A good fight

 I have found that what we learn from others often shapes our understanding of the world we live in. This is exemplified by the knowledge that gets passed on through generations. And although we are expected to take the knowledge we’ve gathered and form our own opinions on a topic, many people do not use all the resources available to them to do this effectively. This is what makes misleading information so dangerous.

Fishermen are not immune to this and I often run across people that are confidently ignorant. For instance, some believe that any carp caught, should be dispatched immediately. There is, however, no official rule stating this. When asked about this, people will often say, my dad or uncle once said so. It is easy to get caught up in such beliefs without knowing the facts around it. Another example is that most people agree that Largemouth Bass is the top sport fish in freshwater fishing. Bass fishing tournaments and multimillion-dollar companies have been telling us this for years. Now I am not saying they’re wrong, just that with an open mind, the best fish could be any fish.

Every so often, I catch the cousin of the Largemouth; the Smallmouth Bass. And every time I do so, I am awestruck by these fish. The Largies put up a good fight with some smart exhilarating aerobatic displays to try and shake your lure. Smallmouth, however, deploy the same tactics, but often they have a few more tricks up their proverbial sleeves. Rather than heading straight up, they dive down first with unexpected power. In my opinion, pound for pound, Smallmouth tend to put up a better fight. Well, not necessarily better, but different. The Smallie in this picture felt like a ten-pound catfish, even on the heavy tackle I was using.

I am also so used to seeing the green Largemouth, that I sometimes get lost in the colors and patterns on these brown bass. But at the end of the day, we are not comparing apples with apples here. Instead, we have a fruit salad with different fish making up the ingredients. They feed, fight, and live differently, and although you might have your favorite, they are all important in their own way in contributing to the fruit salad. Their food might overlap, but their lifestyles and the impact they have differ, and that is what makes them unique in their own ways. That variety is what we need to celebrate; not just one fish, but all fish as they are.