A few years ago I left San Jose, California around 6:30 p.m., and drove back up to Roseville thinking man he was only fifty five years old, I am 53 years old. I was listening to the Pastor talk about Tuck leaving this earth. We all know earth is a temporary place for us. I started to think “man life is short”. I have known Tuck for over forty five years.
Tuck didn’t fish for bass he had other passions mostly his family and his work. I was thinking as I looked around the room there must be three hundred maybe four hundred people sitting listening to the pastor. Tucker was Loved and respected by everyone he met. I started to reflect on what the pastor was saying. He was talking about leaving this earth and that where we go next will be forever. I started thinking; I wonder when I die, if there be anyone there at my funeral? Will anyone there say good things about me? Will anyone remember me? Did I have an impact on any ones life? Tucker had an impact on many lives that he encountered. He was a great carpenter and builder and he taught so many young people to be good at their trade.
Lately, I have been thinking back over the years the differences with my generation of bass fishermen and this new generation of bass fishermen, and now gals to be politically correct. I have been thinking about the new generation and how they have changed our sport of bass fishing faster than any other sport I know. I wonder who is teaching these young guns to learn so fast. Are they being taught by old guys like me? I could only imagine the bags of fish I could have brought to the scales if I had the secret of the swim bait forty years ago.
I remember the older guys that had an impact on me as I grew in the sport. I remember fishing tournaments in the late 60’s when I was a sophomore in high school. The first president of the Santa Clara Bass Busters was Tom Server. Tom was great guys, who use to take me fishing all the time. If I remember right he had a son or two. His boys didn’t want to go fishing with him so he would ask me if I wanted to join him. I fished a lot with Tom, as well as some of the other guys that were older than me in the club. My friend Ken was the sales rep for Pedigo spinner baits and pork back in the early 70’s. He was at least 15 years older than me. He taught me how to throw spinner baits and work the pig and jig. Ken really was a great angler who got me into tournament fishing. He always encouraged me to keep fishing; he said that some day I would be pretty good angler. My friend Jerry Travis was a great angler who was twelve years older than me. It seemed like all the guys I learned from in the beginning were always older than me. I remember fishing against Dee Thomas, Dave Gliebe back then in aluminum boats, thinking man those guys are tough to beat. What an impact those two have had on our sport and on me. I wanted to be great like them. I wanted to win just like them. What an impression those two have left with me. They too were both older than me and to this day they, as you all would agree, are still great anglers.
A couple of weeks ago I took a friend out who was celebrating his 20th birthday. He and I have been fishing together, when our schedules don’t conflict for about four years. We had some strong winds out on the Delta and managed to pick up some good fish. Including a nine pound beauty. We were both discussing how that fish was caught and why that fish was there. At that time I started to realize that our ages never came into play. We were on the same page, the same playing field, we could really relate to how that fish was caught. Here we are thirty six years apart in age and we can relate. I started to think back when I was twenty years old and how I could relate to the guys I used to fish with. I have so many great memories fishing with these guys. The sport of bass fishing brings everyone close together.
Those that have been donating there time to the Pro Teen event on
the Delta, or the CBAF (Christian Bass Angler Fellowship) kids camp at Collins lake, or you are just like my old friends just taking a young person out fishing to share this great sport, know what I am talking about. This is a circle and we must not break it. The future of this sport depends on the next generation of anglers. Working with my sponsors G Loomis, P Line, Spro, and Costal Del Mar like many other manufactures in this sport recognize that these young guns are our future. This generation is learning faster than the past couple of generations. Example; I am fishing with this same young gun on a lake here where I live. We were both on the front deck, of my boat. I shared with him that my Lowrance was showing a lot of weeds on the bottom in ten feet of water. My young friend said “no that’s not weeds that you are looking at, that is interference from your other unit”. I said “no the water is rising really fast in this lake, there are weeds everywhere on the bank that are now under water”. I guess as you get older you think there isn’t much these young guns can teach you about bass fishing. I mean after all I have been fishing for bass for over forty years. But then I thought well lets see if he is right. I turned the back sonar unit off and the weeds on the front graph disappeared. There is that full circle thing again only it was the young teaching the old. Look who is teaching who.Your browser may not support display of this image. I wonder if I taught him anything that day. If you get a chance take a young person fishing. Give him or her and opportunity to see the sun rise or set over these western waters we fish. Share with them all that God has created. Be a mentor or a good example of what a good person is all about. Share with these young people this great sport and leave them with great memories. Remember they can teach you something as well. if you give them a chance.
See you on the Water,
www.jerryfournier.com
Jerry Fournier is a licensed guide fishing northern California waters. Jerry Fournier’s Sponsors are:
G Loomis, P Line, Spro, Coastal Del Mar, Promar, Rod Strainer, Prop Cover, Coyote Bait and Tackle
