Chapters 7-8, Flick Offers Me Hard Liquor and Hairy Gertz and the Forty-Seven Crappies Summary

In Chapter 7, Flick offers Ralph some bourbon to comfort him about the tragic loss of Junie Jo. The two men begin to discuss other girls from their past, and the mystical location of Cedar Lake is mentioned. Flick laments that Cedar Lake is now condemned. He knows of no other instance in which a lake has been condemned. Apparently, Cedar Lake is a special place indeed.

Chapter Eight introduces the reader to Ralph's childhood love of fishing. He lives, breathes, and dreams the sport, even though he never gets the chance to actually fish. He describes the mud hole that is Cedar Lake in great detail. Ralph finally joins his father and, according to Ralph, 17,000 other fishermen...