| When I was growing up being surrounded by | | | | along the river then was never a problem |
| three older brothers was usually a good thing. | | | | because they grew all over the place. Somewhere |
| Every now and then being the "smallest one" had | | | | in that old tackle box was one of those |
| it's disadvantages, but usually it was an advantage. | | | | multi-purpose knives that had a blade and a saw |
| When my brothers took me fishing with them it | | | | attachment. That would be used to saw the |
| was one of the best times in my life. We lived | | | | bamboo down and to make it the right length. A |
| along the Delaware River so this was one of our | | | | pretty good length was about 8 feet. Then with a |
| favorite places to go. With the help of a couple of | | | | good sharp fixed bladed fishing knife we would |
| good fishing knives it was amazing some of the | | | | trim everything off of the bamboo. At the very |
| things we were able to do. When we went fishing | | | | tip on the narrow end using a small, but sharp |
| we always had all kinds of pocket knives, fixed | | | | pocket knife we would cut a circle embedded into |
| bladed knives and even a Swiss Army knife. | | | | the bamboo. Within this we would wrap tightly a |
| As there were four boys in our family we pretty | | | | piece of wire creating an eye hook. From this eye |
| much shared everything. Clothing, school books, | | | | hook you could easily attach your line. You would |
| fishing equipment and mostly everything else. We | | | | be amazed how well this would work. There really |
| also shared one tackle box. One thing we each | | | | wasn't a big premium for casting. |
| had was a fishing knife or at least some kind of | | | | Back then (40 years ago) the river was still wide |
| knife. Pocket knives were carried by each of us | | | | open and assessable and not paved over with |
| because that was always a gift for each of us | | | | shipping docks, warehouses and loading piers. |
| for birthdays and such. We really didn't have much | | | | There were a lot of little streams that could be |
| of a tackle box or for that matter enough rods | | | | fished into also. Catfish, carp, sunnies and yes |
| and reels to go around. We never used lures and | | | | even an occasional bass could be caught. But to |
| mostly used worms for bait. Every now and then | | | | me it didn't matter because we never kept a |
| dad would make up a batch of corn meal and | | | | single fish. We were only there for the fun of |
| that was used along with the worms. | | | | catching them. Even today people still go to the |
| Since we usually only had one or two rods and | | | | river everyday to go fishing. I can't recall seeing |
| reels, my brothers were very creative in making | | | | any of them using a bamboo rod. It was, as I |
| "homemade rigs." Finding a good bamboo stick | | | | said one of the best times of my life. |