When my older brother and I were old enough to drive, we found many places to go fishing close to home. My Uncle used to have what is called a “jon boat” that we ended up with. They are basically small aluminum boats; that one was maybe eight to ten feet long and only able to sit two people inside. It did not have a motor on it, which meant we had to get some oars in order to use it. He drove a car at the time, whereas I had a small truck. Ever being the avid outdoorsman, my brother was totally thrilled to have it.
Me, on the other hand, saw it as a nuisance. I thought, do we really have to drag this dumb boat around everywhere we go. The first place we tried was in a tiny pond close to home. Before we were content walking around the perimeter. Now that we had a boat, we always had to pick it up and load it into the back of my truck. Once we got to the place, we unloaded and dragged it to the water’s edge. The fish we never caught were biting just as much out in the middle of the pond. After not catching a single fish, we’d paddle back in to shore and load the jon boat into the back of the truck, filthy pond scum and all!
Needless to say, I was not to thrilled with the situation as a whole. But it sure pleased my brother and for that, I entertained the idea numerous times. One day everything changed, and we were no longer able to fish in the small pond. Imagine my disappointment! However, he dutifully found a large lake within a half an hour drive. We managed to take it up there a few times where actual fish were caught, which made of world of difference in my opinion. It was actually neat being out there on the water, so far from land.
On other occasions, my friend’s dad took him and I out on the same lake in their canoe. It was a blast to move so quickly on the lake. I remember numerous times his dad used to lean over to reach for something. The edge of the canoe came within an inch of the water’s edge each time he did so. It was like watching clothing that is pressed too tightly from the inside, waiting for a button to pop. I thought, any farther and this whole thing is going to tip over. Thankfully, it never did!
Eventually, something bad happened in the lake due to some sort of contamination that caused them to close it off to the public. It was not just those who fished that were disappointed. During the warmer months, many people came from the surrounding area to picnic and swim in the lake where they had a beach area. After that happened, our days of boating adventures ended, at least in fresh water. No more pond scum jon! We didn’t know it at the time, but luckily future boating adventures lie ahead for us in the ocean.