I was ten years old fishing in the Detroit river having fun, less pollution then! 6 or 6:30 AM.
Sun rose high that fourth of July!
I pulled a branch off a tree,
which is todays fishing rod.
I hurried to the foot of 12th street,
it ended at the Detroit river.
This was one of the many fishing.
places in Detroit.
I took out moms thrown away stocking,
and used the foot of it to hold my sinker tied securely with tread.
I found a fishhook on the shore.
Boy I had fun catching night crawler,
last night on my knees in my jeans, socking wet after the rain with,
a soup can and flashlight!
I use pieces of fishing line found-
ashore tied together for my line.
Attached to the branch near its end,
a fishhook and stocking filled,
with a sinker for weight and I tossed,
in the river and the wait begun!
Suddenly I got a bite and a fish,
reloaded got another perch,
reloaded another perch, another,
bite and another and another!
My experience was a lot like Tom Sayer,
simple, brief and to the point,
I just didn't have those farmer pants!
YOU HAVE BEEN BLESSED TO HAVE THE KIND OF CHILDHOOD MEMORIES THAT STAY WITH YOU AND 'FEED' YOU AS YOU GET OLDER...LIGHTS FROM THE PASS THAT WARM YOUR PRESENT JOURNEY. ENJOYED TREMENDOUSLY, THANK YOU, MY FRIEND. LOVE, BLESSINGS AND FAITH...HIS+INSPIRATIONS
Fun read Michael. I think my book I am working on about growing up is a lot about those fishing times and stories back then. And of course I always had and still have my "Farmer" pants on, no matter what I wear, LOL!
What a wonderful experience! Urban fishing is some of the best. And perch are some of the best tasting fish there are… Miniature walleye.
I am surprised what you said about pollution. My experience in the fifties in Wisconsin was that many rivers and even lakes were very polluted. Not by fertilizer runoff like today, but by dairy operations, industries and untreated sewage. That was when the Cuyahoga River in Ohio caught fire and alerted everyone to the pollution that industry like Detroit has was doing to the rivers.
You still can't eat the fish in the Wisconsin River when it was banned over 50 years ago because of mercury in the water from paper making. Huge fish can be caught, but not eaten, because eating them will cause brain damage. I had relatives that ate lots of fish from the Wisconsin River and ended up with brain damage and dementia as a result.
Note: Since my husband's cancer surgery 4/25/05, this book content has been integrated into the public speaking content for audiences interested in a sassy approach to personal and/or community awareness events. Another chapbook on intimate love poet
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I am surprised what you said about pollution. My experience in the fifties in Wisconsin was that many rivers and even lakes were very polluted. Not by fertilizer runoff like today, but by dairy operations, industries and untreated sewage. That was when the Cuyahoga River in Ohio caught fire and alerted everyone to the pollution that industry like Detroit has was doing to the rivers.
You still can't eat the fish in the Wisconsin River when it was banned over 50 years ago because of mercury in the water from paper making. Huge fish can be caught, but not eaten, because eating them will cause brain damage. I had relatives that ate lots of fish from the Wisconsin River and ended up with brain damage and dementia as a result.
Ron