The quick holiday break snuck up on me; Thanksgiving was here before I knew it. In between bouts with turkey and taters, I pondered what I’m truly thankful for, and settled on the same family affections I had in years past. A few calls to old friends brought the feeling full circle.
My mind quickly raced back to fishing and took a similar approach. Sure, I’m thankful every day I get to go fishing – less frequent now than ever – but what about the actual pursuit? What are the variables that have made my bass fishing successful or rewarding more than any other?
For some, the answer to these questions falls entirely on innovation or technology, a fishing trip’s worth gauged by the number of bass coming over the gunnels. For others, immersion in the outdoors may be the greatest perk.
For me, it’s a mix. Join me as I celebrate those things for which I’m most thankful for in the world of bass fishing:
1. The foot-controlled trolling motor
Have you ever seen the old photos of pro anglers before the inception of this device? Standing on one leg, the other propped up on the handle of a hand-controlled trolling motor? I can’t imagine fishing like that. Even more, whenever I’m fishing the shallows in my saltwater rig (no foot-steer on that one), I find myself longing for better, hands-free boat control. A big thanks to whomever thought up the foot pedal.
2. Braided line
Another irreplaceable advancement. I’m old enough to remember life without braided line, when we’d spool 30-pound mono to flip heavy grass or fish with frog imitations. What a disaster! Sure, we caught a few, but the efficiency of braid increased catch rates by 100 percent. Not to mention the longevity of the product; braided line forever changed bass fishing for the better.
3. Doug Hannon
I’m thankful for this pioneer of bass fishing almost every day I’m out there. Decades before his time, Hannon helped convince the world to release their bass, especially trophy fish, and instilled in me the viewpoint of a naturalist more than an obsessed angler. I’m surprised how many young anglers have no clue how bass fit into the natural world. What they missed were the days of VHS tapes and the Bass Professor. Thank goodness, I didn’t.
4. Four-stroke outboards
In the views of most bass anglers, I’m terrible on my equipment. I clean my boat quarterly, at best, and that entails a thorough beating with a pressure washer and moving on. My outboards see routine maintenance but no real TLC. The little Merc powering my aluminum rig is frequently run aground, or bogged down in the jungle-like vegetation of my off-the-grid fishing locations. It starts, every time, on the first crank, and begs for more. It’s quiet, clean and I rarely burn more than a coupe gallons of gas in a day. What a game-changer!
5. Fishing kids
When you finally tire of today’s world of bass fishing, forward-facing sonar and six-figure boats taking the fun out of the game, take a kid fishing. It resets the whole program. Whenever I fish with a young person, I’m immediately thankful I did it. “Childlike enthusiasm” is what a behavioral specialist would call it, but I just call it a love for fishing. We all have it, or did at one time. A kid will show you how to let it back out. You’ll be thankful you did.
6. Longtime industry friends
I’ve met some great folks in the fishing industry, a few becoming true friends that I can’t imagine meeting anywhere else. They bring with them a passion for fishing that has carried me through the frustrations of an insecure career path. Writers Steve Quinn and Cory Schmidt were instantly recognized as “my people.” B.A.S.S. has a great man in Conservation Director Gene Gilliland, not to overshadow the legendary biologist Hal Schramm, another irreplaceable friend. Will Brantley, the everywhere content man of the outdoors, has taught me more than anyone, despite being a younger cohort. Mike Guerra joined me at many a trade show and became a lifelong buddy. And Jesse Simpkins – once at Plano, now the marketing boss at St Croix Rods – continues to teach me the value of friendship disguised in a fish-slime handshake. To each and every friend in the industry, I’m truly thankful.
It’s a great time of year to step back and take it all in. Many of us settle into winter, pack the boats away and stoke the fire. Here in Florida we’re ordering tackle and prepping for prespawn. A nice break; time to reflect. We share a common bond – this internal struggle inside us all – simply trying to outsmart an animal with a tiny brain, somehow complicated through pure simplicity.
It’s nice to be able to take such trivial matters so seriously. And for that, I’m eternally thankful.
(Joe Balog is the often-outspoken owner of Millennium Promotions, Inc., an agency operating in the fishing and hunting industries. A former Bassmaster Open and EverStart Championship winner, he's best known for his big-water innovations and hardcore fishing style. He's a popular seminar speaker, product designer and author, and is considered one of the most influential smallmouth fishermen of modern times.)
