished another 14 rods that are all spin casters that will be donated to children’s fishing charities over the next couple of months, along with about another dozen that I have yet to touch. I think dad would like this.
For myself, I’ve saved a couple of special rods and reels, along with the bass gear I will pick up later this week. I’m taking special care with these rods, as they all have meaning to me, from being a rod that I know I caught my first fish on, a unique spinning rod that I always admired but never was allowed to use, a rod with a Budweiser can for a reel and a great catfish rod that dad pulled in several 30+ pound flatheads and a couple of 60+ pound blues with.
I’ve started my refurbishment of these special rods with his catfish rod. I was already into the disassembly and polishing when it hit me that I should take some pictures, mainly because of the incredible change that I’m seeing. So, I’ve taken some pictures from where this though occurred to me, and will post them along with the rest of the projects here as a remembrance to the old man. I’m looking forward to using each of these at least once to catch my own memories to go along with the memories of dad and his incredible catches.
Please remember, whatever your passion is, share with your own father, children, grandchildren. We don’t get second chances to share our incredible moments. I wish I had made more time, pushed harder to make dad find the time and just been able to share one more memory with him while sharing our passion for the outdoors and fishing.
My resolution for this year and the rest of my life is to not let this happen with my own sons and grandchildren. I will make time to share their passions, encourage their love of fishing and spend every moment possible with them laughing and loving the outdoors and this wonderful sport that I am so passionate about. Hopefully this will help me to lessen the pain of missing out so much with my own father the last several years of his life.
Well, Sunday was a year since we buried my father. I miss the old cuss in many ways. He and I didn’t always see eye to eye, as most sons and fathers don’t. He drank way too much, had a habit of being a grouch, yelling for no reason, yet I still miss him.
Dad did a lot of bass, trout and cat fishing. We spent a lot of time together when I was young, and even when I grew to a man and left home. However, as these things go, the frequency and length of these trips diminished with each passing year. With both of our jobs and lives, there was not always time, and as my career grew and flourished, syncing our schedules became harder and less frequent. The last time I fished with my father was about 6 years before he passed. We tried to schedule time together, I even tried to get him to go to Canada with me, but his stubborn pride wouldn’t allow him to accept my offer. I believe he said he didn’t need any G@% D@*$ charity! I miss the old man. Every day I’ve spent on the water the last year, I’ve thought of him.
After he passed, I cleaned out his workshop, as my mom asked. Being the only son, and with my sisters not having any interest in his tools and fishing equipment, they all came to me. I’m sorry to say, they have spent this last year in my workshop in storage, gathering more dust. Finally, Sunday, after a full year of pain and healing, I started going thru his things, with the fishing equipment coming first.
When I gathered his things last year, all his bass fishing gear, rods, reels and such were missing. They have mysteriously re-appeared after I let my nephews know how unhappy I was that it just disappeared without asking.
Being as I had all his gear except the bass gear, I started with an idea to clean, service, polish and put back into working order ALL his gear. I’ve finished 6 rods and reels that will go to his great grand children. He had a thing for Zebco 202’s and 33’s. I know the young kids will love having a piece of their great grandfather with them. I’ve also finished another 14 rods that are all spin casters that will be donated to children’s fishing charities over the next couple of months, along with about another dozen that I have yet to touch. I think dad would like this.
For myself, I’ve saved a couple of special rods and reels, along with the bass gear I will pick up later this week. I’m taking special care with these rods, as they all have meaning to me, from being a rod that I know I caught my first fish on, a unique spinning rod that I always admired but never was allowed to use, a rod with a Budweiser can for a reel and a great catfish rod that dad pulled in several 30+ pound flatheads and a couple of 60+ pound blues with.
I’ve started my refurbishment of these special rods with his catfish rod. I was already into the disassembly and polishing when it hit me that I should take some pictures, mainly because of the incredible change that I’m seeing. So, I’ve taken some pictures from where this though occurred to me, and will post them along with the rest of the projects here as a remembrance to the old man. I’m looking forward to using each of these at least once to catch my own memories to go along with the memories of dad and his incredible catches.
Please remember, whatever your passion is, share with your own father, children, grandchildren. We don’t get second chances to share our incredible moments. I wish I had made more time, pushed harder to make dad find the time and just been able to share one more memory with him while sharing our passion for the outdoors and fishing.
My resolution for this year and the rest of my life is to not let this happen with my own sons and grandchildren. I will make time to share their passions, encourage their love of fishing and spend every moment possible with them laughing and loving the outdoors and this wonderful sport that I am so passionate about. Hopefully this will help me to lessen the pain of missing out so much with my own father the last several years of his life.