Fishing with Grandma

Paper found in Grandma Mixson’s (Rosalie Anderson) diary

I always loved to go fishing at Grandma’s, we would start on the back porch of Grandma and Grandpa’s house taking down the cane poles which were kept up in the rafters of the porch.  Dad would take down a pole and check to make sure it was ready to use, first unwinding the line that was wrapped around the pole, check to make sure the hook was on the end, and a cork bobber in place and then hand it to one of us kids.  After we all had poles, Grandma would grab a bait can and we would set off though the back pasture where we would follow the fence line into the woods.  Once we reached a good spot in the woods, we would turn over a rotten log or two and dig for worms which we would put in the bait can.  We then climbed over the fence at some point for the lake actually was on the neighbor’s property but back in those days all the old timers would go fishing at the ponds in the area regardless who’s land they were on.  Arriving at the pond there was a log along the bank which we would sit to fish.  Grandma taught us all how to put a worm on the hook although she always put the worm on for my sister Brenda.  Grandma would adjust the cork bobber to the right depth and we would swing the line out into the water and wait for a fish to bite.  At first the bobber would move a little and when you saw the bobber to go under the water you had to pull the line at just the right time, too soon and the hook wouldn’t set or to slow and the fish would spit it out.  When we pulled the fish out usually Grandma would take the fish off the hook, but I soon learned to do it myself.  The fish were brim or perch with a keeper about the size of an adult’s hand, the smaller fish would be put back into the water.  The fish would be put on a string which would be put in the water to keep the fish alive until we returned home.  Mom said that when David caught his first fish that David said we couldn’t eat him, that he wanted to keep it.   While we kids were fishing with cane poles with Grandma, Dad and Grandpa would take their rods and reels with lures and walk around the edge of the lake, casting out into it to catch large mouth bass that were in the lake.

When we were done fishing in the late afternoon, we would retrace our steps though the woods and field back to Grandma’s house where I Dad taught me to clean the fish, scraping off the scales, cutting the belly open and taking out the guts and then cutting off the head.  Meanwhile Grandma would start fixing dinner, cornbread, grits or potatoes, black eyed peas or other vegetables from the garden and she would roll the fish in cornmeal and fry them in a cast iron skillet on the stove.  The fish would be full of small bones which you had to be careful to pick out but they sure were good.  We would have biscuits with cane syrup for dessert.

One weekend in February we went out to see Grandma and Grandpa Mixson on Saturday and then Grandma and Grandpa Junior on Sunday. Aunt Carol, Mom’s sister, came down from Atlanta with her husband Bob and their girls Dana and baby Vandy.  They were staying at the Juniors so we went over to see them several times in the following weeks. One night they Carol, Bob and the girls came over to our house for dinner and Dad grilled steaks. After dinner they had just sat down to play Canasta when Grandpa Junior called to come fix a check protector for and important customer.  Mom wasn’t happy, Morris working most all Saturdays was one thing but during the week was another. 

Updated: 03-23-2022

March