My father-in-law took my kids and I to a youth pond to fish. I helped them out with baiting their hooks, but I didn’t know how to do anything else.
This was 2016.
Fishing was all around me, and I realized that I had never caught a fish. That’s not exactly correct, I did catch trout at Troutdale with grandpa … but that didn’t feel like fishing.
For 2020 I made a goal of catching A fish. Didn’t care what kind. Didn’t care what size. Just to catch a single fish.
I had grandma and grandpa’s old Zebco spincasters and tried a few things with no results. Figuring that I needed a rod with me to make enough time to catch fish I finally bought a rod of my own. That’s the telescoping one in the featured image.
This one fit under the back seat of my truck. I had a little tackle box with crappie jigs and I went to it. I started watching tons of YouTube videos. Learned some knots. Learned how to rig some lures.
I settled on a wacky rigged worm. I bought some little garlic scented drop shot worms and Gamakatsu weedless wacky rig hooks and started throwing that out there wherever I could.
The first fish was a small largemouth, maybe 10-12″ inches long. I was at one of the fishing docks at Lake Jacomo but fishing from the bank toward the dock. I was tossing the worm out and letting it sink before taking up the slack and giving it a quick twitch off the bottom to let it fall again.
I felt a bump on the line and pulled it up hard. The line got heavy so I started reeling.
I was at a total loss as to what to do then. I didn’t know how to hold a fish. I had seen people thumb them. Would that hurt? How to I get the hook out? Total panic! But I made it through. I didn’t take a picture (because I dropped the fish before I could get one) and I had no idea what kind of fish it was. I went home and described it to Dylan and he confirmed it was a largemouth bass.
It’s right at a year later and I’m preparing for a kayak fishing tournament in two days. I’ve learned countless techniques, bought (and lost) lures, rods, reels, kayaks, paddles … everything fishing related. I’ve had great times with my kids. Frustrating times with knots. Days getting skunked. Days catching on nearly every cast.
I love where that cheap little Bass Pro rod has taken me.