I don’t know who this young man belongs to, but I hope someone tells him they’re raising him right.
I saw him pedaling down the road with a fishing pole sticking out of his backpack—young, focused, and moving with purpose. I pulled ahead, waited for him to catch up, and asked, “You fish?”
He looked me right in the eye and said, “Yes sir!”
When I asked what he fished for, he lit up. “I’m into bass fishing.”
I asked if he knew how to use a baitcaster.
“Yessir!” he nodded again, eager and proud.
Right then, I reached into my truck and handed him a Lew’s baitcasting reel—one I’d barely used, worth close to $80. You should’ve seen his face. He held it like it was gold and said, “Man, this a nice one too.”
But his reaction stuck with me. So much joy. So much appreciation.
I told him to hang tight and zipped home. Grabbed my Lew’s Mach 2 combo—rod and reel—and came right back.
By the time I returned, he’d already dropped the reel and his tackle off at home, like he couldn’t wait to take care of it.
I jumped out and said, “I got something else for you.”
When I handed him the combo, he called out the make and model right away, even told me how much it cost. His eyes were wide. His smile was real.
“Thank you so much, sir,” he said.
Then quietly, almost like a confession:
“Fishing brings me joy and inner peace. It keeps me out of trouble.”
That right there was all I needed to hear.
“That’s exactly why I went home to get it for you.”
So if you see a young man out there casting with a bright green Lew’s combo, know that someone gave it to him because he’s chasing something good.
Keep fishing, kid.
Stay steady.
Stay strong.
And stay out of trouble. 🎣
