Will Your Fishing Legacy Live On? The Love That Never Fades!
by Bruce Callis Jr

February is the month of love! Yes, Valentine’s Day is the day to share with our loved ones. But we should never regulate it to just one day. That love we have is something that becomes our legacy. But what about our fishing legacy and our love? What will others say about us when it is our time?

For me, I have thought about it. I can never say what others might say about me. But I know what I want them to remember about me. It’s my love. My love of God, my love of family and friends. And my love of fishing. But what about my love of fishing will it be. The love I had that drove me to go fishing on those cold days when everyone else was sitting at home staying warm? My love of spending as much time fishing as possible?

But to me, it’s about why I love fishing and how I shared it that I want to be remembered. As a kid, I loved to be outdoors. Fishing was something we did as a family. I remember standing on the pier and shore with my parents and grandparents. Yes, we ate the fresh white perch, ring perch, and catfish. I remember watching my dad and grandfather dip netting for herring. And my grandfather made salt herring. I didn’t like them, but the others did. It was a love that they were passing on to me.

My grandfather passed away too soon. I was 30 years old when he passed and my first daughter was born shortly after he passed. She never got to meet him and neither did my other daughter. But they knew who he was and about his love. I told them about growing up and what we did as a family. My dad continued to fish, but by then, I had grown up and it wasn’t as easy as back then. I don’t mean the love for fishing, just the ability to get to the water.

But my love inside never stopped. It was something I tried to pass on to my girls. They went fishing with me. They went with my brothers and me. They had fun. And while times slipped by fast, my oldest just wasn’t into fishing. But she will go with me still today because it is a bond we share. My youngest is the real angler. She has passed it on to my oldest grandson and hopefully, we get the others hooked as well. They will be if I have a choice about it.

But what about outside of the family? The great friends I have made in the fishing world. The guys and gals who share that same love. And the ones who will always be able to read about my love because of the stories I share here. I hope that they and you are able to see my love through the sharing of tips and tricks. Those were passed down with love to me by my family and I was taught to share it.

To me, the greatest joy is watching a kid learn to fish. Teaching them to be the best they can be. I learned quickly that you can give them the tools, but you have to let them learn what you are saying. You can teach them the correct knot to tie, but they have to learn to tie it. It won’t always be right to start, but you have to let them do it so they learn. Give guidance and wait for that moment they get it.
It is the same with teaching them to cast the lure, work the bait, and when to change. You tell them and wait.

My youngest daughter got hooked on a topwater frog. I tied it on for her and told her how to work it. She watched me at the same time. But like we all do, that splash made her set the hook, and very rarely did it catch a bass. I just looked at her and asked did she knew why she missed them. I didn’t say you are doing it wrong, I wanted her to want to know why. Once I told her to wait and count to 3, she took the knowledge and put it to practice. She wanted to learn, and that got her hooked.

But as with all kids, it doesn’t start there. It is usually with a worm on a hook under a bobber. The way most of us learned to fish. Mine was a cane pole with a bobber. It was so simple and yet so rewarding. I became hooked. And look at me today. I love to do the kid’s fishing days, just watching the smiles on their faces as the magic begins. It is the start of getting them hooked on what we love.

For me, that kid is still inside me, enjoying every single time I get to go fishing. I may want to find the biggest bass I can, but every bass is big and beautiful in my eyes. That tug is still the drug of love. I want to be remembered by the fact that I always wanted to share that love of fishing with everyone.?
What will be your fishing legacy? The awards? The boat you had? Or will it be the lives you touched by sharing your love for fishing? That is the legacy that never dies, even when you are gone. It continues to live through others. Who are you teaching to become the next Bassmaster Classic champion? Who are you teaching to become a better person? Who’s life will be better because they knew you? Love is the key to everything!