I was reminded of a particular childhood fishing memory a few days ago. It was not a unique memory because of what happened while we were fishing. It was memorable because of where we were fishing. I remember (as a kid) asking Dad if we could go fishing one Saturday afternoon. Like he had done so many times previously, he agreed and he sent me to get our gear in the shed. When I returned with our packs and fishing rods, I caught the end of his conversation with a police officer on the phone. Although, I was slightly curious as to why he called the OPP, I was to excited to care.

When we left the house, I quickly realized that we were taking a different route than usual. Dad made his way on to Highway 11 and headed south of Huntsville.

We never took an exit off the highway.

He stopped the car several hundred meters from the highway bridge that crossed a section of Hunters Bay and pulled the car well off the pavement. Asking me to stay in the car until he collected our gear from the trunk, I did not fully understand the fishing potential of this location until we descended down the grassy slope towards the water.

My eyes were wide with wonder as the noise of the cars faded as we stepped out on to the concrete supports that held up the bridge. I almost forgot why we were there until dad interrupted my gaze by telling me my hook and bobber were ready to go. Within minutes, were bringing in a bunch of bass of various sizes and fighting abilities.

The fishing was fantastic! There may even be a lure or two still that found a way to hook themselves into the huge concrete pylons.

It was not until recently (with the invention of fish finders and the purchase of a fishing boat) that I realized the secret of dad’s newest fishing spot. There is ‘big-time’ structure around those concrete supports. This varying ground structure probably came from the construction of the huge cement towers several years prior.

The point of this little story is simple. You could be driving over some of the greatest fishing locations every day and you don’t even know it. If you can safely park and navigate to these structures, under any type of roadway, you could very well amaze the youngster you bring with you. You should probably check with local law enforcement to confirm whether or not you can park your vehicle ‘just off’ the highway. This was the purpose of dad’s phone call mentioned earlier. If you get a chance to navigate under a large structure (like a highway bridge) with your boat, take some time and fish around the structures.

You will be glad you did. If you ever fish the one in Hunter’s Bay, check the cement pylon (2 from the left) for a rusted rapala. I have been meaning to reclaim it.

A relic from fishing the highway.