Why Do I Love Fishing? The Memories.

     I just wanted to take the opportunity to tell the readers of GettingReel.com, why it is that I love fishing, and to let you know now, it’s not for the smells.

     I could definitely say that this isn’t just a love of fishing. It’s also a love of the outdoors. It is hard to appreciate such a great sport if you do not appreciate your surroundings and the conservation of it. That is something that makes the sport of fishing and all of the outdoors unique. We as anglers and outdoorsman have to give back just as much as we get out of it. There aren’t many other sports that you do that with. Most of you just show up to your baseball or soccer game and just play. If we do not take care of our resources than we may not have a sport to enjoy. Before I get off on a tangent about conservation, let me get back to the reason I began this. Why I Love Fishing.

     I can remember it like it was yesterday. I was 6 years old. My family and I were spending Christmas evening over at my Grandparents house like we did every year. It is a funny thing to think that when you are 6 years old, you can almost project what you are about to open for Christmas. I guess it isn’t so hard when your Grandma can knit with the best of them. I usually got sweaters with my name riding a comet across the front of it or a set of mittens and a head beanie, but not this year. My gift was to big to wrap. Well, not  too big, as much as difficult. My gift this year was my very first fishing pole. A Zebco spin cast combo. “How cool is this”, I remember thinking. Lucky for me, the area I lived in was littered with ponds, creeks, and rivers to get it working in.

     I can remember every day during the summer growing up, walking across fields, hills, streets and whatever else stood in the way of me and my fishing destination. I used that same fishing pole until around the age of 10 (with the help of dad’s daily reel maintenance). That rod and reel saw more bluegill, perch, catfish, crappie, and bass than I could shake a stick at. It isn’t that surprising to understand why today that the only reel you will find on the deck of my boat says Quantum on it.

     As I got older, girls became a weekend focus and less and less time was spent on the water as the years went on. Of course the times spent with the family every couple of weekends a summer to catch enough catfish for a fish fry were still alive and well. It only took one time of me not showing up for one of those before I learned my lesson. Crappie and catfish are possibly two of my favorite meals on this earth. One year I traded the day spent with my family fishing for a day of “kicking” it with my friends. Well when fish fry day showed up, so did I. To bad dad saw me. “No fish for you boy”, he said. “You didn’t contribute so say bye to the fry”. That’s some crap. I managed a few battered fillets thanks to the help of my little brother. 

     Throughout the rest of high school I had a sweet heart that wasn’t only my girl friend, but my best friend as well. We spent every waking second together when we weren’t in class. Naturally, as our relationship and time spent together grew, so it did with her family; especially her dad. Fred was an avid outdoorsman who had 2 girls and no boys, so I always like to think that after I was around for so long he kind of started to treat me like a son. Fred bought me my first guitar and took me fishing for the first time out of a boat. It was awesome to hook a big bass out in 30 feet of water. A whole new style of fishing for me. Even though I was in high school and focused on girls and partying, fishing someway found its way back to me. Eventually Amy and I separated, but little did Fred know the impact that those summer fishing trips with his family to the lake would have on me. Those are times that I will never forget. 

     It wasn’t until after high school when I joined the Marine Corps that I again found myself looking for ways to help bring my home and past with me to new places. You can only fit so much into a Sea-bag.

     Everyday after work, I was once again making straight B-lines to the lakes and rivers. If it was too cold, I would hang out at tackle shops and bait stores just talking and learning. This is the time when I started to become more serious and passionate about fishing. It was more than just wasting a day in which I had nothing to do or finding a way to get away from the noise and hustle of everyday life. It was who I was. I could no longer walk across the quad yards at my barracks with out someone asking how the fishing had been or saying, hey fisherman to me.

     A couple of years later I was invited to participate in my first ever tournament. Now I had fished community tournaments and things like that growing up, but I had never fished in a big time entry fee tournament. It was a tournament out by Camp Lejeune put on by the base, some local BASS clubs, and supported by the USO. $80.00 was our entry fee. The tournament drew a little over 30 boats. The result of our day of fishing was 5 bass that weighed just over 7 lbs. Being my 1st tournament my partner was more than happy to let me take out bag of fish up to the scales. We didn’t win, but did receive a gift card to the on base Exchange for our efforts. After that day I was hooked.

     Another couple of years later I bought my 1st boat with my re-enlistment money. It was a used 1986 15ft. Skeeter Strada F80 with a 40 h.p. Yamaha. I guarantee that boat never saw so much action in that 1st year I had it than it had seen since it was rolled off of the showroom floor.

     As time went on I became better and better. I began to teach just as much as I continued to learn. I eventually found my way into fishing BFL’s, Bassmaster Series events, and team tournaments. The obsession and way of life just never stopped and at this point it never will. It will be something that I will pass down to my children and them to theirs.

     To answer the question I asked in the beginning of this, that is why I love fishing. While it is fun to go out and fish in a tournament and do well, it is nothing compared to the time spent and the memories you create with family, friends, and loved ones. I always wanted to walk across the stage of an Elite Series event to win my 1st major tournament and give thanks to the people who had such a strong impact on me as a person today. People like my Grandpa for giving me my 1st fishing pole. That was truly the gateway to it all. My dad for spending time with his son and the rest of his family. Those are times we have that he will be able to share with his grandkids. Fred Littrell for seeing me and treating me like a son. He is one who surely doesn’t realize the impact of those summers spent fishing in the boat out on Table Rock Lake. The angling community has somewhat of a slogan to help older people get today’s children and youth involved in fishing that goes, “Once you catch your first fish, you are a fisherman forever”. Because of those 3 gentleman, I am forever a fisherman. That is why I love fishing.