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My Steadfast Friend – A Fishing Story
Posted on: Dec 08, 2008
Posted in: News From Chris
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Every once in a while we get a letter from a customer that really stands out. Mr Peeler from North Carolina shared a great story with me and I am honored to pass it on.
C
In the summer of 1983 my brother was working in the sporting goods section at a local hardware store. He was a well-known fisherman in the area who was often asked his opinion about fishing and the best tackle to use. One day a sales rep with Eagle Claw came in who knew of my brother’s local celebrity. The rep gave my brother a 6 foot 6 inch medium action rod in hopes of garnering orders once he had used it and discovered its unequivocal serviceability. Having many rods already and knowing that I was also an avid fisherman and acquiring my own reputation as such, my brother gave the rod to me. From that day until today, 25 years later, I caught thousands of fish using this rod. It outlasted at least three fishing reels. Today I had the misfortune of losing my treasured rod when a fish jerked it out of my fumbling hands. I was fishing alone, actively fishing a jig and using the Eagle Claw rod to drag a live crawfish in about 30 feet of water. When I saw the Eagle Claw rod jerk, I first thought that I had snagged something and didn’t immediately pick it up. The rod made a sharp bend again and I knew I had a fish. As I was juggling my other rod and attempting to switch fishing hands to land the hooked fish, the Eagle Claw slipped through my fingers and was sucked under water within seconds. I and a fellow angler who had witnessed the incident tried for over an hour to retrieve the rod without success. I am heartsick. Only another fisherman can understand my despair. While I know it was an inanimate object, I feel as though I’ve lost a true and loyal friend. This rod supplied me with untold hours of angling pleasure. I will try again another day to find my unwavering companion but if we are not to be reunited, I can reconcile myself that it has met a fitting demise resting in the murky depths of a freshwater lake where it reigned supreme for a quarter of a century.
The good news, or the rest of the story, is that Mr Peeler and I are working together to get him a new fishing friend right now. Thought none my replace the rod he had, hopefully we can ease the pain a little.