What fun we had at the Leatherwood Bait Shop. It seems like a dream now, but we had so much fun. We discovered the Leatherwood Bait Shop after my grandparents and great-grandparents were moved out of the Fort Henry Community of Land Between the Lakes and they all moved to Leatherwood. As we changed our drive from Fort Henry to Leatherwood, we saw the signs directing US to the legendary Leatherwood Bait Shop.
Yes, my family–and we moved almost next door to your grandparents, who were my great-uncle and great-aunt; we shared great-grandparents (all of whom moved from Lost Creek to Leatherwood)–also learned about Leatherwood Bait Shop by 1965-67. I went fishing one weekend, off a high bank, with my parents and others. I had a fishing pole and my line some 20 yards or more out into Ky. Lake, while my parents, with the Rainwaters, fished further down. I had the pole stuck into the earth while I read a book. Suddenly the pole lifted out, I grabbed but couldn’t stop it, and the line, float, hook, sinker and pole went flying into Kentucky Lake. It shot across the surface of the lake about 40 yards, then the pole turned vertical before disappearing straight down, as if some gigantic fish were taking it into a cave. Some young people in a motor boat saw it, or heard my dad yelling at me for letting it get away. They came over, astonished. The pole then popped back to the surface by their boat, with no fish, no float or line. They brought the pole back to us on the shore. Everyone was wondering what had grabbed my hook so violently, finally agreeing I could never have stopped it, and that it likely was a large turtle. If so, it was fast.