Two fish stories from the same Bluffton girl; if you don't believe us, ask Gary Kirtland
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Here's a couple fishing stories worth repeating. First, can you figure out what each of these photos has in common?
Answer: Kathy Kirtland Lanning is in both. She's Gary Kirtland's sister, BHS 1968 grad, now living in Colorado.
Let's examine the black and white photo. This photo, taken by Paul Diller in the early 1950s shows "Sport" Kirtland holding what appears to be a very large carp. The little girl on the right is Sport's granddaughter, Kathy. If you examine the face of Sport, you'll start to see the resemblance between he and his grandson, Gary.
As far as we can tell, the carp was caught either in the Buckeye or the National quarry. We've not yet nailed down the location of the photo. Anyone older than 70 viewing this might offer a suggestion to the location or reveal more information about this catch of the day once upon a time in Bluffton.
Sport apparently also taught Gary to fish although Gary's interest is a larger pond than the Buckeye. His pond of interest is a lake north of the Ohio border, just south of Canada.
Now we come to the color photo. Guess what, it's Kathy again. Apparently she also picked up some great fishing tips from her grandfather. This photo, on permanent display in the lobby of Kirtland's Auto Sales, reads: "Catch of the Day. It's a catfish."
Maybe some day tagged trout number one ought to be named "Sport," or just plain "Kirtland." The question remains, would Kathy come back and put the tag on number 1?
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Monday, February 24, 2025
Sunday, February 23, 2025
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