Do you remember your first fishing pole? Do you remember who bought it for you? Was it your mom or dad, your older brother or sister? Maybe it was your fishing-fanatic aunt, uncle or grandparent who lived near a lake. Whoever it was, you need to thank them for such a treasure. They gave you the gift of a hobby, a passion, a love for the outdoors. This is truly something special.
Your basic first fishing pole might come with no cartoon characters. You know, the run-of-the-mill, no-particular-brand, throw-a-hot-dog-on-it kind of pole. Or you can have your character pole. Maybe it was Batman or Barbie – or nowadays it’s likely a Paw Patrol fishing pole. Whichever kind of pole you had, do you remember what bait you used? Can you remember the feeling of getting that little tug and instantly reeling it in only to find you had caught some weeds or got it hooked on an old tire? A little excitement to get your tiny heart pumping because you knew a couple letdowns could only mean the end reward was going to be bigger and better.
Imagine you’re sitting on the side of Lake Martin, fishing pole in hand, bait packaged nicely next to you and a tackle box filled with random hooks, coins, old hot dog buns, and some sunscreen. You were ready for a long day of fishing. You walk down the end of the pier, bait your hook, and cast as hard as you can. Whoops, you forgot to hit the release button and your hook plopped down right in front of you. It’s okay though – no one was looking. Let’s try that again. You bite your tongue, zero in on your target and cast again. This time the hook soars through the air like a glorious bird taking off for flight, and PLOP! Into the water the bait and hook go! Your little bobber is floating miraculously on the water. And now you wait. You wait for that little orange bobber to sink under the surface so you can start reeling in the biggest catch of your life. Suddenly, there it goes under the water, and the end of your rod starts to bend. This is it! It’s showtime! You reel as fast as you can and with all your might. You tug back a little, reel some more, tug some more, and then you see a huge bass fighting back! You keep reeling, your little heart pumping, and finally the head breaks the top of the water and you pull him up on the pier. You have caught your first real bass!
But you have caught more than just a fish. You have caught a love for all things fishing and outdoors. The greatest catch of them all! This is something you will love for the rest of your life. Someday you’ll pass your first fishing rod down to your little fishing partner. Memories will be made, and days will be filled with joy all because of that first fishing rod.
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