The Future Stars...
Travis Frank
Every once in a great while a guy gets a chance to give back. When I was growing up I just loved fishing, go figure right? My neighbor Scott Grabow would take me fishing every Saturday morning. Sometimes we would even get out on a weeknight evening or two. I look at all of those times as one of the reasons that I have made fishing such a big part of my life. There is nothing more enjoyable than getting the chance to return the favor.
The other day I was able to get my neighbor and his son out on the water. Much the same situation as Scott and I, but this time the rolls were reversed. This is my favorite time of the year to get young kids into the sport of fishing. The panfish are going crazy, and they are easy to catch. Action is key when you are young, and the crappies and sunnies didn't dissapoint us. Tanner is the name of the young fishing star on that night, and his father Tory joined us as well. Tanner was so excited the entire time on the water, and loved every fish that came in the boat. He would yell "It's a keeper!" with each catch. He said "hi" to all the fisherman around us, and gave them a play-by-play of the events we were having. "Got a bite!" he would yell to them, followed with "It's a big one!" He would let them know if we landed it, lost it, or if it was a keeper. The entire crowd of boats enjoyed the experience as much as we did, but I think Tanner might have had the most fun. The smile on his face the entire evening said it all, a great time with a future star of fishing!
That great trip was followed up with some more action. Mitch Petrie and his three sons Theo, Aaron and William came out to try their luck at the chomping crappies and sunnies. I don't think that anybody left the boat dissapointed that day. The action was fast and furious and the three boys between 5 and 9 years old were having a ball. This crew of fishing phenoms were in the boat last year, and as Mitch and I talked about, you can progressively see them getting better. In fact, the few tangles that we had came from the older gentlemen in the boat named Mike Ernst. The boys were impressive to say the least, and looked like touring pros. The livewell didn't stand a chance, and dinner was caught in a very short time. A perfect way to spend time on the water and share the excitement with the future of fishing. I strongly recommend you give it a try. You just might Love it!