Riverside

I decided to go fishing today. It was the perfect weather for fishing with overcast skies and temperatures in the lower eighties. I gathered up all my gear in my backpack and a five gallon bucket and walked down to the river to my favorite spot. My fishing license has expired and I just knew if I went up to the lake, a fish and wildlife officer would want to see my license. The secluded spot down at the river is back in the woods across the railroad tracks and the chance of coming across an officer is very slim.

It took me about 45 minutes to walk down there. I noticed the trail was well worn as I walked it. As I walked up through the woods to my spot, I was disappointed to find three elderly black men already there. I was looking forward to a quiet and peaceful afternoon spent fishing alone. I decided to try my luck anyway.

“You fellas mind if I fish here as well?” I asked.

“Ah naw, sit on down and throw out your line,” One fellow said.

All three men had been drinking heavily and the odor of alcohol emanated from them.

I put a night crawler on my hook and lowered it into the water and immediately got a bite. I yanked my pole back up and the bream slipped off the hook taking my bait with him. I repeated the process and within minutes I had a nice size bream in my bucket.

“Maybe we need to be fishin’ with worms,” A fellow said. “We are fishin’ for catfish and ain’t got a bite in over an hour.”

“What are you fishing with?” I asked.

“Chicken livers,” He said as he held up the container.

I hadn’t been fishing down here in months and was dismayed by the amount of trash lying around. Apparently, this secluded spot has become well known and popular with the locals. I saw liquor bottles and beer cans scattered everywhere all around me. It made me sad to see such a sight, as this used to be a great and clean place to come fishing.

Over the next few hours, I managed to catch three more good sized bream. Satisfied with today’s results, I packed up my gear and bid the gentlemen a good afternoon. I headed on home to start the unpleasant task of cleaning four fish and getting them put up in the freezer.