I remember when I was in my teens learning about bass fishing (mostly enjoying buying gear and seeing how far I could cast a baitcaster into open water) and dreaming about the elusive "Master Angler" award. This was before social media and during a nice 'growth period' for bass fishing. Most of the fishermen I knew were only using 1 rod and reel instead of 10 or 20 laying all over the deck...and lures like the 1/2oz beetlespin and plain old chrome / blue back Rat-L-Trap were our most coveted trinkets.
My uncle got my Dad and I fired up on bass fishing. Years prior, I fished as a young kid...heck, I lived on a farm. Of course I fished. But my perception of fishing was to grab whatever live bait you can find and put it on a hook...and just...hope for the best.
Now it's the 1980's and 90's and I've got my uncle showing me all of these beautiful shiny things that could pass for Christmas ornaments mixed with super high tech stuff like Boron fishing poles with weird looking reels that had 3 or even 4 ball bearings!! Oh my heavens...how my gear-head, tech geekedness went into overdrive!
Well, this same uncle had gotten what he called a "Master Angler Award" from a monster 7lbs Kansas largemouth bass hanging on his wall. I was in awe just appreciating something so exquisite. As I already stated...this was before social media and digital video hosting websites. Heck...this was before the internet. As far as I knew, there were only a few people in the state of Kansas who could catch such a wonderful prize. Well, for many years...I wondered what it would be like to catch a bass that would qualify for the much-appreciated Master Angler award.
Fast-forward a couple of generations, many advancements in rods and reels, and about 300 more specific bass-catching techniques that we all needed to master...and social media hits the scene. Remember, when I lived on the farm I had no access to Bassmaster news or anything that the world of bass fishing was doing. I would get my yearly catalog from the "big store" and try to catch Jimmy Houston, Bill Dance, or Hank Parker on TV from time to time...but to me, these dudes were the Untouchables of the Bass Fishing scene. The Magic Men. People who could catch trophy bass all day, every day...without breaking a sweat.
Social media hits the scene and now we can really get more of a grip on how many monster lunker fish are out there getting caught by the average Joe. Heck...it seems like a daily occurance that I see a newly posted double-digit toad. A couple years ago, I really dug-in and started learning structure technique in hopes that my day would come. I have already posted snippets on my progression of personal best Largemouth catches, but it began as a teen with a 3.5-4lbs and ended this past week on a 9lbs honey that I caught nearly in the dark.
The funny thing is...in the last 10 months, I've gotten 10 of those once-untouchable awards that I once deemed nearly impossible. 6 from Missouri, and 4 more from the Mepp's program. All from the bank, and all from just having fun honing my skills.
There's a sense of pride knowing that you're doing a good job in whatever you feel is something worth investing a portion of your life. Sometimes it's difficult to quantify how well you're doing on paper, but with fishing it's all about having fun. If I'm not having fun, I'm doing something wrong...but there's also a competitive spirit that comes with every passion. Even if you're just competing with yourself and a previous best...it's nice to know there are small ways to quantify and commemorate our memorable catches and truly honor the ones that are exceptional for our region.
In my profession, I see and spend extended periods of time with many people. Some young, but many middle aged to elderly. The one consensus that I've arrived at by interviewing these old fishing bums is that they really don't appreciate that skin mount hanging on their wall. I really had considered mounting a couple of mine, but the money it would take to do that would really cut into my family provision, so I keep trying to one-up my personal best and commemorate the catch with a Master Angler award and plenty of pictures mounted in a shadowbox. Sometimes it seems silly, but it's a satisfying feeling to see all those accomplishments hanging on the wall in the basement waiting to be bested next season.
Many states have their own programs, but there are also fun national programs that give you an opportunity to earn an award and compete with your buddies...it can become like an addictive game to enrich your fishing experience. My own state of Missouri and my place of birth (Kansas) both host these fun programs, as well as the In-Fisherman and the Mepp's lure company.
I really suggest participating in these programs especially if you have youngsters that you're teaching how to fish because it's just one more piece of fuel to keep the passion of such a wonderful and wholesome family oriented past time burning bright for those who live and breathe it!
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