Looking for the bright side

In this day and age, too often we find ourselves dwelling on the negative. Often, positivity is all around us but we just don’t look for it. After putting my kayak in the lake the other day, I quickly moved away from the ramp to let other boats in and out. To my surprise all the other boaters that day did the same thing. They were each and every one very courteous and respectful. Usually, you have at least one boater who waits until he backs onto the ramp to get his boat ready and holds other boaters up…not today. Courtesy is something everyone should be mindful of, not just fishermen. But, for today I’ll stick with us fishermen. As a boater you have the ability to move about a great deal easier than say a bank or dock fisherman. When a boater comes upon a person fishing on the bank the polite thing to do is to simply go around. Not crowd them out, not tell them you are in a tournament, just let them fish, relax, and enjoy their day. I have fished tournaments for thirty years and not once have I felt like I needed to encroach on someone else. For our sport to continue to grow and have a good reputation with the public, good sportsmanship and courtesy must be shown at all times. For those of you up and coming tournament anglers with a few product sponsors taking interest in you, imagine how it will look to your sponsors when complaints start coming in. You won’t have those sponsors long. Instead of arguing with home owners and bank fishermen about who owns the lake, you should take the opportunity to do a little PR work. Tell them how sorry you are if you have bothered them and hand out a few free samples. This is what needs to get back to your sponsors, not complaints. Sometimes biting your tongue and moving on is the best career choice you can make at the time. You will soon learn there is much more to fishing for a living than just fishing. You guys have a great day. If you see me out on the water, pull up, drop anchor, and we’ll talk awhile. Lowell Henderson P.S. I’m gonna leave you a little video so you’ll know how to find me out on the water. I’m the one blown up against the bank picking out a backlash. LOL. https://youtu.be/66hj8ULf8x4