First THSBA Tournament For Grandson

[Bearetta]

Dylan is 17 years old and is in his first year at a much smaller high school than he previously attended.
He was so excited to fish his first HS tournament he said he had trouble sleeping. It showed as he got out of bed at 3:30 a.m. to fish Lake of the Pines for only the second day of his life. Boys boated two early keepers and later finally 4 shorts to end the day.
Great experience for them to weigh in, be part of a great club with lots of parental involvement and participation. He also interacted with team members from the other schools by sharing their experiences about lure selections, results, encouraging those who didn't catch any fish and boat problems encountered during the tournament.

Dylan has never experienced athletics in HS during his first two years and has floundered in his previous big high school with distractions and lack of involvement.
Bass fishing is his one true love and his personality transformation was so dramatic yesterday that I really felt proud of his interactions with his school mates and their parents.
He topped the day off when eating with his grandmother and me at the local Mexican restaurant and the school assistant principal came up to give him a big welcoming hug and ask him about his tournament. He was happy she took the time to greet him and ask about his experience.
Bass Fishing has finally given him the participation with school mates, parents and teachers that he had been missing.
It really hits you when you see the many different kinds of boats you don't normally see in bass fishing tournaments, duck boats, center consoles, tiller motors on tin boats, etc to let you realize that many of these kids are participating in something that is fun for them and also allows them to be included in the high school scene. I came away with a totally different view of HS bass tournaments being a positive experience for high school students.

I had more fun as a boat captain than I expected, interacting with his partner who is a hoot and can carry a conversation. He turned into a coachable fisherman on a few critical points of fishing, such as not slamming lids, walking like a "ninja", running the trolling motor, how to read the live scope and sonar screens, and trying to outthink a fish. I was happy to make lure suggestions, tie on the changes, dye the tails, net and measure fish, run trolling motor at times when they retied, unwrap line from trolling motor prop when they were on the motor, spot fish on Garmin to help direct their field of fire, feed them and keep them engaged when the day drew late. Partner gave out on gas the last hour, but my grandson kept flinging the bait actually catching the 4 shorts in the last 25 minutes. He told me he could have fished till dark! Just what I wanted to hear from him. Another proud moment for grandpa.

[fishnfireman]

[MengRanger]

Sounds like me when I was young. Some of just have the fishing bug!