When I was a young kid my dad used to take me fishing to a friends lake during the summer months. Every now and then we would get a bass or bluegill here and there and that was pretty much the extent of it. While I'm grateful my dad taught me the basics of fishing, I had no idea there was a world of slang, techniques and tools I had yet to discover when it came to fishing.
Fast Forward about 25 years and here I am acting like I know something about fishing and aspiring everyday to become a better angler. Truth is, I haven't even scratched the surface. But hey, I gotta start somewhere as everyone does with the things they are passionate about.
About four months ago a neighbor across the street asked me to go fishing with him. I'll never forget what he said to me:
"I have three rules: One: you tie your own knots. Two: You unhook your own fish. Three: You don't ask me when we're leaving."
So I thought this dude is too serious and fishing isn't for me.
A couple of days later I found myself at Meijer buying a cheap rod and reel and looking through endless tackle. It was overwhelming. What size hooks do I buy? Hard bait or soft baits? What type of line? The uncertainty grew and I ended up grabbing a few bobbers, a few hooks and some artificial bee moth worms. I didn't have a clue. Turns out what I bought was enough to get my first fish to bite.
Not to sound to corny but from that point on I fell in love with a hobby that I hadn't even given two seconds of my attention to since I was 8 years old. I couldn't get enough! There's a term amongst anglers called "bass fever". Most laugh and say "you're ridiculous! It's just fish." But for someone whose passionate about the sport of fishing it's much more than that. There's a certain high you experience landing a big fish. The fight ensues and you're just praying that fish doesn't spit your hook. I cant really put it in to word, without experiencing it first hand. Similar to an Indy Car driver trying to explain the feeling of zipping 200 mph around and oval track.
But I'm gonna try anyway to put it into words. Which is why I started this blog. Maybe I'll influence somebody to start fishing. Maybe not. But for those who are interested enough to read, I hope these blog entries relate to you and your days, months and even years on the water!
