Yes Unk, I Threw It Back, Lets talk Bass Fishing

Bass fishing often ends with a release instead of grease

The Waterline Column

By Justin Campbell | Equalized Outdoors

If I had a dollar for every time one of my uncles was amazed that I caught a sizeable bass that I threw back instead of keeping, I’d have a decent amount of money.  My uncles come from a time when fishing was as much for food as it was for recreation, due to its relative ease and affordability.  So, to them, if they catch it, it usually hits the grease, which is a perfectly acceptable outcome.

Because of that, I also grew up fishing for keeps and only releasing fish that weren’t legal due to size or season, so I got heavily into catch-and-release bass fishing as an adult.

You see, that’s one thing about bass fishing that’s unique.  The reward is often released back into the water to live to see another day.   Boats have live wells to keep the fish alive until weigh-ins for tournaments, and for the older black men of my uncle’s generation, it just doesn’t make sense to them.

Author with a nice Largemouth

I do remember catching my first largemouth as a teen, though, with a good childhood friend of mine, we’ll call Jay, out of a canoe at Staunton River State Park.  I caught it with a white-and-chartreuse, aka bright yellow, spinner bait, which I now know was a white trailer from one of those fishing kits.   

I was at the rear of the canoe, casting out to the right side near a lay-down tree in the water, which I targeted with a cast from my spinning rod by pure accident.  It wasn’t a huge fish, and the fight wasn’t long, but it was mine. 

That bass would become one of about 6 or so that we had on a stringer at the end of a full day of fishing on the lake.  Not bad for a couple of teenagers who had zero idea what we were doing.  Even back then, the fact that we contributed to the meal that night in a meaningful way filled us with pride.   

Those were the first fish I had ever caught, not with a relative, as well, and subconsciously, it did a lot for my confidence.

The credit for me even knowing what a spinner bait was, and my early curiosity around bass fishing, goes to the same man who has no doubt inspired many, the one and only, the legendary Bill Dance.  I’d seen him with his orange Tennessee Volunteers hat catch many bass on television over the years, and for whatever reason, that always stuck with me.

Author caught a nice smallmouth

Over the years, I continued to learn as much as I could about bass fishing, including teaching myself to use a bait caster and learning about different baits. 

An afternoon between hunts at my mentor’s ranch in central Texas really sealed the deal. That was the day I learned the power of a well-placed cast and the Texas Rig. 

My new obsession was then signed, sealed, and delivered. 

Bill Dance gets the initial credit for the spark, but there is a guy from the Midwest who really shortened my learning curve.  His name is Andrew Hayes, and he’s the host of the very successful Tackle Talk Podcast. 

Tackle Talk is an easy-to-digest show that helped me cut through the noise with useful, relevant information that took the intimidation out of bass fishing for a new bass angler like me.

In addition to the show, Andrew was so generous with his time, answering my questions and explaining things to me in a way that no one else had.   Spoiler Alert: Andrew will be an upcoming guest on the Equalized Outdoors Podcast.  Talk about a full circle moment.

Then, on a cold February day on the Appomattox River, it all came together.    I had begun targeting larger bass on my own, armed with my new knowledge, and that was the day I caught what is still my PB Largemouth.  I didn’t have a scale, but the picture tells the tale.  A black-and-blue football jig with a black-and-blue craw provided me with a lifelong memory. Nothing could possibly top that.

The Author Holding the Aformentioned Largemouth

Or so I thought. 

Then I caught my first small mouth in that same river, and I would truly never be the same.  It wasn’t even that big a fish, but it had some spunk in the fight.  There’s truly nothing that can be done in the water that will top the thrill of shallow water smallmouth fishing for me.  

They aren’t as well-known as their largemouth counterparts, but to me, they are more beautiful, they fight like hell, and they are just more fun to catch for the way I like to fish. 

So yeah, Unk, I threw it back, and I will continue to throw them back so that they may live to be caught by another angler, another day.