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Like most anglers, my introduction to
fishing did not occur in a bass boat. I developed my love for
fishing (or "addiction", as my wife calls it) on ponds and
creeks using cane poles and worms before "graduating" to a Zebco
33 and a few lures. At a young age, I learned the value of a
good cast tight to cover and that fish bit better when I was
quiet. I learned that wading could get me to the best holes
where the dumb fish lived and later how to scull a canoe with
little more than a whisper. I soon figured out that I caught
more fish when things were peaceful than when my friends were
doing cannonballs in the swimming hole nearby. I learned that
fishing was simple.
As we grow older, our lives invariably grow
more complicated, and our hobbies tend to do the same. The
national outdoor press sends us implied messages that to be real
fishermen we need bass boats, dozens of rods, and thousands of
lures. We take the bait, and find ourselves surrounded by
thousands of dollars worth of tackle and equipment, staring at
electronic depthfinders, and searching for submerged brush piles
and humps nowhere near the bank. We wait in lines at boat ramps
and dodge waterskiers and pleasure boaters as we pursue fish
that can tell us every lure that was on sale at Bass Pro Shops
the week prior because they have seen them all. We see more
people while fishing on the weekends than we do while working
all week and have more technology in our boats than we do in our
houses. A lot of us go through all this to "get away from it
all".
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I fish rivers and streams almost
exclusively now. My "bass rig" cost less than $2,000 and
fits in the back of my truck. I currently own two fishing
rods, but am planning on adding a third. My tackle box is
one of those plastic two-tray jobs by Plano that cost $7.95.
My hobby has grown less expensive, more addictive, and far
less frustrating. I can go fishing on Memorial Day or 4th of
July weekend and never see a waterskier or another
fisherman. Every trip I take holds the promise of an
adventure around the next bend, and the wildlife I encounter
is of a far different sort than the "wildlife" found in
Cocktail Cove on the nearby big reservoir. I doubt I catch
more fish than the next guy, but I catch far more than I
used to. The fish I catch are less educated, meaner, and far
more athletic than lake fish, because they live in a
constantly moving world that will not allow them to get
lazy.
You're never too young to enjoy a day
on the river!
Look, river fishing can be a hassle,
especially when you are just starting out. The water is
always too fast or too slow, too muddy or too clear, too
high or too low. Launching my canoe is often a hassle (not
many improved boat ramps on creeks), and I've
unintentionally gone swimming more than a few times. I've
been caught in dozens of thunderstorms, heat waves, and cold
fronts because there's not much you can do about it when you
are halfway down an eight mile float with nothing but a
canoe and a paddle. I get skunked a lot, too.
But for me and a growing number
of anglers, all the hassles are worth it. River fish hold in
obvious places, and after a few trips, anybody can tell good
spots from bad ones. Most stream fish live close to the
bank, so a well placed cast with the right lure is often
rewarded. Many rivers never get real deep, and few fish
(other than catfish) ever come out of more than six feet of
water. Dragging a Carolina rig across a point in 20 feet of
water is a thing of my past. Bank-beaters like myself tend
to do a lot better in rivers than on reservoirs in mid-July,
and once you set the hook on a river bass you will not
believe that it is the same species as the ones you are used
to catching. The difference in fighting ability is that
dramatic.
Now I don't expect everybody out there
to trade in their bass boats in for canoes, nor would I want
them to (I like my fishing holes uncrowded). Just like some
of us enjoy different types of food and clothing, we also
enjoy different styles of angling. River fishing is not for
everybody, but it works for me. If you've taken the time to
find this site and read this far, my guess is that it will
work for you, too.
I don't know about you, but I'd like to
be the guy in this picture right now! |
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