I started fishing with my grandfather at an early age.
Up before daylight and down at the stage.
Pull in the dory, in we would jump.
Untie the painter from the grump.
We would leave every morning around 4 o’clock.
Out through the harbour and into the lop.
Down long shore we would make our first stop.
On Blue Pinion Shoal out over the side the anchor would go.

Fishing with my grandfather at an early age!
Up before daylight and down on the stage.

At the time I was 14 and he was 79.
He was in good shape and in good state of mind.
Fishing was his thing, he did it all the time.
Oh how I remember those days back then.
Fishing with my grandfather, I wish I could do it again.
I can still see the old grub box back in the stern.
A crock of cold water hanging over the side,
as it went up and down with the wind and the tide.

Fishing with my grandfather at an early age!
Up before daylight and down on the stage.

Oh how seasick I would get,
with the wind breezing up and the lop coming down.
On his face there would be such a frown.
Back in the stern I would go,
wishing there was no such thing as Blue Pinion Shoal.
He would look at me and say “all you need now is a piece of fatty salt beef.”
My poor stomach would give a lurch,
when over the side he would give another tobacco squirt.

Fishing with my grandfather at an early age!
Up before daylight and down on the stage.

Sometimes there would be a lot of fish
other times less
but these words he would always repeat.
Early morning and high tide,
fishing was the best.
When it came daylight, he would size up the land.
He would say “we’re not quite on the Shoal.”
Up to the anchor he would go.
He would slack her back some more
as he looked at his marks on the shore.

Fishing with my grandfather at an early age!
Up before daylight and down on the stage.

These were some of the things he would do.
Take the knife and cut up some bait.
Take his tobacco and cut off a chew
and in his mouth that would go.
As I watched him my stomach would roll.
He would look at me with a grin
and I knew he would soon
give another squirt over the side again.

Fishing with my grandfather at an early age!
Up before daylight and down on the stage.

These memories will stay with me all my life.
How I can see him with his tobacco and knife.
We had no watch to tell the time,
but when he looked at the sun
I knew it wouldn’t be long before
Blue Pinion Shoal would be left behind.
He would take out his Beaver and fill up his pipe,
and it wouldn’t be long before English Hr. West would be in sight.
Those memories I will always treasure.

Fishing with my grandfather at an early age!
Up before daylight and down on the stage.

We’d pull up the anchor and reel up the jigger lines.
We were on our way
into the bay and up along the shore.
Finished with fish that day on Blue Pinion Shoal.
We would land in the cove, tie the dory on.
We wouldn’t be gone long,
up to the house and put the kettle on the old stove.
A mug up is what we will have.
Back down the cove the fish he would grab.
Rip them and split them and salt them in.
Then he knew he was ready for tomorrow to go fishing again.

Fishing with my grandfather at an early age!
Up before daylight and down on the stage.

When his fishing day was done,
he looked up at the sky and sized up the sun.
I’m going to sharpen my scythe and cut down some grass,
because I think we will be getting a few days of sun.
At last he’d take his scythe and off he would go.
The way he got around you could’t tell he was old.
Up in that big meadow he looked so small and
you knew before long it would be fall.
Then he would take out a chew and look at the sun.
He would go home knowing his day's work was done.
That’s how I remember,

Fishing with my grandfather at an early age!
Up before daylight and down on the stage.

I remember a long time ago
fishing with my grandfather
when I was very young and he was very old.
We would get in his dory and roll down along shore,
hoping every day he would catch more.
Blue Pinion Shoal was our first stop
he would throw out the anchor into the lop.
There I was in the middle of the night
half asleep and not very bright
but over the side my jigger would go
hoping and praying that there was fish on Blue Pinion Shoal.

Fishing with my grandfather at an early age!
Up before daylight and down on the stage.

Then I would saw my jigger up and down
hoping there was fish to be found.
Then the jigger line starts to crack.
As a boy I’m working quite hard to hold her back.
I haul and pull, the fish is coming very slow.
Then I would come fully awake and realize
I was fishing on Blue Pinion Shoal.
He passed me the gaff and says
“here I think you have a big one on the end of your line”.
“Be careful, don’t rush, take your time.” “Good boy” he says,
“get the big ones and leave the little ones behind.”

Fishing with my grandfather at an early age!
Up before daylight and down on the stage.

Oh how the time flies looking back to when I was a boy
I could tell it was going to be another windy day.
Looking at the waves going out through the bay
the seas kept getting quicker
and my stomach was starting to roll
and I was getting sicker
it was really starting to blow
I would reel up my jigger and back in the stern I would go.
He would look at me and say
“you look real sick again today.”
“It won’t be long now and we will be on our way”
Then out across the water
he would put out a tobacco squirt
then he would pull up anchor.
Oh how my poor stomach would hurt,
“you better get your learning the best way you can
because no way you're a fisherman.”
It wouldn’t be long and we would be on our way.
Thank God it was the end of another fishing day,
but if I could do it again I would.
Just to hear his laugh and to see his big grin.
That was fishing with my grandfather at an early age!
Up before daylight and down on the stage.

Written by: William Bishop   Submitted By: Sharon bishop