I must have been about 12 or 13 when my granddaddy and I and two of my cousins were going fishing one summer day at the lake. We got off to an early start to get ready and in the meantime my cousins were not able to make it that day.

I was disappointed at first, but when I thought about it I would be able to spend all day with just me and granddaddy. This was the day he was going to show me how to fish with a cane pole and we were wanting to catch catfish if we could. He was also going to show me how to dig for worms.

I can see him now. My granddaddy opened the door to his four door, copper colored Pontiac with plastic covering over the seats. He took out his lawn chair that was folded up with a plastic webbing design. He looked at me and said, “Ready” and I said, “Yes sir, lets go.” We took off and walked towards the lake.

At that moment I realized I was one of the happiest young boys, that I could be while spending the entire day with my grandfather and learning how to dig worms. In one hand he had a couple of cane poles and he handed me the red worms that were in a Maxwell House coffee can. He had brought some worms with him and said we would dig for some more when we ran out.

We set up the chairs and I remember he looked like a lot of the men in the south at that time. He had on brown khaki pants with a plaid short sleeved shirt and of course he wore a hat with a band around it.

The catfish were on their beds at the time and they had made them very close to the edge where the bass and bream wouldn’t be able to get the catfish off their beds. Oh, by the way, we had the small red and white plastic floats that let you know if you are getting a bite or not. You would push the button on the float and a small iron hook would pop out and hold the fishing line on the cane pole.

My granddaddy showed me that worms were better for bream and bass and that catfish loved liver much better. Well, he was surely right, because we started catching a few with that kind of bait. I wondered how he knew all of this and he replied that his granddaddy had taught him the same thing many years ago.

It was around lunchtime and my mother had packed some lunches for us. Here in the south in the summertime we grew up eating pineapple, pimento cheese and banana sandwiches. Besides those we also had some good ole southern fried chicken and a fruit jar full of sweet iced tea with homemade peach cobbler for dessert. I forgot about fishing all of a sudden and decided I would get something to eat. Here in the south, if you grow up southern, it always stays with you!

I’m back now and ready to fish! Well, my granddaddy told me to hold still for a moment while he tried to catch a catfish with his bare hands.

Very slowly he got on his knees and took his right arm and opened up his right hand and very slowly reached out to this three pound catfish that was on the bed. His arm moved quickly like a baseball batter and lo and behold he threw the catfish on the ground behind us. He told me to go ‘fetch him’ and I did. I had never seen that done at the time and I have never seen it done since. That one went straight into my memory book. Wow!

At that point I wondered if he could make the worms jump up into our hands. Well of course he could not, but he did show me how to dig and look under rocks and sticks with black dirt around them.

The day was coming to a close and I counted that we had 14 catfish that we had caught on those cane poles. My grandfather also showed me how to dress the fish to get them ready to cook that night.

Sometimes I close my eyes and dream about that day, that I will always cherish the memories of spending the day with granddaddy.

For those of you out there who would like to make a memory like that – call your grandfather and grandmother and ask them to spend the day with you outside. Time moves so quickly these days. Don’t put it off. That was a day in my life that I will never forget. I wished I had spent more days with him. By the way, I still have the Maxwell House coffee can!

Jeff Reeves is a lifelong resident of McDonough. He and his wife, Betsy, have one son.