Didn't Fish for 15+ years!

     Lets start our journey 35 years ago.  For me that is a great place to start since that is when I was born.  I was born in Maryland and around the age of two my family moved back to the Midwest, Missouri to be exact.  Growing up in the suburbs of St.Louis in the eighty's was a wonderful time.  The movie scenes of children playing in the streets, exploring the woods around their house, leaving your house at 8-9am and only coming home when the street lights came on or if you were hungry those were the days of my childhood.  Well almost my childhood.  Once my Dad got home I knew there was a big chance we were going fishing.  From a young age I remember many hours spent on the banks of a lake.  Sometimes we caught fish sometimes we didn't but out of all those hours I remember two things.  First thing is that it was some of my favorite times of my child hood.  I was learning so much about a sport that eventually I would fall out of love with and back in love with.  The second thing I remember is the look on my Dads face every time I caught a fish.  It was a look of so much pride and excitement.  Almost like me catching a little one pound bass was more enjoyable then catching a 5 pound bass himself.  I look back now and understand the sparkle my Dad got when I would catch a fish.

      By the time I was a teenager I had spent so much time on a lake (at least it felt that way)  I still am pretty sure that I have spent more time fishing then your average person.  Around thirteen is when I really started to resent and hate going fishing as much as I was.  By this time my dad was a tournament angler fishing all of the tournaments he could in the Midwest.  That is when I decided that I was not going fishing anymore. I was done no more fishing for me EVER.  Of course that word ever did not work out for me.  At the age of sixteen I moved to Virginia Beach, Virginia.  I thought to my self alright now I know I do not have to go fishing anymore for sure. Dad doesn't salt water fish.   Then my Dad walks in one day and says "Son, Want to go fishing?"  I protested of course and he tells me that you can fish from those piers we see that the beach.  Remember I was 16 at this time I heard the word beach and I was in.  Think about it what 16 year old boy does not want to go to the beach!! I had visions of hundreds of bikini clad girls running through my head.  For me the pier was going to be a great place to "admire the scenery" (if you know what I mean).  Well let me tell you that the view from the pier stinks.  Especially when your at the very end of a very long pier.  I still think my Dad did that on purpose.  Let me tell you that going from using plastic worms, jigs, crankbaits and other other artificial lures to using calamari and blood worms and other live bait is a big change.  I will say this I was a very "Preppy" teenager,  still kind of am just not a teenager anymore.  So the thought of using a slimy piece of calamari or crazy blood worms absolutely solidified the fact that I was done fishing this time for good. Now lets fast forward many years lets say about 15+ years.

     By this time, lets call it march 2015,  I'm 34 years old living back in Missouri and married to a sweet beautiful women and have a wonderful 13 year old daughter.  Now don't  get me wrong there were times in the 15 years that I did go fishing but hated every single second I was out there.  In those 15 years I can count the times I went on one hand.  I then met a buddy that told me there is no way that he was going to let me live my life hating fishing and that I was going to give him a chance making fishing fun.  He would spend nights at work (I work third shift)  him telling me that he just knew that I would love fishing if I just gave it another chance.  One night I finally agreed to go fishing in the morning when we got off.  He decided we were going that Friday morning and on break I went to Walmart and got the hooks and swivels I was going to need according to him.  I had already borrowed a rod and reel from my Dad to use.  Needless to say he was beyond shocked.  My buddy told me we were going to go catfishing.  I remember what catfishing was when I was a kid.  Boring is exactly what came to mind.  My friend swore up and down we were going to catch our daily limit of catfish.  Of course I didn't believe him.  No one can guarantee  you are going to catch fish.  I told him I would go and I am a man of my word so off to the lake I go.

     I'm going to set the scene for you.  I pull up to the lake around 7am the sun is coming up but behind clouds so thick its practically still dark.  There is a mist in the air that's turning in to a light drizzle I'm praying it doesn't get worse.   Two of my coworkers are already at the lake and as I pull up I see one of them reeling frantically.  I hop out and run over to see what he caught he yells for me to grab the other rod its getting a bite.  I grab it and start reeling what felt like a whale (remember longtime since I had fished).  It wasn't a whale it was a 3 pound catfish though it was good enough to keep.  This is just the beginning  but I felt so alive!  My buddy that convinced me to go fishing to start with already had poles rigged up and we started playing a passing game we would pull one in and hand him the pole fish still on the hook and he would hand us another pole ready to throw out. I pulled in 5 that morning each one fighting hard it was such a great feeling. We did this for about an hour and 20 minuets and in that time we cause between 4 people caught more then 24 catfish that were good enough to keep.  State law says we could only keep 4 each. In one morning in less then an hour and a half we all caught our limit and brought home 16 total catfish.  That is where my life as a fisherman started!

     I will be telling you of all of the fish I have caught or been present for someone catching in the next few of these.  Then it will be anytime I go fishing I will be telling you of the trip to the lake that I had that day. Please feel free to pass this on to others that might enjoy my stories and leave any comments or questions you have.

 I hope everyone has enjoyed.  As a friendly reminder while out fishing remember the old saying "leave no trace".  If you make a mess or have trash please take it with you.  The enviroment will thank you.  Maybe even reward you with a new personal best catch!!  Have a great day and FISH ON!!!!!