A Fishin Tradition

 Fishing on the Roanoke

A trip to the Roanoke River has become a part of our family’s tradition,
In spring when we find ourselves longing to go fishing,
During a March Day, when the shad fish are spawning,
The air is breezy, and the day is dawning,
We load up our tackle and hitch up the boat,
A friend just caught 100, just a side note,
The drive is 90 minutes, and scenically beautiful,
We look for turkeys in the fields, because we are dutiful,
Turkey season opens in a week or two,
We are excited! How about you?
We arrive at the boat ramp, just my son and me,
He needs help with the boat launch, you see,
My job is to pull the trailer out of the water after the boat is afloat,
Park the car and meet him at the bank, with one footnote,
This place is not remotely remote; a dozen fishermen are fishing beside the ramp,
It’s a busy day there, the word is out, fishermen have set up camp!
Along the bank beside the single launch ramp, shoulder to shoulder,
Then one guy was actually sitting on the ramp in a lawn chair, even bolder,
As I pull the trailer out of the water, there is a loud shout in my direction,
“Good job, Grandma!”, the old fisherman in the chair yells in celebration!
“This ain’t my first rodeo”, I shouted back, without thinking at all,
The day was fun, but the catch was small,
We got only 15 (catch and release) shad that day,
And the guy was still in his lawn chair when we pulled away!
That’s what memories are made of,
A few fish and a lot of love!

Tammy Harvey
Written: 4/22/2022