Trip to Carolina Home Pond with Shocking Catch!
Posted: September 7th, 2008, 12:33 am
Been a Monticello resident since 2002 and have made about 100 saltwater trips during that time versus a single freshwater trip. However, during my childhood the ratio was far different -- more like 1000 fresh to each rare saltwater excursion. And for all of my teen years I fished EVERY single spring, summer, and fall day in two ponds dug by my family only feet from our home.
Two weeks ago, my wife and I made a weekend trip to visit my folks and I saw a zebco in their garage (rigged with a rooster tail) just begging to be used. My folks' place is located in upstate SC about 25 miles south of Greenville, SC. The area has been hard hit by the drought and my first shock was how low the ponds were... picture just doesn't do it justice...
Quickly noticed something I overlooked during my childhood - Kudzu flowers! We always had kudzu attacking portions of our land and as a child I spent many an hour cutting it down near the house but somehow seeing it as such a curse at the time I never noticed the flowers. I was pretty amazed this trip how pretty the flowers are! Pulled a few off to put in a vase for my mom and joked with my Dad I wanted to take the cuttings to Monticello to plant them (don't worry - DID NOT bring them
).
Though the water in the ponds was low, the fish were still plentiful and happy to bite. First fish up was a small bass -- not big in size but I did think the checkmark on it's side made it picture worthy! Had to wonder what scarred him like that - turtle?
After the bass bite, all bluegill/brim the rest of the trip but some pretty nice fish... been so long since I had caught bluegill I had forgotten how beautiful their color can be...
Saved the shocking catch for last but it's NOT a fish...
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Having just begun to explore adoption a few months ago, Pam and I were both shocked to be contacted during our trip home by a med schoolmate of Pam's who had just delivered a baby girl the previous night with the birth-mother interested in putting the baby up for an out-of-state adoption. We COULDN'T be more happy... have named our new daughter Lauren Grace. She has the funniest little mohawk...
Now, fully realizing I'm an adoptive father I still found it funny that her hair has the tendency to stand straight up as I have to use about a cup of gel each day to get my own hair to lay down... just couldn't resist taking a few fun photos together
Know many of you have fathered children and will understand I'm still in that "watch each breath" fear stage. Each day I am enjoying her more but will also say I SURE am excited at the prospect of fishing and scalloping trips to come 
Two weeks ago, my wife and I made a weekend trip to visit my folks and I saw a zebco in their garage (rigged with a rooster tail) just begging to be used. My folks' place is located in upstate SC about 25 miles south of Greenville, SC. The area has been hard hit by the drought and my first shock was how low the ponds were... picture just doesn't do it justice...
Quickly noticed something I overlooked during my childhood - Kudzu flowers! We always had kudzu attacking portions of our land and as a child I spent many an hour cutting it down near the house but somehow seeing it as such a curse at the time I never noticed the flowers. I was pretty amazed this trip how pretty the flowers are! Pulled a few off to put in a vase for my mom and joked with my Dad I wanted to take the cuttings to Monticello to plant them (don't worry - DID NOT bring them
).Though the water in the ponds was low, the fish were still plentiful and happy to bite. First fish up was a small bass -- not big in size but I did think the checkmark on it's side made it picture worthy! Had to wonder what scarred him like that - turtle?
After the bass bite, all bluegill/brim the rest of the trip but some pretty nice fish... been so long since I had caught bluegill I had forgotten how beautiful their color can be...
Saved the shocking catch for last but it's NOT a fish...
...
...
...
Having just begun to explore adoption a few months ago, Pam and I were both shocked to be contacted during our trip home by a med schoolmate of Pam's who had just delivered a baby girl the previous night with the birth-mother interested in putting the baby up for an out-of-state adoption. We COULDN'T be more happy... have named our new daughter Lauren Grace. She has the funniest little mohawk...
Now, fully realizing I'm an adoptive father I still found it funny that her hair has the tendency to stand straight up as I have to use about a cup of gel each day to get my own hair to lay down... just couldn't resist taking a few fun photos together
Know many of you have fathered children and will understand I'm still in that "watch each breath" fear stage. Each day I am enjoying her more but will also say I SURE am excited at the prospect of fishing and scalloping trips to come
