Crawford County State Fish and Wildlife Area

Transcription

The sun was setting as Deb and Dusty Jones of rural Pittsburg rounded the corner and quietly fished the last pool of the strip-mine lake at the Mined Land Wildlife Area headquarters. The light and the calm were magic, portraying the beauty of a Norman Rockwell scene as mom and son fished with scarcely a ripple. On a hot summer day, no one else was there. It was the kind of moment you wished you were in, rather than simply watching. The past few hours, these two had explored the nooks and crannies of this easily accessible strip-mine lake, catching bass and sunfish, throwing them back. Nothing fancy – mom rowing for her 8th grade son in the lightweight boat they used to fish almost exclusively in Mined Land waters. Often, they fished lakes near Weir and West Mineral among the sprawling Mined Land units. I sat and waited, not wanting to break the spell until they landed and made preparations to leave. For Dusty, it was his first time to catch a channel catfish on a lure, and he brought it to the ramp for a picture before releasing it. He caught this fish on a Berkeley gulp minnow trailing an in-line spinner. But he normally fishes a slower pace using a 7-1/2 inch salted worm. Here’s how he does it: “I just basically throw it out and let it sink to the bottom and just bring it along. And I let it fall. And once I feel a fish, I just yank the hook and try to set the hook in him.” Mom likes to take her son, even though she usually gets to do most of the work: “We go all around and go fishing everywhere. He likes it more, but I don’t mind going so much, and doing all the work, the oars, the rowing and all that, but it’s been fun. It’s something to do in the summer time, and having fun. He loves to fish though.” I couldn’t help but think. That was me long ago. Maybe it was you. Fishing with dad, or mom, or grandpa. I wouldn’t trade my memories, and the one day, the Jones’s won’t either. A quiet evening on a Kansas public land, catching fish and making memories. And for this day at least, the sun pulls the curtain on something truly special. I’m Mike Blair for Kansas Wildlife and Parks.