Do you remember strapping your small tacklebox to the rack
on your bike, holding your fishing rod in your hand as you pedal as fast as you
can to your favorite fishing spot? How about catching nightcrawlers after a
heavy rain? Even digging through that pile of fresh horse manure from the
stalls you cleaned, because those worms had that certain florescent color you
were sure the fished liked better? Back when fishing wasn’t something you did
to relax after work but was your life’s joy.
That’s how I started out, but something happened along the
way. The joy of childhood became the addiction of adulthood. Like many other
outdoorsmen I have more equipment than I ever imagined. I have tackleboxes
stacked on tackleboxes, Three or four just for fresh water and another three or
four, for my saltwater excursions. My favorite rod is a 5 ½ foot medium Bass
Pro Power Plus with a Penn Battle 4000 spinning reel. There are also several
ugly stiks, St. Croix, Daiwa and Shimano rods coupled with Penn and Daiwa
spinning and casting reels. You get the idea.
Over the past few months my wife Jennifer reminded me of
the joy of back to the basics of fishing. Okay she did this by out fishing me
and my arsenal of artificial baits with a bobber and worm. So, I swallowed my
pride and put on a bail hook, bobber and worm and guess what? A few seconds after my line hit the water, my
bobber started to dance. I remembered that bass aren’t the only fish in the
water, and I can have a lot of fun catching bluegill. You never know what
you’ll catch because everything that swims will eat a nightcrawler.
I have known and fished with people who say they had a bad
day on the water if they didn’t catch their target fish. I just don’t
understand that train of thought. How can it be a bad day if you are out
paddling, or you’re in a boat making a sunrise run to your favorite spot or
fishing on the bank with your children or grandchildren?
I’ve fished tournaments when money was on the line and that
can be thrilling, but I believe as adults we strive so hard to be the next
household name in fishing that we lose the simple joy of wetting a line. The
most satisfying fishing I do these days is in our canoe with my wife.
Next time you go fishing try and remember the pure joy you
had as a child, put a nightcrawler on a hook and watch that bobber dance. In
the fading light of sunset you may be pleasantly surprise. 
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