This article was taken from the book "A County Boy From Owl Hollow" written by Clyde Lyon
Champ (Champion) Sanders was the son of George Washington Sanders and Callie Champion Sanders.
Champ Sanders
My favorite out-of-state visitor was a cousin of Papa’s, Champ Sanders, who lived in the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas. Champ was a big fellow and one of those people who always had fun wherever he went, and it was contagious. He brought a fishing rod and reel and a homemade artificial lure with him, the first one I had ever seen. When he learned that I was familiar with Panther Creek, he appointed me as his official guide, and it was a honor to go fishing with a fellow who used a rod and reel. We went down on the lower part of the creek to a hold where I had seen a big bass swallow a young muskrat as it swam across the water. I was hoping that the big one would latch on to Champ’s artificial bait. He caught a couple of nice ones, but the big one was left still lurking somewhere down in that hole of water because he was too smart to be fooled, and that is probably why he grew to be so big.
After he had fished awhile, Champ handed the rod to me and gave me a few instructions about how to use it. I listened, although I had been watching his every movement, and felt that I knew all there was to know about casting. I made a cast that resulted in what was undoubtedly the biggest backlash that had ever been seen up until that time. He just laughed and said that it happened to everybody sooner or later and not to get discouraged. He spent half an hour getting the line straightened out and insisted I try again, but suggested I try for a shorter cast. He showed me how to use my thumb as a brake and how to guide the line back and forth on the reel between my fingers so as not to pile it in one place. I cautiously cast again and that time it worked. He let me take the outfit to the creek by myself, and somehow I did manage to catch a bass, a thrill I’ll never forget.
Champ and his wife spent two or three weeks with us and told a lot of interesting tales about the Ozarks. He worked for the railroad and got free transportation like Papa did when he worked for the Illinois Central in Paducah. When they left to return to Arkansas, we took them to the station at Danville, a few miles up the river where the railroad crossed the Tennessee River, and they boarded the train for Memphis. Just before he got on the train, Champ handed me the rod and reel and cautioned me to take good care of it until he came back for a visit. He said he was planning to buy a new one to use at home, anyway. It was one of the greatest gifts I had ever received and kept it for many years.