When asked to write an article on fishing I pondered about what I could write. Not being an expert on every aspect of fishing makes it a difficult subject. I do know fishing brings back childhood memories for many of us. I ponder back on fishing before all the strict Fish and Game Laws (or if they existed we didn’t know about them) and think of those six inch trout fried crisp for breakfast. The entire clan of family, friends and relatives assisted in packing a picnic lunch, diapers, jars of koolaid, fish hooks, twine and dry clothing for tots. The hike commenced from our home, down the hill and several miles of stumbling along the river bank.

We eventually settled in the tall grass near a favored fishing hole and begin the endless battle of swatting those famous Alaskan Mosquitoes. Occasionally a toddler would fall in the river and someone would fish them out. Excited youngsters screamed, yelled, tossed rocks and splashed into the water. Mothers attempted calling them back with warnings about scaring fish away. Eventually things settled down and it was time to cut fishing poles from the nearby willow. Twine was tied to the willow pole and several flat rocks used to pound sinkers on. Having cured our own fish eggs, bait was not a problem except when it came to staying on the hook. Parents spent endless hours rebaiting hooks and replacing snagged hooks. Occasionally willow poles floated down stream and had to be replaced. If the weather was suitable for a camp fire over zealous children sometimes converted their fishing poles to a marshmellow sticks. This meant creating a new fishing pole after lunch. Barefoot children waded gingerly in the gravel stream bed trying to find a fallen log with a school of trout nestled under it. The lucky children caught larger Dolly Varden or Rainbow and proudly showed them off but these were not the prize catch for consumption. It was those small guys we wanted to eat. Older children and adults tried their luck at catching salmon. By the end of the day we had a bucket or a long willow branch full of trout. No law enforcement officer came to tell us we were too far upstream, over the bag limit or the fish were under legal size.