Camping and Fishing

If you’ve read the entry on “Joplin Hollow,” you’ll find that this piece on fishing and camping is a hand-in-glove continuation about woods and waters.

Having been introduced to the woods as a young boy, I was ecstatic when my Dad took me on my first camping-fishing trip. I was about eleven. He and a friend took me for two nights to shallow cave on a steep hill above Elk River. They had a 12 ft. boat and 3 hp motor. We got there at about dark; too late to fish. So we dragged our stuff to the “cave.”

Rain. Relentless, non-stop, heavy downpour. We somehow got a small fire going, and Dad heated something on the Coleman stove. The rain just kept coming. It was then that Dad said, “Fred, why don’t we go set the trot. With this muddy water the catfish are going to really hit.” In his South Carolina drawl (he was an interloper), Fred said, “No, Willis, I’m not going out in that rain. You’re crazy.”

I, the young Daniel Boone, said, “Dad, I’ll go with you to set the trot.” Trot?

I had no real idea what the “trot” was. But Dad, like any good catfish, took the bait.

So we slid down the hill to the boat, and pushed off. Somehow — without much help from young Daniel, we got the line in the water, with weights and all like that. We baited the hooks with worms and doughballs. Then we slid and scrambled and climbed back up to the cave. Dad went on to Fred about how much I had helped. I have to admit, I felt pretty proud. We dried off, I climbed into my blanket and was gone.

Next morning, Dad and I went to run the trot. And yes, the river was high and muddy, and Dad was certain that we’d get several catfish. I was really excited, knowing that the hard work from last night would pay off.

Not one fish. Back to camp. Breakfast of some sort, and then the three of us went back to the boat to fish. The sun was blazing hot, and I was worn out. Sitting in that boat, with the sun beating on my back, I was drowsy. Dad and Fred kept fishing; I think I just dozed off. By that afternoon we — they — had caught one small mudcat. Camp that evening was a little subdued — no fish, muddy river, rocky, cramped camp. But we made it through till the next morning, when Dad and Fred decided it just wasn’t worth trying to catch anything in that muddy river. So we went home.

And I was as happy and proud as I had been in my whole life. And hooked on fishing and camping. From then on it was just a matter of when and how and with whom.

Willis, Fred Keilor, and Alan on Bluestone Lake, WV

I went camping with Dad three or four times after that, on Bluestone Lake. The campsites were much nicer than the cave, and being a little older I started to catch on to the business of fishing. And camping. By the time I was out of high school I was ready for the real deal.

I had — still have — a buddy named Kenny Pulliam. He was two years older, and we had been in the high school band together, as well as the church choir. Kenny had never camped — or fished. So we decided on a five-day trip to Bluestone Lake.

Borrowed Dad’s Coleman stove and lantern, as well as his rod, reel, tackle box, and 12’x16’ canvas tarp for a lean-to shelter. Borrowed Fred’s 3 hp motor. Off to Bluestone, and man, what a trip.

We rented a 12’ wood boat at the dock — WWII surplus. We caught fish, cooked, talked, played some music — guitar and uke, sang a lot, and got caught up in the wonder of being in a remote forest on a large lake. Kenny and I became really close buddies on that trip — the first of many together. Over time, we learned by doing, and became efficient campers and fair fishermen. And always with some kind of music. We could catch nightcrawlers, seine minnows, turn over rocks for hellgrammites, bait a trot, clean and eat fish, talk trade with guys in bait shops, and all the rest. Things I had no idea about that rainy night on Elk River.

At some point, at Kenny’s suggestion, we built our own boat. From what was a new material then — fiberglass. The boat was a beauty: Black body, 14 ft. runabout. Fitted out for fishing by Kenny, who was — and is to this day — a real “outside the box” thinker. We kept the boat in a slip at Bluestone for a couple of years — that way, we could simply pack our stuff and leave Charleston on Friday after work (I was working at Union Carbide in the summer months during college) and go to the lake.

We would get to the lake at dark on Friday, go to a predetermined campsite, set up camp, cook a good supper, set the trot, crawl in our sleeping bags and go from there.

Occasionally we caught good fish. Most often it was a few catfish and several big bluegills on rod and reel. But behind all that was the trip itself: Kenny and me, music, campfire, gear, food, woods, sounds of the night, exploring the area, and all around again: campfire, gear, food, woods, etc. etc. I can’t tell you how many times we did this, nor how it bled into my inner self to the point that woods and waters became an even deeper part of me.

Don Hale, David Farley, Alan Farley, Jeff Hale, Pat Hale. New River, downstream from the mouth of Indian Creek, late 1950s

During those same times, I continued to camp and fish with Granddad Hale on Indian Creek, along with my uncle Don, and brother Dave. Indian Creek was and is a very special place for all the Farleys and Hales (see other written pieces), put to music by me in the song “Indian Creek.” There are many tales to be told about our trips to Indian Creek. Suffice to say here that Indian Creek was the absolute favorite camping and fishing spot for all of us: Granddad, my uncle Pat Hale, my brother Dave, uncle Don, Kenny, fishing buddies Louie Husson and Lloyd Parsell, and others.

It is an idyllic spot: a fairly wide creek flowing downstream from the mountains to New River, in Summers County, West Virginia. Woods and Waters in the raw.

We camped and fished there countless times, and catching fish was the least of our worries. In warm weather and cool, in fair weather and storm, we explored, encountered the marvels of wildlife, and simply lived our dreams on that creek.

Later on, after moving to Salem, Virginia, I learned about the South Fork of the Shenandoah River, flowing north through the Valley of Virginia. For several years, beginning in 1971, I camped and fished with family and friends: my dad, brother Dave, friends — Lloyd Parsell, Louie Husson, my son Patrick (an avid outdoorsman), Don Ranson, along with others, for several years. The South Fork is a gentle, clear stream full of bass and catfish. Our preferred campsite was on an island with a shallow back channel, which made it possible to carry our gear across, or float it in a jon boat. This island home was at Hazard Mill, Virginia.

Alan and Patrick, August 1967

That all started about forty years ago, and the camping has simply gotten better with each outing. I had by that time caught a lot of fish, so it was time to pay more attention to the water, the rocks, the woods, the wild life, the flowers . . . the environment. During these later years, the camping has become primary; fishing is just an excuse to roll out the sleeping bag, fire up the lantern, and listen to the sounds of water and forest. To watch the moon pass over the trees on a chilly night, while listening to the water’s flow; to see your breath as that moon goes down and the birds wake up — to smell the remains of last night’s campfire, and to contemplate getting up before dawn to poke the fire and put the coffee on — that’s the stuff.

It’s been a while. As I write this, I’ve been camping and fishing for nearly seventy years. From Henry Hale, born in 1883, to Patrick, born in 1961, my time with all these good people — relatives and friends alike — has been enriched by their presence, and their companionship in the outdoors.

I’m still at it. As I write this, I’m working on menus for our next trip — a five night exploration of Cripple Creek, Virginia. I’m in touch with my guys: Lloyd, Louie, Jerry, and Patrick. Can’t wait. But as has been the case for many years, Kenny can’t make it.

Nowadays, long after Kenny came down with Parkinson’s Disease, he and I talk from time to time about those times. It occurs to me that most people — men and women alike — go through a similar stage, where ideas and values develop, along with special friendships. If you’re lucky, there’s someone there to go through it with you. Kenny was the guy who was there, when we wordlessly figured things out; laughed and sang together, camped together under trees that would barely let starlight through, splashed together in lake and creek, and all that goes with the outdoors. Long live Kenny. And long live the days of woods and waters.

Indian Creek

Grab your rod and a bucket of bait
Meet you at the creek on Friday night
Down in the meadow by the big elm tree
We’ll go fishin’ just you and me

Indian Creek is the place for me

I’m going there today
Goodbye world I ain’t coming back

I’m going there to stay

‘Cross the creek and over the hill
To the Old Mill pond where the water runs still
A big catfish I’ll catch tonight
Skin ‘im on a tree and fry him right

Indian Creek is the place for me

I’m going there today
Goodbye world I ain’t coming back

I’m going there to stay

Up the road there’s a big rock ledge
Hanging over the water’s edge
Drop your line in the creek below
Wait for a bass to say hello

Indian Creek is the place for me

I’m going there today
Goodbye world I ain’t coming back

I’m going there to stay

Coffee pot and fryin’ pan
Bacon a pound and beans a can
Jug of likker and the old banjo
C’mon boys it’s time to go

Indian Creek is the place for me

I’m going there today
Goodbye world I ain’t coming back I’m going there to stay