Although I was born and raised in MO, by the time I was a young man I
had migrated to Louisville, KY, just after returning from Viet Nam. I met a
guy by the name of Jim Pitts who was beginning the long academic road
toward a terminal degree in ichthiology. On a lark, I agreed to be his
collecting partner one afternoon. I wasn't at all prepared for the wonder I
experienced as I saw rainbow darters tumble into the seine. After that, I
welcomed any excuse to tag along. This was about '73, and Jim was already a
member of the infant NANFA. At one time, we had close to 30 tanks set up in
his basement. He was probably the best I ever saw at one-person seining. I
learned a lot from him about collecting, keeping, and mailing fish.
I moved away, years passed, my family and work grew, and I got away from
fish altogether. By '84, I found myself a single parent of four kids, and
responsibility became the order of the day for the next decade. After my
kids were all grown, I had remarried and decided one day to teach my
stepson to fish. As soon as I got near the water, I knew it was just a
matter of time until I would set up a tank again. The boy seemed amused at
the notion of seining at first until we hauled in the first load. It was
then that I experienced the joy of passing that same wonder on to the next
generation. Thus, another fishhead is born.
BTW, if anyone knows where Jim Pitts is, tell him to give me a shout!
Steven A. Ellis
Kennesaw, GA
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