SENIORS en
A cast from father to son A
BY JAKE RODGERS
jacksonrodgers@csdecatur.net
t the age of two, I held my first rod and reel. By five, I knew the dif- ference between Texas and Carolina rigging. Mornings started at six, and days finished when I couldn’t see the line in front of my face. I could only fish on Saturdays, and that was never enough. If I could, I’d
fish every day of the week, because it meant that I could see my dad. My dad started fishing with my grandfather, and by high school, he was fishing in competitions on Lanier and Oconee. He even had his own boat. Fishing was my dad’s hobby as a kid, and it became my hobby, too. I fol-
lowed the Bassmaster Classic, the most important fishing tournament of the year, and I knew all the angler’s favorite lures, techniques and who had the best shot at winning. I’d spend hours pouring over Bassmaster magazines, learning the new way to fish a worm, how to produce bites in the cold months and what to expect next spring. One of my favorite memories of fishing with my dad was when he and I fished with renowned guide Tommy Mike. We arrived at West Point lake about nine in the morning. I was clearly the
youngest of the bunch– I was ten, while everyone else was 30-40. Te day warmed up quickly, so we fished in deeper water on a submerged dam. Earlier in the day, we used live minnows, but I decided to switch to a crank-bait, an artificial lure that looks like a minnow. On the second cast, I felt a thud and heard the line peeling off the reel. I reacted, setting the hook and starting to reel. In what seemed like no time, the fish was in. A nice three-pound largemouth. Nothing for the record books but no one had told me to switch lures, no one had told me to cast towards the point and retrieve towards the dam. I, a ten-year-old, was out fishing with people who had fished all their lives, all thanks to my dad. On the way home, my dad repeated what Mike had said to him – Mike
had never seen a ten-year-old cast so well. Shucks dad, I thought. You did teach me after all. I don’t have a preference on how I fish, where I fish or what I fish. As long
as I can fish, I’m satisfied. Give me a stick and some string, and I will go fishing. Tere isn’t a need for the fanciest gear, because that’s not what fishing is about. It’s about enjoying what’s around you and the people you are with. For me, that person is my dad. n
Photo courtesy of Jake Rodgers SPEAK
DECEMBER 2011 • CARPE DIEM
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