 At
the ripe young age of 3 or 4, my father took me on my
first fishing trip. We went perch jerking in his old wooden,
V bottom boat on the Lake of the Pines in East Texas.
After returning home with a stringer of perch, dad told
me it was time to clean the fish. It was then that I took
off down the hall where my parents found me in the bathroom
with a bar of soap in hand, scrubbing those little guys.
I’ve been hooked on fishing ever since. Like most
elementary school age kids, I looked forward to the last
day of school with great anticipation. I knew that the
following morning I would be on my way to Corsicana to
spend the next month or so with my grandparents, Dorothy
and Avery Jackson. Nearly everyday of that month, I would
be fishing with my grandfather and brothers on a local
stock tank or small lake. I could hardly wait to get to
town to see if I got a new cane pole.
Most outdoor enthusiast are familiar with the saying,
"get a kid hooked on fishing, not on drugs".
As a society we spend a great deal of time and money
teaching young people about the dangers of drugs and
the importance of staying away from them. But, how much
energy do we expend actually giving them something to
do with their time. Someone once said, "an idle
mind is the devil’s workshop".
One answer might be, take a kid fishing. A person wrote,
"give a man a fish and you feed him for a day,
teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime".
I would like to take that one step further: give a kid
a fish and you feed his character for a day, teach a
kid to fish and you feed his character for a lifetime.
Teach a youngster to love the outdoors and chances are
you won’t have to worry about him/her getting
into serious trouble.
 As
the oldest of three boys, growing up during my teenage
years in a single parent household, I am convinced that
I was able to stay out of serious trouble, in part, due
to my love of the outdoors. I spent a great deal of my
time fishing or hunting. I always had something to occupy
my idle time.
Fishing is the number one leisure sport in America.
For the cost of a baseball glove, a good leather football
or basketball, you can outfit a young person to fish.
I started with a cane pole and 30 years later have about
25 rod and reels and boxes full of tackle.
A bucket of minnows or a carton of worms wouldn’t
cost you more than a couple of packs of cigarettes or
a six pack of beer. What you would get in return from
the look on a kid’s face when he/she catches a
fish, is priceless.
How much are you doing to help our young people stay
off of drugs or out of serious trouble. I would challenge
everyone reading this article to take at least one youngster
fishing this spring or summer. Whether its your own
child or a kid you know that may be making some bad
decisions, reach out and make a difference in that kids
life. Teach him/her to fish and how to enjoy the great
outdoors.
Bob Sealy’s, McDonalds Big Bass Tournament, is
being held on May 16 & 17 at Richland-Chambers Reservoir
at the Clearview Marina located on Highway 287. Kids
12 and under can compete in their own division for exciting
prizes at the cost of a $5 entry fee each day. They
can fish from the shoreline. Fishing from a boat is
not required. What a great opportunity to make a difference
in a young persons future.
Until next time, enjoy the Texas outdoors.
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