[article dated November 14, 2006]
(jacksonville.com) Growing up in South Georgia, outside of Waycross, John King would often go fishing with family members in the ponds near home.
In the beginning, the goal was to catch bream, a term used to describe a variety of species, most of which make for good eating.
But King was intrigued by a different fish, the bass.
To King, 56, a bass is a noble opponent, smart, strong and adaptable and with a survivor’s instincts.
“What makes bass fishing so interesting,” he said, “are the tricks involved in catching him. Getting him to take the bait is the first thing. Then hooking him is the next challenge. But it doesn’t end there. You’ve got to get him to the boat. When you hook him, the fight has just begun.”
In some ways, bass fishing is a solitary sport, a battle between a man and a fish.
But as tournament bass fishing has grown in popularity, bass fishermen have tended to join together in clubs, both for the camaraderie and for the competition.
King spent last weekend fishing Lake Taho in Kissimmee as part of the Gold Rod Bass Club Classic, the year-ending tournament for the club, which he helped found three years ago.
For some reason, King said, traditionally bass fishing “is not a black man’s game.”
King said he spent about 18 years as the only black member of the First Coast Christian Bass Club.
But about three years ago, he helped two friends, Haywood Wallace and Jamie McDonald, start Gold Rod as a club for African-American bass fishermen. (more…)
Growing up in New Jersey, my dad used to take me about twice a year out to the coast to go deep sea fishing (usually near Barnegat light house). We would catch the charter boat that would take us about 5-10 miles away from the coast. For a boy who grew up watching Jaws, this was a very scary experience for me–but very exciting at the same time. As I grew older, I came to love everything about the ocean. Sitting near my dad as the fishing boat sped to the next spot, I remember how the mist from the sea would hit our faces, the smell of the water and the faint taste of salt in our mouths. Our catch was usually comprised of bluefish and flounder.
Arriving back home was always something to look forward to because my mom would clean the fish and fry it. Man, there is nothing like FRESH fried fish from the SEA, and not from some local fish farm.
Personally, I prefer deep sea fishing over fresh water because I love being out on the open sea. Either way, fishing is one of those things that has a way of bringing guys together. Once our move is completely over with, I plan on taking my son out to the Pacific to to fish.
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