I saw this topic about NAFC wanting to hear our story so here's mine. I'm a 50 year old Husband, father and grandfather that has had a pole in some type of water as long as I can remember. I fished sinkholes and small natural lakes all around my stomping grounds in Florida. My dad took me saltwater fishing on a regular basis as I grew up. The area I grew up in is surrounded by fishing communities so fishing was simply a part of life for me. I remember when I first moved to Georgia and away from the ocean and marshes all I had was heavy rods and tackle. I almost got laughed off the shoreline of a local freshwater lake when I opened my tackle box and all my lures were bigger than most of the fish in the lake. As cast my rod you could here the anti reverse mechanism clicking clear across the lake. I became even funnier when the weight of my lure carried the 50lb test line clear across the lake and into a tree on the opposite bank.
   Next time out I step way back into my childhood and carried with me a 10' cane pole and a half bag of loaf bread for making dough balls. Even though my equipment and methods were quite a bit more primative than the others fishing nearby, I did catch some fish. As a matter of fact a couple of the guys fishing close by came over the watch in fascination having never seen a dough ball at work.
   Over the years I have progressed quite a bit with my tactics and gear. I have had several boats ranging from a small john boat with a 5hp elgin air cooled motor to a 18' Procraft bass boat with a 150 Mercury Blackmax. I never got the hang of bass fishing probably because if I hadn't caught one  in short order I would opt for a live worm and a bobber which I knew would prduce results, even if it was in the form of a stringer full of bluegill.
   Last year a friend of mine took me driftfishing for cats and I was hooked more so than any of the fish I took home that day. At the time all I had was an old canoe that had been in my family since I was a kid. Obviously this would not make a good drifting rig, so I set out to get myself a more suitable boat. I am a man of very limited financial means, but have been overly blessed with a kneen since of ingenuity. One mans junk can be another ones treasure! Point in case when I found the boat I currently enjoy, my wife was completely horrified. You would think after 28 years of marriage she would see past the flaws to the hidden beauty beneath The boat is a 14' flat bottom skiff that when I first saw it I was convinced it had been present at Pearl Harbor when The Japs bombed it. After a month of working everyday on it, several cans of fiberglass resin and yards of fiberglass mat I finally got to take it out on It's maiden voyag. It didn't last long as the 20hp Chrylser motor on it self destructed not far from the ramp. Now it has a newer 25hp Mercury that runs excellent. I made my own rod holders out of 6" pvc pipe, 3/8" all tread and home made base plates. There are 4cross both the transome and the bow for crappie fishing and or trolling for cats and there are 7 down one side for drifting. It now has become my most reliable fishing buddy and almost every weekend you can find me in it somewhere on Lake Oconee!