OUR
FISH STORY
Thanks
to our grandfathers on both sides of the family, we were introduced
at a very early age to the adventure and wildlife found in our great
outdoors. And it was the ancient piscatorial pursuit, more commonly
known as fishing, that was an integral part of that sacred initiation.
My brothers and I were pretty much out of our youthful minds with
the sheer freedom of running wild through the Pennsylvania mountains
at the time. So it wasn't until later in life that we realized just
how much the ritual of fishing had taught us about so many other
things in life. Mostly, it's not just the catching that matters,
but everything that goes into that possibility. It's also the time
you spend away from everything else and the people you sometimes
spend that time with. It's an escape and a healthy addiction. I've
even heard it said that, 'Catching a fish on a fishing trip is just
a bonus'.
Ok!
STOP THE PRESSES! I can almost buy that one. For my brothers and
me, this sport, recreational activity, pasttime or whatever you
want to call it mutated into an all-out obsession somewhere along
the line. I think it was that first trophy brook trout that barely
fit in the palm of my hand back in the early 1970's that did it
for me. The lifelong quest for bigger and bigger, and eventually,
more dangerous game was on. And once I saw the movie 'JAWS' with
my family at the tender age of 9. My fate was officially sealed.
Things would never be the same ...
Adventure & Wild Life Forever!
So, for a lot of
us, the innocent act of fishing could be considered 'a gateway drug'.
Awesome. Because now, we've got serious shark addictions, too. From
little brookies to the top of the food chain. But it just gets better.
For a number of years now, my brothers and I have been involved
with voluntary research efforts that require everything from shark
tagging to tarpon DNA studies. I also founded and launched the 'International
Land-Based Shark Fishing Association'. The first-ever of its kind
to issue world records for RELEASED sharks. None of this
would be possible without the inspiration handed down from our grandfathers
way back when, and all the fellow anglers we continue to meet along
the way. |