Three Fisherman

Inspired by “Been Fishing” by Kay Shaffer

by Win Maxey-Shumate

Whoever came up with the phrase “lazy summer days” never hung around the three of us. Why, my brothers and I get up at the crack of dawn and I’m for certain that’s way before anyone else has turned over or pushed their seven minute snooze button. Cory, Clay, and I hike down to the river, spreading the tall grasses in the hay field as if we were treading water, balancing our long cane poles and sand buckets of bait until we reach our favorite spot along the riverbank. This is Grandpa’s lucky spot - and he has left it to us.

We choose our positions with the precision of marksmen. Real quiet like, we bait the homemade hooks with wiggly worms and toss the line into the moving water. We all three patiently watch the length of our poles - waiting. Every now and then one of us will feel a tug, pull back even harder, and then show off with a big grin because we got one! Today we caught five; four were the size of Dad’s boot sole and one was kind of puny, about the size of a stick of Oleo. They will be plenty for lunch though. Folks for twenty miles brag that the fish from this part of the river is the best in the state.

We always sit on the old fence rail before going home and watch the river glide by, as if it were a low flying kite catching a March wind. Our mouths and eyes begin to water as our senses remember the taste and smell of fresh fish dredged in cornmeal and fried to perfection in Grandma’s big ol’ cast iron skillet.

Grandpa taught us to blow on the steaming forkful of snow white flesh and close our eyes as the delicate lump of fish melts in our mouths. Grandpa swore it tastes better that way and you know, he was right! Grandpa never lied.

We’ll trudge back up the hill in a bit. Right now we are busy and content being here, sitting just right on the rail so we don’t topple off, dreaming of bigger fish, and thinking. I remember the day Clay tripped on a rock going home and had to get six stitches in his knee. He had to miss three whole days of fishing! Mom says Grandpa must not have been paying attention when that happened. We’ll wait here a spell for him to be close by and make our way safely back.