Trout Fishing With Uncle Alex and Dad.

Dad had a few brothers but the one closest to him was Uncle Alex. He lived in our town and we were regular visitors to their home. One thing Dad and Alex had in common was their love of fishing.Uncle Alex was a large person and took up a lot of space when we went fishing. On one unforgettable trip down north to Breton Cove we travelled in a half ton Ford.

As the trip was a long one in the late forties with the roads not so good and a ferry to cross we left very early in the morning. As we picked up Uncle and he squeezed into the cab I was left with little room. Uncle Alex was a nervous passenger and the road over the  mountain was winding and although Dad was a good driver it was a problem if you met a logging truck.

On nearly every turn Alex would grab my knee and squeeze so hard it actually became uncomfortable. Both Dad and Alex smoked. Dad and uncle lit up when we began the trip and never ceased to let their pipes stop the relentless smoke all the way. We had to cross two ferries and waited for each nearly half an hour. This was the time when I could get out and have some fresh air. I loved to fish as well so I knew better than to complain.

All the talk was about fishing and the big ones that never made it into the boat, Between stories and laughter I knew the old folks were having a good time. Alex loved a locally made pop called Iron Brew. He had a six pack and he offered me one and it was good. I became a fan of that pop after that trip.

We finally arrived at the turn off spot and carefully drove down a narrow pathway to the ocean shore. There was the glory hole for speckled trout. Separated from the ocean by a rocky beach made up of perfectly rounded stones which made such music with every incoming wave you had to just take a moment and fill your mind with this landscape.

It was early morning and the only sound was the ocean waves and some seagulls fighting over some washed up  fish. We had a small row boat that Dad built and carried it in the back of the half ton. We were all business now as fishing was on our mind. In minutes we had the boat in the water and all the fishing gear at the ready.

Alex and Dad had other thoughts. A fire was started and tea boiled and they ate some breakfast. I already had my line wet and declared a bite but it might have been a bottom fish. I came back to the warm fire and had some toast burned over the fire and boiled tea.Soon we advanced to the boat. I saw nothing but trouble as the question was how were we to fit into that small boat. As I mentioned Uncle weighed at least 300 pounds and with Dad and me as well???

Dad got in the middle and took the oars, Uncle sat in the back and nearly sunk the boat and I curled up in the bow. Dad was not concerned as we pulled away from shore. As a joke Dad said we had a heavy load so keep the gum in the middle of your mouth. They laughed and I worried. Dad rowed to the other side of the pond and dropped his favourite anchor -  a stone on a rope.

With pipes lit to keep away the mosquitoes we began fishing. Every cast we caught a fish. These trout were all about the same size and were fun to catch. I used a alder rod which I cut as we prepared to fish. Every time Uncle got a bite or a fish he yanked it so hard it landed in the boat and the tiny boat rocked dangerously.

I could not reveal the number of trout we caught but in those days we filled the pail in no time. Dad lifted the anchor and released the stone anchor and rowed back to shore, I jumped out and so did Dad but poor Uncle had difficulty getting our t as he sat too long. He sort of rolled out not on land but in shallow water. Dad managed to help him up to our laughter and we all joined in knowing it was in good fun.

That was a special day for me and the next time I fished with Uncle was when he moved away to Ontario and so did I. I met him forty years later on Muskrat Lake near Cobden and he was fishing. We had a visit and he reminded me of that time when we caught all those trout and he caught a wet bottom. We laughed as we did that day when I was ten years old and Uncle and Dad were young as well.