You love to see it… the joys of fishing taking root in the next generation of bass anglers.
There is truly nothing like getting the big one, and it’s hard to not want to share those moments with the people who taught you how to do it… like your dad. Fishing in general is a great way to relax and learn about the great outdoors. To be a truly good fisherman, one has to think like a fish, which takes years of study and practice. It’s truly a labor of love that requires a lot of experience.
You can watch the pros in the Elite Series or the Bass Pro Tour, you can watch all the instructional videos from some of the great YouTubers, and you really can learn a lot about fishing that way. But nothing teaches you like getting out there and doing it… just good old-fashioned time on the water.
I grew up fishing all my life, but mostly just throwing worms under bobbers, or maybe some kind of carp doughball on the bottom. Fishing on the Rock River in western Illinois, where there was some pretty heavy current and tons of stuff to get snagged on, I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. But… I didn’t have the kind of information that kids today have at their fingertips.
YouTube can be such a massive learning tool for young anglers today… t’s crazy. Just about every single pro bass angler makes some kind of instructional YouTube content for fans to supplement their income. It’s practically a requirement, both financially (it’s wild that the best anglers in the world can’t make money just by fishing, but that’s a conversation for another time) and in order to get sponsors. But for us regular folk, it means we have a ton of information available without even picking up a rod.
What baits are good this time of year, what colors tend to work best in your water clarity, how the sun and wind affect the bite, what kind of rod and reel works best for each technique… the list goes on. And I’m not saying there was no way to find this out before (you could always ask the dudes at your local tackle shop), but you can spend an afternoon on YouTube right now and get a very broad overview of bass fishing that will serve you well.
If nothing else, it keeps you from wasting a ton of time and money going through that trial-and-error process on the water. But as I said in the beginning, there’s no substitute for time on the water, and this kid is starting young.
Big largemouth bass are hard to come by, depending on where you live. In the South, the warmer weather allows the bass to grow much bigger, but in order to get big, we’re talking about fish over 7 pounds, they have to be smart… and you, as the angler, have to be smarter.
There is just something about hooking into a giant that is unlike any feeling in the world for bass anglers… all that work pays off with the ultimate thrill. It only lasts a few seconds because you have to get the fish back in the water, but man, is it addicting.
This kid had the most incredibly wholesome reaction to hooking into and landing an absolute beauty of a fish:
“It’s a 10-pounder! Dad, I got a 10-pounder.”
The excitement is great, just incredibly awesome, but it gets better… the kid’s mom reminds him that his dad isn’t even there. He was so excited to show his old man that he completely forgot where he was. The joy was just too overwhelming:
“I caught a 10-pound bass. That’s a 10-pound bass, call my dad! I just caught a 10-pound bass.”
How big was it again? Just kidding, you gotta love the excitement… it’s contagious. Of course, this fish is nowhere near 10 pounds (he’d be lucky if it touches 5, to be honest), but I’m not gonna be the one to tell him that. It’s a 10-pounder, kid… atta boy.
That’s what it is all about right there, the joys of fishing on full display. If you want to get in on the action, head over to Tackle Warehouse and gear up for fishing season… whether you need a new rod and reel combo, line, lures, or terminal tackle, Tackle Warehouse will set you up right.
*This post contains links through the Tackle Warehouse Affiliate Program. While all products are independently selected by our expert Riff Outdoors team, if you use these links to make a purchase, we may earn a commission.
