The other day I thought about my Christmas when I was 10 years old. To this day it is still pretty special. That Christmas I was disappointed but it was also one of my best Christmas’s ever.
I was just a kid and had started fishing “seriously” about a year before. My Dad had done a good job of wetting the urge to fish and needless to say I was hooked (pun intended) pretty much from the time I was just a few years old, but by the time I was 9 fishing was an all consuming passion for me. We lived on a farm on the north side of town and whenever schedule and chores permitted I would be down at our 3 acre lake fishing for whatever would bite on worms, pieces of hot dogs, or whatever bait I could come up with.
At 9 years old casting artificials was somewhat of a leap for me, especially since I would have had to buy whatever I wanted to try with my own money. That along with finding a way to get to the local sporting goods store presented a substantial challenge. My Mom just didn’t think investing in fishing lures was a very good choice for my meager allowance, especially when both her and Dad encouraged saving a substantial amount each week. Mom just didn’t understand why worms or hot dogs or even left over pot roast (and carrots and potatoes) wouldn’t suffice just fine. And fishing hooks were cheap. Of course, the more Mom and Dad discouraged me, the more I wanted some lures.
Then one day the following summer when I was 10 Dad gave me a couple of old beat up lures to “practice” with on our lake. Although I don’t remember exactly what brand or model they were, I do remember Dad had used them in Wisconsin fishing for northern pike and they were at least 6 inches long. We often talk about “catch ratios’ here in the store and there’s no doubt in my mind that back then my “catch ratio” was pretty much doomed since our small lake held mostly bluegill, catfish, and some small largemouth bass. Those lures probably looked more like predators than food to those small fish!
Anyway, I set about learning how to cast those two lures and, if I do say so myself, became pretty good at placing the lure where I wanted it to go. My reel of choice, if you could call it that, was a second hand South Bend closed face spin casting reel, similar to a Zebco 33 but supposedly of a much better design and quality. Best I can recall my rod was an old used 5 or 6 ft casting rod Dad had “donated” to me along with the reel. Not a bad outfit and if I were entirely honest, not a bad choice for a casting beginner, especially one only 10 years old. If that outfit ended up in the lake then it would be no big loss. But it never did.
As that summer progressed my Dad realized I really enjoyed casting that old outfit, so he began “integrating” me into one of his 2 piece Heddon Pal Mark IV spinning rods and a Mitchell 300 open face spinning reel. Fair to say I took to that outfit like a fish takes to water. What a magnificent fishing machine! It was so smooth and the control so marvelous, even for a 10 year old kid such as myself. It was simply amazing. And soon enough Dad loaned me a few smaller lures that actually looked like baitfish to our prey! I actually started catching some bass out of our lake.
Soon the winds of Fall began blowing and my fishing became less frequent, as much due to school as the weather. But every chance I got I would grab Dad’s loaned rod and reel and spend some time in quest of our lake’s bass. Then one day Dad eluded to my fishing and that someday maybe I would get my own rod and reel. My mind immediately raced with thoughts of my very own 2 piece Heddon Pal Mark IV or, better yet, a Heddon Pal Mark V which I considered the pinnacle of fishing rods and definitely a rod that announced to all the world you had arrived as a true fisherMAN.
November came and went and soon Christmas was in my and my sister’s thoughts daily. On occasion Mom or Dad would suggest we prepare a Christmas list which we were more than willing to do. Being away from town and not very close to any stores both of us would sit down and peruse the latest Sears Roebuck catalog that Mom and Dad had so graciously provided. Oh, so may toys and other good stuff in those 300 to 400 pages! Forget the clothes and even the toys. I went directly to the sporting goods, hoping to find the rod (and perhaps reel) I so desperately wanted. J. C. Higgins dominated. No Heddon, no Mitchell. Everything was manufactured for Sears and had their J. C. Higgins brand on it. Worse, nothing really appealed to my 10 year old mind other than Heddon and Mitchell fishing gear. Guess I better list some toys and other stuff.
I made out my list but made sure to add “Heddon Mark IV rod” and “Mitchell reel” as well. No model numbers, no catalog page, but what the heck, it was worth a try and I was sure Dad knew what I wanted. So it was a big surprise on Christmas morning when my sister and I came down the stairs to see what Santa had brought.
There, under the Christmas tree, was a long package just about the right length to fit a 2 piece Heddon rod in. “Oh boy”, I thought. “This has to be ‘it”!
There were several presents under the tree for me and sure enough, there was also a small, square box as well that I assumed would complete the fishing outfit that I was hoping for. The family tradition was that every person would open one gift at a time, each taking a turn in the rotation so we could all see what each got. Dad insisted Mom go first. I don’t remember just what her gift was, but I didn’t take long after she opened it for Dad to call out my sister’s name and ask her to open a gift. Again, I don’t remember her gift either.
I was up next and Dad handed me not the long package nor the square box, but a longer, rectangular box that was light and fairly big. It was a new jacket. Great. I’m a 10 year old kid and I’m already starting to get clothes for Christmas! Dad opened, then Mom opened again and so on. Finally my remaining gifts consisted of the big, long package and the small square one. I ripped open the long package first. What? It was a shotgun! A 410 shotgun. A J. C. Higgins 410 single shot shotgun. I was thrilled and at the same time a bit disappointed.
Finally it was time for my last package. The small square one. I opened it hoping it was a Mitchell reel, but apprehensive that there was a good chance it was something else. And it was. Once the gift wrap had been torn away I held a box of 410 shotgun shells in my hand. “Pretty neat, eh boy?”, Dad said with no attempt to hide the pride he felt in seeing his son get his first shotgun. Now I could go hunting with him. Excellent.
“Yea, Dad, this is great!”, I said with as much enthusiasm as I could muster. Yes, I had put the shotgun on my Christmas gift, but only because I figured it would be something that Mom would immediately veto and Dad would have to accede to the much less dangerous Heddon rod and Mitchell reel. So much for a 10 year olds logic and reasoning.
Now don’t think I wasn’t ungrateful. It was indeed a wonderful Christmas and that little 410 J.C. Higgins shotgun was the beginning of many good times with Dad in the field. We hunted rabbit and squirrel and there are many memories that little gun provided over the years. It served as my first introduction to hunting and with Dad’s help taught me gun skills that I still carry with me to this day. Even Mom seemed pleased that Santa had chosen such an adult gift for her young son.
And my Heddon Pal Mark IV rod and Mitchell 300 reel? Well, I didn’t get the Heddon rod for several years as it was expensive and Dad felt that I needed to save some money and then share in the cost, which I did when I was 13. But I did get the Mitchell 300 reel a year after the shotgun and whatever rod we coupled it to worked well and fished with me in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Canada and of course, Indiana for many years. The shotgun? It was “retired” about 4 years later when I was given a 20 gauge by Dad.
My 10 year old Christmas was special and I still think fondly of it to this day. I remember Dad’s pride in having given me that shotgun. And Mom’s trust that I could actually be responsible with a shotgun in my hands. It was a Christmas of unexpected gifts that in a small way signaled that I was growing up. I was not only given my first really “adult” gift, but the bigger gift of my parents pride, trust, and acknowledgement that I was beginning my journey to becoming an adult. And that jacket. The “clothes gifts” had begun. Definitely I was coming of age…….
This issue we have a wonderful special that is our way of saying “thank you” for being great friends and customers. It’s cold, hard cash and we’re sure you will like it. Details are below. Be sure to take a look. We are also have a heck of a sale on one of the most popular reels ever made, the incomparable Shimano Curado CU200E5 low profile casting reel. This Made in Japan reel is new and quantities are very limited, so be sure to read about this special below ASAP.
There is also some very LATE BREAKING NEWS about New G. Loomis NRX rods. Details are below as well. Finally, our 2011 Christmas Gift Guide is included below. We’ve picked out some great gifts that all of us would really like to have. We hope you will enjoy our selection and consider some of these great items for yourself or someone you love. They’re all very special.
As Christmas approaches and all of us get into our hurry-skurry mode we encourage you to take a minute to reflect on just what Christmas is all about and give thanks for everything we have been blessed with. We live in a wonderful country and are truly fortunate to have the freedoms we have. God has blessed us all and as we celebrate this wonderful time we are reminded that through Him all things are possible.
We hope all of you have the best Christmas ever and that 2012 will be the year that you remember for all the good you received.
Tight lines,
Tom Ashby
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