BassFrye82
Senior Member
In this day and age, no matter what life you lead, or hobbies that you have, our society teaches us to chase after being successful, and to care about material things. Well, I'm only human, so that's what I did, but along the way, I lost...me. To give a quick back-story, I started fishing at the age of two. I didn't care much for it until I got hooked in the head by a treble hook at the age of five, and the excitement is what made me want to go fishing all the time. (Kids.) At the age of ten I started bass fishing, and by twelve I was fishing in tournaments with my father. At seventeen I worked at Bass Pro of Atlanta, and spent all my free time getting new people into the sport of bass fishing out at my family's lake. I also continued fishing in tournaments. Bass fishing was my "thing".
Over the next few years, "real life" happened. I attempted college, but I didn't like it, and eventually I got work with an animal hospital, and started moving on with life. As the money started rolling in, my eyes got big, and my want for it got even bigger. I was only 21 so to be making the money I made, I went a little crazy. At first, I used the money to go fishing, and to buy more fishing stuff. I had a fishing arsenal by this point. Then as I made more friends, partying and shopping (trying to be like the girls I worked with) became my priority. My love and passion, bass fishing, was pushed on the back burner. I started financing new vehicles, spending every dime I got, and living way beyond my means. I went through some awesome times, and some bad times, but to be frank...without fishing as my priority, I was all over the place without a clue of what I was doing because I no longer knew who I was.
The next few years went by like a blur, and then about two years ago, the bottom fell out. Due to not taking care of myself, horrible stress from a break up, and a few deaths of people close to me, I ended up having a stroke-like episode. I couldn't move the left side of my face, my arms were numb, I couldn't breathe, I was a mess. I had to change. Over the next year, I quit the stressful job, got rid of a few loser friends, stayed single, sold my truck, and got out of debt. I should say crawled out of debt because I had to work my bottom off to do it. Anyhow, times still got hard because I was doing part-time work after all of that. At one point, I got let go from a part-time job when the work ran out, and I was in desperate need of money. So I did the last thing I ever wanted to do. I sold all of my fishing gear except one baitcaster combo and a pack of worms.
This had to be one of the lowest points in my life. I was living at home, almost 30, no vehicle, broke, and now I had just surrendered my only true love. However, everything has a silver lining. Here's the best part of the whole experience, and when I got to see why all the roads led to here. After I started working again, I said to myself, "I'm going to buy a ton of fishing stuff, new poles, everything." Before I did that though, I thought, "That, "I have to have it all mentality" is what got me going down the bad path in the first place." So I went to Walmart, and what did I buy?...a little Plano, single folding tray, tackle box. Before the purchase, I stood in the aisle holding this thing, and at first, my pride stepped in and said that there was no way that I was going to be belittled from all my fishing experience down to a beginners tackle box. But then, something amazing happened. As I stood there, memories started jogging my mind. I was young. My father and I were standing at the tailgate sorting through lures, and putting some in my little tackle box, on that day he let me stay home from school to go fishing with him. Then I remembered me and my old best friend with little tackle boxes in the john boat at the farm pond drinking a cold beer, and laughing at each others jokes. I remembered my grandfather whistling with his box beside him, fishing, but spending more time throwing crackers to the ducks. Then everything came back to me, and I said, "I have to have this box." I bought a few pack of worms and lures to go in it, but I only spent about $35 on the whole set up, and I'm still catching just as many bass as I did when I had all that mess that I used to have.
When I'm fishing now, I feel younger and innocent, and reunited with an old friend. I have no worries, and I have fun again, even though I'm still living through hard times. It took me losing everything to see that bass fishing isn't about material things. Really, it's not even about catching the bass. It's about that confidence it gives you in yourself, and that drive to not only keep fishing, but to keep living. It's that conversation piece that helps turn strangers into friends. It's an activity that can bring a divided family together. It's that happiness that carries you through troubled times. It's that time you got to spend with loved ones that have gone on to better lakes in Heaven. It's us. Thanks for taking the time to read this, and I hope that if you are in troubled times, that you can find peace through the sport of fishing. If you are in some of the best times of your life, I hope that you share that with your friends and family, reach out to them, and take them fishing too.
Over the next few years, "real life" happened. I attempted college, but I didn't like it, and eventually I got work with an animal hospital, and started moving on with life. As the money started rolling in, my eyes got big, and my want for it got even bigger. I was only 21 so to be making the money I made, I went a little crazy. At first, I used the money to go fishing, and to buy more fishing stuff. I had a fishing arsenal by this point. Then as I made more friends, partying and shopping (trying to be like the girls I worked with) became my priority. My love and passion, bass fishing, was pushed on the back burner. I started financing new vehicles, spending every dime I got, and living way beyond my means. I went through some awesome times, and some bad times, but to be frank...without fishing as my priority, I was all over the place without a clue of what I was doing because I no longer knew who I was.
The next few years went by like a blur, and then about two years ago, the bottom fell out. Due to not taking care of myself, horrible stress from a break up, and a few deaths of people close to me, I ended up having a stroke-like episode. I couldn't move the left side of my face, my arms were numb, I couldn't breathe, I was a mess. I had to change. Over the next year, I quit the stressful job, got rid of a few loser friends, stayed single, sold my truck, and got out of debt. I should say crawled out of debt because I had to work my bottom off to do it. Anyhow, times still got hard because I was doing part-time work after all of that. At one point, I got let go from a part-time job when the work ran out, and I was in desperate need of money. So I did the last thing I ever wanted to do. I sold all of my fishing gear except one baitcaster combo and a pack of worms.
This had to be one of the lowest points in my life. I was living at home, almost 30, no vehicle, broke, and now I had just surrendered my only true love. However, everything has a silver lining. Here's the best part of the whole experience, and when I got to see why all the roads led to here. After I started working again, I said to myself, "I'm going to buy a ton of fishing stuff, new poles, everything." Before I did that though, I thought, "That, "I have to have it all mentality" is what got me going down the bad path in the first place." So I went to Walmart, and what did I buy?...a little Plano, single folding tray, tackle box. Before the purchase, I stood in the aisle holding this thing, and at first, my pride stepped in and said that there was no way that I was going to be belittled from all my fishing experience down to a beginners tackle box. But then, something amazing happened. As I stood there, memories started jogging my mind. I was young. My father and I were standing at the tailgate sorting through lures, and putting some in my little tackle box, on that day he let me stay home from school to go fishing with him. Then I remembered me and my old best friend with little tackle boxes in the john boat at the farm pond drinking a cold beer, and laughing at each others jokes. I remembered my grandfather whistling with his box beside him, fishing, but spending more time throwing crackers to the ducks. Then everything came back to me, and I said, "I have to have this box." I bought a few pack of worms and lures to go in it, but I only spent about $35 on the whole set up, and I'm still catching just as many bass as I did when I had all that mess that I used to have.
When I'm fishing now, I feel younger and innocent, and reunited with an old friend. I have no worries, and I have fun again, even though I'm still living through hard times. It took me losing everything to see that bass fishing isn't about material things. Really, it's not even about catching the bass. It's about that confidence it gives you in yourself, and that drive to not only keep fishing, but to keep living. It's that conversation piece that helps turn strangers into friends. It's an activity that can bring a divided family together. It's that happiness that carries you through troubled times. It's that time you got to spend with loved ones that have gone on to better lakes in Heaven. It's us. Thanks for taking the time to read this, and I hope that if you are in troubled times, that you can find peace through the sport of fishing. If you are in some of the best times of your life, I hope that you share that with your friends and family, reach out to them, and take them fishing too.
