by Chasten Whitfield
Our team woke up at five in the morning to catch bait fish at the Skyway Bridge for a day of fishing with Ashley, an amazing young lady who is a 22-year-old young woman diagnosed with autism and has had many struggles in life, just trying to “fit in” with her peers. Ashley is very outgoing, loves people, and even though she has a disability, she never lets it hold her back from doing the things she loves, like fishing, and that is what today is all about – her. We arrived at the Skyway Bridge just as the sun was peaking up, threw a few times, got our bait, and headed back to the boat ramp to pick up our fisherman Ashley. Off to our first spot, and as were driving there, all her and I were talking about is keeping the fish she catches. She doesn’t care what kind of fish they are, she’s just so excited to have the opportunity be able to catch them. We stopped, threw some bait, and started chumming and within a minute we saw trout busting on the surface along with the strangest thing ever – catfish were hitting our live bait on the surface right next to the trout! Ashley was so excited as she reeled the first one in, caught some keeper trout for dinner and some lady fish and catfish. Ashley said that the lady fish and catfish put up a great fight! On to our next spot, we chum a little bit. We quickly grab Ashley a bait, hooked the bait, and cast just up current of the fish to land in front of the fish. We let the bait drift back and wait for the strike. Bam she hooked up, and Ashley caught her very first snook! This day was all about Ashley as we watched her excitement catching these fish. I actually learned so much from her – too. She didn’t care what kind of fish she was reeling in. Fishing doesn’t mean you have to catch the best fish or even the biggest fish. You don’t have to set a record. It’s all about taking time with someone special to catch a simple fish. Fishing is not about catching fish, but, rather it’s about the experience. Just ask Ashley, her favorite fight was with a catfish and a ladyfish, but, the smile on her face while we cruised back in said it all! Thanks for reading my story.
Check out her video on YouTube.