The First Fish Fry

THE FIRST FISH FRY

By Steven L. Vaughan

In the spring of 1970 in the reign of President Jo Fuerst, the Tomball Rotary Club ventured on the high seas of Lake Summerville in search of fish. We needed fish because we were going to have a fish fry as a fund-raiser that Rotary year. Fellow Rotarian, L. B. Hennessy, was knowledgeable of boats, fishing, and Lake Summerville.  He agreed to take us to his favorite fishing holes. We arrived at the lake late in the day on Friday and the men separated into boats and left the sons of a couple of the Rotarians (Joe Fuerst and Chester Strack) at the floating deck.

I was fortunate enough to be in the crowded vessel belonging to L. B. We had already purchased about three dozen minnows for each fisherman. It was dark by the time all the preparations were made. We roared out into the middle of the lake, cut the engine, and coasted for a few seconds. L. B. looked to the north at some distant landmark, then to the east at-some other obscure closely guarded secret reference point, and pronounced that this was the place.  The anchor was noisily cast into the water, and the fishing began. We threaded on the minnows and lowered the bait into the water wondering who would be the first to catch a fish.  This was a very competitive lot. Bragging rights would go first to the first catch, then to the biggest fish and finally to the largest stringer. We rocked and fished and swatted mosquitoes. We rocked and swatted some more.  We adjusted our fishing depth. We changed bait. We swatted more. We sweated and rocked and told stories. We did not catch fish.

The following morning we returned to the boat deck to see if the other boat load of Rotary fisherman had hit the mother load. They had only found mosquitoes themselves. The three small boys on the dock had long since caught three fish and they had wisely gone to bed in someone's camper. There was not a mosquito bite on them. Some of the fishermen deserted at this point.  The more hardy stayed for the rest of the weekend. The fishing did not improve.

We had some left over Rainbow bread and the three fish that the children had caught, but we did not have enough faith that we could divide them successfully for all the Tomball residents. So we purchased fish and thus began the famous Tomball Rotary Fish Fry Fund-raiser that so many area residents look forward to each year.