Fishing 1

by Jake Jonnes

Grandpa started fishing a lot after moving to the house on Little Carnelian. Unlike most anglers, Grandpa had an academic approach to fishing. I’ve fished my entire life and I don’t know anyone that has actually read the instructions for the use of a lure. Grandpa decided to master the “Hula Popper.” It’s a top-water bait that looks like a frog with a rubber skirt. It’s casted near timber to simulate a frog or a baby bird that has fallen from the nest. I knew this piece of information but it’s embedded by the many times Grandpa explain all these interesting facts about the Hula Popper.

Grandpa used to go out at dusk to try his luck at catching bass. One particular story I remember was when he told me about the very large bass he caught one evening. He had placed his trophy on a metal clip stringer and started back to the dock. When he was carrying the stringer (proof) the clip popped open and he watched his prize fish flop on to the dock and back into the lake.

It took him a long time to finally boat a fish to brag about. For many years he praised the “Formidable” Hula Popper and cursed the worthless metal clip stringer.