October 6, 1974
In the latter half of the 19th Century there was a preacher in Southern Ohio by the name of Rev. Noah Harmon Long, who lived in a nice home in Frankfort, Ohio and served a number of widely scattered, small Baptist Churches at Roxabel, Pleasant Valley, New Vienna, etc.
Joseph Cory and his wife Grace lived on a farm one mile east of Frankfort and attended the Roxabel Baptist Church where he was a Deacon and Secretary. July 20, 1890, they had a son they named Harry Harmon Cory, the middle name being after Rev. Long and with his permission and blessing. Rev. Long evidently felt a responsibility towards the boy, whom he invited to go fishing with him when Harry was about six, as his father had no time to spare from his farming. So the two spent long afternoons fishing for bass, perch and suckers on the North Fork of Paint Creek that ran through Frankfort. In later years, Harry fished in many other creeks and the Scioto River with Forrest Panchke, Virgin App, Gid Sharp, etc. Also in Main Paint at Greenfield with his soldier brother, Witter Cory, who lived in Greenfield. Thus began a lifelong hobby. Also, brother-in-law, George Wurster, in the Scioto River.
CHAPTER TWO
In the spring of 1915, Harry fished with Bill Holdorf in Lake Sarah on Rt. 55 two miles east of Rockfort, Minn., for the first time and caught a great Northern far bigger than any other fish he had ever caught before. He has fished in Minnesota every year since and in just about every stream there is for trout and bass and dozens of lakes.
Mr. Krafke rented cottages at Lake Sarah. For over 40 years, he has fished the St. Croix River for smallmouth with guide Walter Gantenbein and has taken as guests, Jack Connor, Joe Hennessy and Ron Shara from the papers and Jack Cornelius and Carl Ragust and many others.
At Biloxi, Miss., fished the Gulf of Mexico with brother Witter, the Maine River in France, Lake Nipigon with Waler Youngquist and Lew Bonn and the Atlantic off Cape May, off New Jersey with Bill Brede and N. N. Curtis~. Also New Roads, La., rivers and lake with Buddy Stockwell and the river and lakes at Jackson, Miss. with Waid and Bill Ross.
In 1949 caught a 24 lb. Lake Trout at Rossport, Canada, while fishing with Al Knowles, Frank Ditter, John Jenkins and guide Blue Lagaux at the same time Al Knowles caught a 37 lb. 6 oz. trout to take first prize for all of Canada that year. Fished the Straight River and Potato Lake at Park Rapids and other lakes with Rev. Merrill Lnnox. Took Homer Armstrong down the St. Croix on a two-day trip.
Also fished with Rev. Al Jeffrie, Dock Stillman and Don Hamilton at Leach Lake Lions Club Annual Fishing Party. Has fished most of the Lions annual parties since he joined the Club 26 years ago in 1948. Was in charge of the 'sham Battle? of the Club several years ago on Lake Kabatogman on the Canadian border.
Several years after school was out, took the girls and their families and friends down the St. Croix from Riverside, Wise. to Stillwater. Have fished with all grandchildren and son-in-laws and their relatives.
One time fishing with Kramer and Nancy Olsen out of Tofte, we fished one afternoon "I think it was Nine Mile Lake" when a forest fire started 50 miles away to the Northwest and Kramer got so scared that he raced his car over the ties of an abandoned railroad so fast that it knocked my boat off the top of the car.
Also fished in Alaska while taking the 9-day ship tour up from Vancouver and back.
Monday, Sept. 30, 1974, fished in the Pacific at Oceanside, Cal. with Nephew Bill Unfried and his friend Judd Ross on Bill's two-masted, 3-sail ketch. Ross was a native Californian, but I out fished them both by catching the first fish of the day, the last fish, the biggest fish and the most fish of the day. The joke was that I only caught 3 croakers, Judd caught two and Bill the smallest of the day. The next day Bill and I went out in a commercial guide boat with some 20 others, but all I caught that day was a small Calico Bass and an albino white seal bass.
In 1949, I was awarded a Degree in Piscatorial Metaphysics by the Cyrus Fishing College which declared that all men cannot attain it as you have to be naturally smarter than fish to start with in order to catch them.
As a man goes down memory's lane, he realizes the truth of a famous saying, "Fishing is a contemplative man's recreation." And the ancients believed that because three-quarters of the earth's surface is water and only one-quarter land, that a man should spend three-quarters of his time fishing and only one-quarter farming.
After Herbert Hoover's death, a poem was found on his wall that finished with "When my fishing days are over and I land in God's landing net, I hope he finds me big enough to keep."