Saturday’s the big day. That’s when the Lane family will be holding their Reeling in Future Pros event here in Guntersville, Ala. My brothers, sister, mom, dad and in-laws will all be involved as well as my wife, Holly. Bassmaster Elite Series pro J. Todd Tucker is also helping, as well as a whole host of other people.
It’s so popular we had to cut off registration at 125 kids. We didn’t want to do that but there are only so many you can handle at one time. At some point, it gets out of control and becomes counterproductive.
The way Reeling in Future Pros works is that kids sign up for the camp and then attend on Saturday. Thanks to a huge number of generous sponsors, each young man or woman will receive a new rod, a new reel, new tackle, a hat and a t-shirt. Basically, they get everything they need to go fishing.
As the day goes along, they’ll be treated to a host of activities, most fishing-related. There will be shore fishing with scales to weigh whatever they catch. The adults will help them with whatever they need to catch those fish. We’ll also have classes on all things involving fishing, including safety.
Rodney Clawson, legendary Nashville songwriter and singer, will attend and entertain the crowd. He’s popular, and I know the kids will enjoy seeing and hearing him. And, as you might expect at a function like this, there’ll be plenty of food for all. My friend Tony Chachere will do the cooking. I don’t have to tell you what that means. Can that man cook anything bad? My answer would be, “No!” I don’t think it’s possible. He couldn’t do it if he tried.
The idea behind all of this is to introduce kids to fishing and the outdoors. We hope some of them will go pro but that’s not what’s really behind all this. It’s about showing them a sport and a lifestyle they may not know about. We want to create a positive attitude about fishing.
Whatever they end up doing with their life, they’ll always know that fishing is a good thing. They’ll think about this camp and smile. I know that’s a lofty goal to set for something like this but we need to do these things to make our sport grow. There’s just no other way to do it.
We have too many sponsors to mention individually but I do want to say thanks to all of them. Without your help, none of this would be possible. Thanks, folks!
Now, before I go back to work — putting this thing together isn’t easy — I want to say a special thanks to my wife, Holly. She’s worked really hard to make this happen. In fact, it’s no exaggeration to say that without her it wouldn’t have gotten done. Thanks, Holly!
Next week, we’ll get back to hardcore fishing topics. I know everyone wants to catch more bass. I’ll try to help you do that. Until then, be safe on the water…