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Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Ramblings from Ann – Fishing With Pop Shoupe


I can remember how much Ms Alberta’s father, Leonard “Pop” Shoupe loved to fish. I can remember going fishing with him only twice my whole life.

The first time was one summer we three children where spending the summer with Mom and Pop. Danny loved to fish too. The fishing was usually a boy’s only type of deal but this one fine summer day we had all been allowed to go along for one of Pop’s fishing trips.

Since I hated worms; I didn’t even try to bait my hook. I just didn’t like the feel of those squirmy, slimy fishing worms. Double Yuk! Pop took pity on me and would bait my hook for me but the final draw came when I started catching fish more often than he was.

No wonder! He was baiting my hook and wasn’t even able to put a line into the water; so he wasn’t catching any fish and I was. When he took us back home that afternoon, he told Mom that was the last time he was taking me fishing. I was just bad luck for him when it came to fishing.

The second time I got to go fishing with Pop I was grown and married. I didn’t have a fishing license because I had no idea I would be fishing.

By then I had learned to tolerate the worms and I even knew how to bait my hook. I had just thrown my line in the first time and was standing there contemplating fresh fish for supper, when who should walk up but the game warden.

He said, “I need to see your fishing license.” I told him I didn’t have one and he wrote me out a ticket for fishing without a license. Thirty seven dollars and fifty cents was what I paid for that fishing trip with Pop Shoupe; and I didn't even catch the first fish! That was my very last fishing trip with Pop Shoupe.


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