Do you recall a certain moment in your life that got you hooked on fishing?
Perhaps you can think of a few of those moments.
Regardless of how you got your passion for fishing, there is a good chance that you have someone who deserves a 'Thank You' for helping you along the way.
Below are the stories of two anglers who are thankful for those that helped get them hooked.
Mike's Story
The sport of fishing has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember.
I feel fortunate that I grew up in a house that prioritized outdoor activities, especially fishing.
Many of my summers consisted of fishing for largemouth bass one day and then chasing a number of saltwater species the next.
While catching spade fish and cobia cruising around the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel is exciting, nothing beats a late evening topwater strike by a big largemouth bass.
One of the most significant memories I have that solidified my love of fishing came when I was just a young boy - maybe six or seven.
My father and I were out on Lake Chesdin as dusk was setting in.
It was early summer and we were fishing a small flat full of stumps and spots of grass - perfect setting for a buzzbait.
I remember making a long cast across the flat, and because it was getting dark, I could hear my buzzbait better than I could see it.
My buzzbait was about a third of the way back to the boat when I heard a loud topwater commotion.
A split second later as my line tightened up, I realized it was the sound of my buzzbait being engulfed by a bass.
I set the hook and hung on! It was an epic fight.
But what I remember most about that moment was my favorite fishing partner and best net man in the game, my father, going crazy when he scooped the bass out of the water and clearly saw how big the fish was.
The bass weighed in at 7lbs and 15oz.
So close to 8lbs and still to this day is the biggest bass I’ve ever caught.
The second memory made from that catch is the small trophy my father made for me and shared with me at Christmas for catching the biggest bass that year.
I’m thankful for the many memories that fishing has given me, but I am most thankful for the relationships that have been strengthened and created because of fishing.
Chad's Story
Now in my 30's, I've had a fishing rod in my hand since I was about 5 years old.
As long as I can remember I've always loved it. However, my love for fishing wasn't without the help of others.
One of my favorite fishing spots growing up was my little league baseball coach's 2-acre pond. It had largemouth bass, a few stocked rainbows, and a bunch of bluegill.
When I was 10 or so years old my friend and I, with the help of my mom as the driver, took my papa's flat bottom boat out on the pond.
Using the nightcrawlers that we found under the stepping stones of my friend's house we started loading the boat with bluegill.
It was too easy.
Just make a cast along the bank with the overhanging trees, wait for your bobber to go under, count 1 Mississippi 2 Mississippi, then set the hook.
Keeping track of our catches, we put every bluegill we caught in the livewell of my papa's boat.
We ended up catching 27 bluegill that day.
Not too shabby for a bunch of ten year old kids, we thought.
When my mom had arrived and it was time to release the fish and pack things up she looked at our fishing rods and asked us, "How'd you catch them?".
You could tell with how she asked the question that she already knew the answer.
I said "Nightcrawlers."
Thinking my mom would say 'Great job' or 'I'm so proud of you guys', she looked me right in the eyes and said, "Chad, real fishermen don't use bobbers."
That was it...
That one line alone was all it took to have me hooked on fishing - my mom telling me I wasn't a real fisherman despite having 27 fish in the livewell.
Little did I know I'd spend the rest of my life trying to master the art of catching fish with artificial lures.
Of course bobbers and live bait have their place in fishing but her comment still stays with me to this day and I'm thankful for it.
'Thank You' Mom!
Fast forward a few years...
By now you probably know that I was out fishing whenever I could get my parents to drive me to a spot and drop me off for a few hours.
Then once I got my own driver's license I was always stopping for a cast or two just about everywhere I went.
After all the begging and pleading to take me fishing over the years, my dad had finally picked up on my passion for fishing.
Two things to know about my dad...
He knows just about everyone within a 50-mile radius of home, and he is quite the negotiator.
Without me knowing about it, my dad found a guy that just bought a new bass boat and needed his old one gone fast since not having garage space for both.
Being the negotiator that my dad is, he talked the guy into selling his old boat for little to nothing. Afterall, the guy didn't have space for both boats.
Senior year of high school rolls around and without me knowing about any of this, dad calls me out to the pole barn to help him move some hay bails out into some hay rings (we lived on a farm).
I get about 50 yards from the barn and there it was - a 1996 Nitro 160TF Rick Clunn Edition bass boat.
It was a dream come true for a 17-year-old kid.
Was it perfect? By no means.
Did it have problems? It sure did - but none of that held me back.
Thanks to my dad I was able to fish waters I'd never fished before, catch a bunch of fish doing it, and become more and more in love with fishing.
Despite all the repairs, completely running new wiring for electronics, replacing bumper boards all the time, and the outboard cylinder locking up on me twice... to my family and I it's still called "The Boat".
"Thank You" Dad!
If you've been blessed with the opportunity, or many opportunities, to go fishing you probably know just how special it is.
However, there's a good chance you didn't discover your passion on your own.
Which leaves us with one question... What's your story?
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