Brother and sister return to the scene of ‘big catch’ year after year
Story by Carol Pappas
Photos by Richard Rybka
Kentuckians Gloria Spangler and Richard Donoho don’t know much about sibling rivalry. Their only tussles since childhood have been with a fish – a battle they’ve enjoy fighting together for decades.
From an early age, they developed a love for fishing. Their grandfather taught them on rivers, ponds and creeks, and that passion for fishing sparked long ago is a shared bond that only strengthens now as they age well into their 70s and 80s.
It’s what brings them to Logan Martin Lake twice a year, where they catch a boatload of Crappie with the help of their fishing guide, Curt Simpson, who also lives in Kentucky.
Why Logan Martin, Alabama? The answer is easy on this sunny day in late March at University Marine, where their boat is docked. Just a glance at a nearby table reveals a spread of 60 Crappie – all over the 9-inch requirement – caught earlier in the day. “We caught 22 Crappie in two hours,” Richard said. “The Crappie here are bigger than Kentucky. If you caught one that big in Kentucky, we’d be screaming!”
By week’s end, they’ll have 100 plastic freezer bags chocked full of Crappie filets to bring back to family and friends and of course, to savor for themselves. “It’s more than we can eat,” Richard said.
They return to Logan Martin each Spring and early Fall on the same quest – catch as much Crappie as the law allows. “We enjoy being here,” said Gloria. “We love this place.”
They should. It’s paid them more than a whopper in dividends, judging by the catches they proudly display and disburse. “Curt provides everything – the bait, rods, reels. Deep, shallow, he knows where to fish,” Gloria said.
The boat is equipped with state-of-the-art electronics, including a live scope, and they head out each morning with Curt about 7 and return to the marina about 4 or 5. That’s the drill for their seven-day stay.
They have aunts in Gadsden and Lincoln, so they were already familiar with the area. They’ve fished the Coosa River chain of Weiss and Neely Henry, too, but they keep coming back to Logan Martin.
Curt’s the one who encouraged them to try Logan Martin. Since then, it has been a return engagement twice annually for years. Gloria worked at Franklin Bank & Trust for 50 years in Bowling Green, and that’s how she met Curt. He had retired from IBM but was working as a courier at the bank. “When he found out I liked to fish, every five minutes, he was in my office,” she said.
Curt’s own love of fishing led him to the fishing guide business in retirement and with Gloria and Richard’s zeal for the sport, it was a perfect match. “He’s a good guide and a good friend,” Richard said.
Curt was steered toward Logan Martin back in 2004 by a guide on Weiss Lake, Butch Young. “He introduced me to Logan Martin. I fell in love with it.” Now, he guides 30 to 40 trips a year.
He always liked his job at IBM, a job he held for 31 years, he said, “but IBM didn’t let me fish a lot.” Retirement did, and Young mentored him. “All my skills were honed through Butch Young.”
Curt’s enthusiasm for Crappie fishing is contagious and along with the day’s limit of Crappie, the siblings have definitely caught it. Richard and Gloria enjoy their time together out on the water with Curt leading the way. “The rest of the family thinks we’re crazy,” Gloria said. “We have fished when it’s been snowing and scraped the ice off the seats of the boat to fish.”
They’ve fished after a tornado. They’ve endured hail and lightning. “That’s the best day. After that, you can catch fish,” Gloria said.
The enjoyment of it all is evident from the smiles that never seem to leave their faces as they recall their angling adventures over the years and their close-knit kinship. “We’ve never had an unkind word in our whole life,” Gloria said.
She credits their upbringing with the closeness of their family. They have a sister and brother, too. “She’s the oldest,” Richard said, pointing toward Gloria. “So, I take care of all them,” Gloria retorted.
“Our mother was soft spoken,” she added. “She worked hard, and she always wanted the best for her children. She was proud of us, and she told us that. We’ve always tried to live up to that.”
As Richard and Gloria pull in another day’s limit of Crappie, it’s suspected it would be a sight their mother would be proud to claim.
Crappie tips from a successful guide
Ask what fishing guide Curt Simpson fishes for, and the reply is simple: “Just Crappie.” His website gives more than a hint of that laser focus – crappiecurt.com.
He “fell in love” with Logan Martin years ago, and the lake has been his getaway and his treasured ‘fishing hole’ ever since.
Curt shares his knowledge with clients and was willing to give a few tips to our readers.
On this week in March, where they caught the day’s limit every day for a week, these were the tools of the trade:
- The lure: Black Chartreuse Charlie Brewer Sliders and fishing grubs
- The rod: BnM 7.5-foot
- The line: 4-pound K9 Clear Fluorescent
So, take a tip and try your luck when Crappie season hits February to May and early Fall, and your “Gone Fishin” should hold a lot more promise.
