Sports

Saturday, Nov. 07, 2009

Fishing memories are ones to savor

It’s obvious the fall fishing season in underway in South Mississippi.

While out of the office this past week, I received several photos and fishing stories from you.

Some featured my buddies catching specks in the bay waters of South Mississippi.

One included a nice channel catfish caught by Veronica Keys of Biloxi and a black drum caught by her fiance, Phillip Moon.

“Both fish were caught Halloween night under the I-110 bridge,’’ Veronica said. “We caught both fish using 40-pound test line. Both were fighters, and it took us a while to get them in, but we did so. Neither one would fit in our ice chest.

“With the 60-pound black drum, we had to get down on the ground and lift him out of the water with a net. These two fish are the biggest we’ve ever caught.’’

I’ve never caught a black drum that size and most of my big catfish come off a trot line, not a pier.

Either way, it wasn’t a bad way to spend Halloween to say the least.

As for me, I spent Halloween night celebrating Jay Vollmuth’s 48th birthday. In case you were wondering, Jay is the father of Southern Miss baseball standout B.A.

Wow, it’s hard to believe Jay is 48.

Another e-mail that caught my attention dealt with a fishing expedition took place on Sept. 25 in Hopedale, La,. with the Rouse Family out of D’Iberville.

The trip featured four-year old Karley Jane Rouse, who attends pre-school at Nanni’s in D’Iberville,. She caught her first speckled trout while fishing with her dad, Brian Rouse, and her mother, Tammy Hardy Rouse.

The e-mail begins with Brian expressing how much he looked forward to taking his daughter fishing.

Little did he know it would end like it did.

“My wife and I left our infant son, Cooper, at home to take Karley to the (fishing) camp,’’ he said. “My wife was sad about leaving the baby, but I kept telling her ‘You just wait, this is going to be so much fun. A trip you’ll never forget.’

“‘Little did I know it would be the one of the best trips I have ever made to the Louisiana Marsh.’’

My father, Henry Jones of Gulfport, took my brothers, Greg, Andy, Richie and myself saw each one of us catch our first trout and it must have been a thrill.

On top of my father taken his kids fishing, I’ve been around friends who witnessed their child’s first fish and it was exciting.

In this day and age, it’s important to be a giver instead of a taker, especially when it comes to the younger generation.

For years, I’ve written about the importance of taking kids fishing from a parent standpoint.

What happened next proves that point.

“I have been fishing that marsh for more than 15 years and it was definitely the best,’’ Brian said. “Beautiful weather and great fishing.

“But most of all, I will never forget Karley catching her first trout. She has been fishing since she was one and a half years old and casting on her own for about a year. But this time, she struck gold.

“I will never forget the look on her face, or mine and her mom’s when she cast, caught and reeled in that first speckled trout. It was her first of many catches that day and I was smiling from ear-to-ear the whole time. I know this will be the first of many fishing memories to be made.’’

Buckle up and enjoy the weekend.