The Big One!! I spent the weekend at my cabin in Howley and I did some fishing at the Narrows with members of my family. My good friend Ivan Curtis dropped by for a visit on Friday evening and we had a great chat about fishing. We both knew Ralph Ball and had a story or two about him. He cooked a scoff for his guests and we recalled him baiting his hook with big juicy worms and then making dough balls for the pot without washing his hands. With a few beers in your gut, you didn’t seem to mind because the boiling hot water would kill any harmful germs that may have been on those hands. We chuckled and Ivan left for the evening and we planned a future fishing adventure. Christine and I went out Saturday morning and she caught the biggest one. Also fishing in the narrows was Lloyd Cumby and one of his friends. We chatted for a while about fishing and I asked him if he remembered the big one that Gary Reid had caught so many years ago. He said yes and that it weighed over eight pounds. He moved on so I told my wife about that awesome experience so very long ago. I attended grade eleven in Deer Lake with my friends from Howley. Gary Reid, Wayne Kelly and I started school together and we were members of the graduating class together in 1972. We truly enjoyed one another’s company. Both Gary and I were raised by our grandparents and Wayne spent much time with his grandparents, the Harnums. We traded comics, swam together and on occasion we would enjoy a fishing expedition together. Both Wayne and Gary died young and I often think about them both. They were truly fun loving guys who I liked to hang around with. A big weekend for fishing in Howley was always the Victoria Day Weekend. On that weekend in 1972, along with some other friends, we decided to go to the Grand Lake Narrows for a fishing trip. We all had caught big fish there in the past but with the road opening in 1968 there were a lot more people fishing from the narrows now. We packed our supplies for an overnighter and loaded the gear aboard the dory along with a generous supply of food and beverages and got into the dory. We felt like we were set free and shared the paddling as we approached the trestle. The water was high so we squat down and used the base of the trestle to pull us through the wide section. The smaller section could be raised to allow the tugs access to the three lakes in the system. The sky was a beautiful blue and the wind was so gentle that there was just a small lop on the lake. Paddling was fun and it was wonderful to see the sand on the beach at the Narrows. We landed the boat on shore of the beach that was laden with driftwood and four foot pulp wood junks that escaped the booms that were transported to the Humber Canal and sluiced into Deer Lake to be processed into paper at the mill in Corner Brook. We unloaded our gear and some of our friends had already set up camp. I sung out to Lloyd Cumby who was there with some of his siblings and asked how the fishing was going. They hadn’t been there long but already had caught two fish. We went to work and put up the tent and got things ready for the night. We then collected some pulp wood and drift wood for our camp fire. The wood was so dry that we had no problem building a beautiful campfire and the look of the smoke towering from the beach and the flankers seemed to dance about the fire. The sun was beginning to set and the colour was extraordinary. If the old saying of red sky at night was any indication of what kind of day we were going to have tomorrow then we were going to be in for an awesome weekend. I got my line ready with my old Mitchell spinning reel that Bill Byrne had given me and quickly had a few casts. I hooked and landed some nice trout and they were going to be fried for breakfast on the little camp stove we had with us. My good friend Gary Reid was trying his luck with the red devil lure and a really long bamboo fishing pole. The swallows were flying around our heads and at first glance I thought they were bats but was pleased they weren’t. All of a sudden I could hear the roars from Gary that he had hooked a big fish on that bamboo rod that had no reel. The sound of the excitement in his voice was ringing in my ears and when I looked at the water the huge fish jumped into the air. We must have all said in unison don’t lose it don’t lose it. Then we saw Gary running in on the beach and actually dragging the fish right up on the beach and then it got clear of the hook. Gary ran back to the fish so fast, he could have been a marathon runner. The fish was partly back into the water and with those black goat rubbers he was wearing he gave it a kick and sure enough it was now safely out of the water. He grabbed this huge fish and quickly snapped its neck and slowly the tail stopped moving. This beautiful landlocked salmon was going to be a show piece and we all tried to match Gary but I don’t know if any of us ever did. I for one surely didn’t, but later I caught a trout that weighed four and a half pounds. When Gary got home and weighed the fish, it was over eight pounds. I will always remember that evening. Dean Kelly now has a cabin in that area and the fishing is awesome still. These childhood memories are so special even today. Both Gary Reid and Wayne Kelly were two people who made those special memories for me. They are both still sadly missed but their memories will surely endure. I have heard many stories about fishing in Howley over the years. Please share yours below.
Posted on: Mon, 19 May 2014 13:56:43 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015