By: Jessica Hendrie
Bass fishing holds a special place in my heart. I grew up fishing with my dad and I still do. Now I am passing on bass fishing to my son and it is a wonderful feeling! As much as I love fishing on the ocean, I grew up in an area where lakes and ponds were in your backyard. It was much easier as a kid to cast a line down the road than to get a boat ready! Those are some of my best memories. Today, my son enjoys catching bass and deciding how he wants to eat them. We have a tradition of fried bass, cheese grits, baked beans, and hush puppies. Having traditions like these that tie fishing into the home is something truly special. Bass fishing for us is a year-round activity. We live in a hot climate in South Florida that ensures awesome bites! We use all kinds of lures, but something we never use it live bait. My favorite rig to bass fish with is a simple June bug. If you know, you know. The fun part of bass fishing for me is watching my son test out so many new things and new technologies that I didn’t have as a kid. It comes so natural to him. He cracks me up when he wants to buy a rat lure or even a spider lure… until you guessed it, he proves me wrong and catches a large bass on it! I’ve never seen anything like it. If you haven’t taken your kiddos bass fishing yet, let me be the first to tell you that you will be starting something you cannot stop if you do! And you absolutely won’t regret it! If you get a chance to cook it also, try my traditional recipe of that fried bass dinner. Fry the bass to your liking, (I use a fry daddy) cook up some grits and add cheese, butter, and salt and pepper, make your hush puppies per usual, and spice up some baked beans with bacon, ground beef, onions, sausage, BBQ sauce, seasoning, and a little bit of brown sugar. I promise you will be forever changed! One thing my dad use to always say to me that I hope you can carry with you. “we don’t go fishing, we go catching.” Happy Fishing, everyone!