Walter lives !!!!

I was taking a break from the rains of last week and building my ark, when I looked out to the pond and saw something that almost sent me to the nitro bottle again.

I grabbed the binoculars and focused them on an object floating on the far side of the pond. I knew it was a fish gone belly-up, but what kind of fish. The pond was built and stocked when we built the house some 11 years ago. Since that time, smallmouth bass, catfish, crappies, white emirs, minnows and various kinds of bluegills and sunfish have brought pleasure to many an old and young fisherman. Typical of these devoted anglers is young Sydney (center) with her father. It is really cool when youngsters hook a fish and their eyes absolutely light up. Some, on the other hand, take a step back when they pull in one of the bigger catfish. Some of them go over 25 inches. The greatest thrill, however, is when they hook "Walter" (16" bass-- right, above)

Walter has been caught by almost all of the neighborhood kids and they all know him and call him by name. It's really cool when one of the young'ns knocks on the fence and ask permission to come over and see if he can try to catch Walter.

So you can see why my heart sank when I saw the sight of that white belly on the far side. Again, as the water was up so high, I couldn't get around the pond to check so I waited until the next day. Bailey (our Chocolate Lab) and I went to check it out. Fortunately, it was just one of those old catfish like the one Craig (right) is holding. Whew!! There are probably too many of them in there anyway, and the loss of one won't hurt anyone. My apologies to the members of the National Catfish Protection Society.

Everyone who has ever fished our waters knows Walter is protected -- strictly a "catch and release" fish. That's the pinnacle of fish hierarchy at this pond and only "Arnold," Walter's brother (about 14") is even close to inheriting the throne. Every other fish is fair game (except for the emirs, that is) and the catfish are often "harvested" by some of the older guys who live in a retirement home nearby. I guess they have some pretty good fish-fry evenings there.

Following a relaxing evening of fishing, enjoying the pond, the sunset, the birds and crickets, we often put a fire in the fire ring and sit out there watching the bats fly around after the evening bugs and the sparks floating up from the fire. The stars are close enough to pick. We also listen to Walter and his buds feast on the evening hatch coming to the surface of the pond. What an absolutely glorious place to live. We are indeed thankful.

"Fishing is the chance to wash one's soul with pure air. It brings meekness and inspiration, reduces our egoism, soothes our troubles, and shames our wickedness. It is discipline in the equality of men -- for all men are equal before fish." (President Herbert Hoover).

Hooah