If you’ve
been around the sport of fishing for any length time, you have probably heard
someone say we need to grow our sport more. Or at least something to that effect. Well, if I had
to guess, I’d say the sport of fishing is full grown. With both high school and
college teams competing, regular paychecks of 100,000 dollars being handed out
on the pro side, I’m not sure how much more the sport can grow. And when it
does stop the growth at some point, are we even going to recognize the sport we
grew up with.
The
fishing family has always been just that…family. We looked out for each other. We had
each other’s back both on and off the water. Much of that family attitude is
quickly evaporating as our sport continues to evolve. The lure of the money may
be the cause of the problem, but I personally think it goes way deeper than
that. I think it comes down to a lack of respect for our fellowman.
The worst
lake I can think of if you want to see this type of disrespect would be Guntersville. Most fishermen that fish
Guntersville regularly have a story to tell about an incident on the water.
Unfortunately, none of our area lakes are immune to bad behavior. So many
fishermen these days seem on edge and just waiting for something to happen. Is
this what we really want our sport to be like? I certainly don’t. Question is
how do we fix it?
Another
term we have heard is that the children are the future of the sport. Never has a saying been more true.
It would seem a good Idea that maybe we make a fresh start in this area. With
young high school kids competing in their first tournaments, right out of the
gate they should be taught how to respect other anglers and other boaters out on
the water. They should be taught that bank fishermen have the same right to
fish as they do and should not be interfered with. It is the responsibility of
the boat captains to see that these lessons are taught. Just because a person
has a boat and a kid in school by no means does that make him qualified to be a
high school boat captain. There are many incidents that prove this on a
regular basis. This is a very sad fact, but a true one.
Giving respect
out on the water is not only the right thing to do, it’s the safest thing to
do. As you hit the water the next time, how will you act? Will you be part of
the problem or part of the solution? Like to know your thoughts on this one.
