Thanks to Fishing
By Keith Lozott, Contributing Writer
“Thanks to fishing” I say as the love of the sport has been with me for as long as I can remember. As a kid that grew up with humble beginnings, living with a split household and constantly moving from town to town; it’s a wonder I ended up where I am today. I played a lot of sports; soccer, football, tennis, baseball, surfing, and beach volleyball; but there was always the one constant that stuck with me, and that was fishing.
I started off bass fishing as most of us do, riding my bike to nearby ponds with a couple bags of rubber worms, a spinning rod, and some hooks. Looking back at this time of my life I thank my lucky stars that fishing grabbed a hold of me and kept me out of trouble, except for maybe a couple times getting chased off a golf course looking for bass. Where I grew up, I could’ve easily chosen another path that took me places that I may not have come back from. I have really contemplated how I stayed out of trouble and I know fishing was a major part of it.
When I see young kids today riding their bikes with rods and reels in tow, I can only think what a great site it is to see! These kids and parents have no idea how positive this is for them as they grow older. Today kids are stuck inside on social media, TikTok, and gaming. I know I sound like some old guy preaching to the choir about the youth of today, but I can’t help looking back at how I grew up. The ability to go outside and soak up some sunlight, get fresh air, feel the wind blowing warm and cool depending on the season was a blessing. We walked through the woods to get to canals and ponds hoping the undiscovered honey hole was waiting for us. Life was great looking back! I didn’t care about money or possessions; as long as my tackle was in good shape, I was good to go!
Fast forwarding to today a few months before I turn fifty, I can’t help but think I’m exactly the same now as I was then. When I go fishing, I hope to catch fish, but there is no pressure as I’m just happy to be out there. I think about road trips to the Louisiana Bayou to catch redfish in shallow water, trips to the Everglades to catch just about everything that swims, trips to North Florida, the West Coast of Florida, Victoria Canada, and even those days as a kid fishing on a golf course for bass; but as an adult now are all simply amazing!
Thanks, fishing, for taking care of me as a kid and showing me cool places as an adult. I owe you more than you’ll ever know!
Keith Lozott The Fishing Realtor