Getting Started
by Ron Anlauf 

It doesn’t take that much to get started.   A big high powered rig loaded with all of the latest gadgets isn’t what it’s all about.  Sure I have one now, but some of the best times of my life were spent in a plywood boat powered by an old SeaHorse and without any kind electronics.  There wasn’t any available at the time, and the fact is we didn’t need them to create memories that would last a lifetime.  What it took was some cane poles rigged with hooks and bobbers, and enough line to get to the bottom, a few dozen worms, and Dad and Grandpa.  They took the time and had the patience to take me and my brothers to lake where we had the times of our lives.   And we weren’t chasing anything fancy like walleyes, pike or bass, it was just catching, and that meant sunnies (lots of them). 

Grandpa would haul his motor down to the lake and mount it on the boat and I’d grab the gas tank (when I got old enough) and my brothers would grab the rods and life jackets.  We’d load all the gear and head out with high hopes that we’d do some serious catching and most of the time it worked out.  The goal was to put enough together to have a fish fry, but there were days when we came up a little short.  Still it was fun, and we’d probably do better the next time out.   The thing is; through it all (including plenty of tangled lines) they never, ever, not once, lost their patience, and seemed to enjoy it as much as we did, and I think they did.  When you’re a kid; having fun with some important to you is what fishing is really all about.  Unfortunately in these modern times filled with too much pressure, too little time, and plenty of uncertainty, the tradition isn’t getting passed down and it’s a shame.  Maybe it’s the cost of getting started (doesn’t have to be a problem), or maybe it’s a lack of opportunity (more there than you might think) or maybe it’s the time.  In that case; you might re-consider as to what’s really important and take a hard look at what you’re doing and understand that you may never again get a better chance to build a bond that will last forever. 

If it’s the cost holding you back don’t fret; you can get by on the cheap.  It could be the cane poles like I used, or maybe a nice little spin cast outfit.  Doesn’t have to be new either, and you might want to check out garage sales or maybe look on craigslist.org.   A decent spin cast rod and reel, some new line, and a handful of hooks and baits can be all of the gear you need to start wetting a line and having some serious fun.   If you’re setting up a youngster make sure it all works to help keep them from becoming frustrated and losing interest.    You don’t get that many chances to get it right before you can lose a potential fishing partner for good.   With that in mind make sure you stick with favorable weather if you’re going to give it a go.  Nice weather and panfish go hand in hand and the nicest days are the best days to be on the water.  Gills get active when the going is good and the nicer the weather the hotter the action.  It starts early in the spring and lasts right through summer and into the fall.  And if things change and take a turn for a worse don’t be afraid to pull the plug.  Bad weather and rough conditions can scar a raw recruit for life and may ruin it for you and for them.

There are plenty of great opportunities available to today’s boat impaired anglers including fishing docks and piers.  I spent a lot of quality time fishing from shore in my youth, and still do occasionally.  If a boat purchase is in the picture make sure it’s one you can afford as it doesn’t do much good to have the ultimate rig if you can’t afford to go.   A fourteen footer and a small outboard can get you on rivers and smaller lakes and might be a good way to get started.  If you think you might try bigger water once in a while then maybe a sixteen, or even an eighteen or nineteen foot boat may be the way to go.   Depends on where you are, what you really need, and again what you can afford.  My first rig was a fourteen foot boat made from galvanized steel, didn’t look like much but it worked.  From there I bought a jon boat for the river, and then a decent fourteen footer with a 15hp outboatd that I even used on Mille Lacs, and so on and so on until now, which lead me to my dream boat which is the new 18’6” Crestliner Raptor powered by a 175hp Merc Optimax ProXS.   It’s everything I want in a boat and can’t wait to get it in the water.   It’s exactly what I want and would have never dreamed of when I got started so many years ago.  The key is getting started and passing it on. 

Last summer I got the chance to fish with my grandson who was about sixteen months old at the time.  He didn’t really fish but had a ball playing with the gills in the live well. I kept him busy while my oldest son and his wife worked some bedded gills and it was her first time fishing.  They both caught plenty and now she’s hooked!  Another angler in the making and the legacy is passed on.  See you on the water.