In a world where we try our hardest to eliminate labels and the need to stereotype people in our society, why do so many people in the fishing community still deem it appropriate to label other anglers?
For those of you who know me, I would be one of those anglers known as a “Bass Guy”. Bass angling has been my passion, and yes, it has been my main focus over the last number of years, but myself, like so many others have more than a one track mind.
I cut my teeth on Chain Pickerel fishing. That’s where my love for competitive events began. To this day, I’m the organizer of one of the(if not the) largest Pickerel events in the Province of New Brunswick each year.
Stripers? Yes please. On any given day, give me the opportunity to target these amazing creatures and I’ll be there. So far, I’ve only had limited experience in chasing these powerhouses, but that doesn’t make the chase any less thrilling or my passion for it any less intense. The same can be said for our own local River Monsters, the elusive Muskie. After the excitement of having my first ever Muskie on the line this past season, I can assure you that there will be countless hours of Muskie hunting for me in the years to come.
I guess I’m taking the long road to deliver a short message. It doesn’t matter if you target Trout, Salmon, Muskie, Perch, or anything else that swims in our waters. It doesn’t matter if you fish from a boat, a canoe, or your own two feet. What matters is we all share a common passion, and lucky for all of us, we live in a region that allows us countless opportunities to indulge that passion.
Let’s try to remember that the next time we want to label someone because of the species they choose to target. We are all anglers, and it doesn’t matter what’s biting your hook, the rush is still the same.
Embrace what this beautiful area has to offer and don’t let one species define you as an angler. You may always have that one comfort-zone fish, but don’t miss out on everything else around you.
Fish On and Fish East.
