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MY FRIEND, BOB WATSON – REMEMBERED by Clint Waters
Robert Lester Waston Sr. was born October 19, 1933 n Baltimore and was raised in Brooklyn. Bob was educated in Brooklyn Park before going to Glen Burnie High School, where he graduated in 1951. He graduated in 1955 from the Maryland Institute and also educated at the Polytechnic Institute and McCoy College in Baltimore. Bob retired in 2001 and moved to Easton from Davidsonville. That is about the time I met him and our friendship started.
Bob told me that, after getting settled at Hyde Park in Easton, he wanted to join the MSSA and had a choice between Kent Island Chapter or Dorchester County Chapter. He chose Dorchester. This is where our times and friendship started. I was president of the Dorchester Chapter, so Bob approached me at his first meeting. Bob wanted to get involved and, since he didn’t own a boat, wanted someone to take him fishing. I could sense his desire and enjoyment of fishing. Bob had never jigged for fish before and, since that is my favorite way to fish, he made the perfect student. It was the fall of the year 2001 when we first went fishing together. Fall of the year if my favorite time of the year for fishing. Bob soon fell in love with this type of fishing. In jigging, you hook the fish unlike trolling where the boat hooks the fish. When fish are found, you stay on top of the school and work your jig up and down and when you feel the slam of the hookup and your rod tip bends toward the water and you feel the fight of the fish, now that’s excited fishing! Like I said, Bob soon fell in love with this style of fishing. He told me many times that with this type of fishing he had caught more fish than anytime in his life. In early October, Rockfish and Trout would school up on the Choptank River and the good jigging would start. Almost everyday we would be out jigging on these fish and limiting out most days. As the schools of fish moved out of the River into the Bay, we would follow them down the Bay to the Virginia line or until the season ended in December. That was fishing at its best and Bob enjoyed every trip.
In early October, our fishing club has its annual crab feast and fishing tournament on the same day. Bob wanted to enter, so I took him along with my steady tournament fishing partner, Rick Marshall. The wind blew 20 to 30 miles an hour that day so there was no way we could fish from my boat. We bank fished and still won the event with the largest Rockfish and Bluefish. As a trio, we won many tournaments after that and Bob was there enjoying every moment.
Bob enjoyed fishing so much that he didn’t want to put his rod down so I netted most of the fish. I asked many times if I was the only one who knew how to use a fish net. He would smile and keep on fishing. One day in 2002, we were fishing at Buoy 14 in the Choptank and we were catching large Trout. My boat is named “Reeler” and Keith Walters came up to us. Keith writes for the local papers and said “so you’re the reeler?” I replied “not today – I’m the netter.” Bob caught the largest Trout that day. A beautiful 28 inch Trout.
I could go on and on about all the trips we shared and all the good stories that could be told. But I feel I must talk about my friend.
As I stated earlier, Bob got involved with our Chapter right away and soon started planning our fishing trips. These trips are a big part of our Chapter’s entertainment and Bob enjoyed the planning part for he knew he was going on most of the trips. Very few people realize how much time and endless phone calls are involved in planning these trips. But Bob enjoyed it for he was the most organized person I know. You had to see his car garage to understand that statement. Everything and tool was in place in that garage. I called him an old lady because of his way of getting things done and being organized.
Bob soon became my vice president of our fishing Club. I attend a lot of meetings and he would ride shotgun with me at most of these meetings. I enjoyed his companionship for he was always asking questions about fishing and how things were done. The only fishing he could not understand was the art of trolling.
Bob enjoyed smoking a cigar when fishing got slow. He stated when he lit up a stoggy, the fishing would get better.
Even though we only had a few years knowing each other, from late fall 2001 to his passing away June 21st of 2007, I could write page after page of our times together. We made contact almost every day either by fishing or by phone. Bob loved fishing and would call me to find out when we were going – so he didn’t let me get lazy about fishing. Bob had some actions that would drive me crazy for he was so precise and organized. But we all have out own ways of doing things. However, his good ways out did his bad.
We only knew each other six years, but they were years of memories that I will never forget.. My father told me years ago that if in life you find one good true friend, you have accomplished something that can’t be replaced. Bob was a true friend.
Goodbye good friend. You will be remembered. |
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