Fishing with Passion

As my good friend Ron Presley would say “Fish with Passion”. True anglers are passionate about sharing their outdoor experiences with others freely in hopes of creating a new generation of angling stewards, and such was the case this week on both the Mosquito Lagoon and Lake Triplet in Casselberry, Florida.  The photos within this report are proof our passionate efforts to share our love of fishing and the outdoors is contagious. The first photo of angling steward and Anglers for Conservation member Paul MacInnis teaching our Hook Kids on Fishing Safety Station to Dalton and Makenzie Bailey in Winter Park, Florida in 2013.  The second photo is of AFC Orlando volunteer member Chris Wagiespack with Dalton and Makenzie Bailey at our most recent Hook Kids on Fishing Program in Casselberry, Florida.  In just four years these two young men went from student to instructors as members of the Teen Sports Fishing Association.  It is up to us as true anglers to teach others in becoming passionate and responsible both on the water and in the outdoors.  Our outdoor resources are challenged in Florida and around the world, and it will become the responsibility of these young passionate anglers to carry our legacy into the future. Some may think our tradition of fishing and hunting is slipping away, I respectfully disagree.   If you possess the passion as I do, please share it with others and together we will have an impact on saving and protecting our outdoor heritage.

Paul MacInnis with Dalton and Makenzie Bailey in 2013

AFC Orlando Volunteer Chris Wagiespack with TSA Members Dalton and Makenzie Bailey at the Casselberry HKOF Program in Casselberry November 2017

Hook Kid on Fishing Program Casselberry, Florida 2017

Teen Sports Fishing and Hook Kids on Fishing volunteers check out a set of Danco Pliers,  Thank you Danco for supporting youth fishing in Florida. Visit https://www.dancopliers.com/ for more details.

Om my next adventure I had the pleasure of sharing the day with Grandfather and Grandson team Jim and William from Orlando.  Our goal was to share the Mosquito Lagoon experience with and to put William on a respectable fish.  The weather on Friday was a bit challenging, but we had already postponed this charter once, so I pushed my luck and seceded in hooking William up with a lifetime memory.  William managed to hook the fish on his own, but it was too big for him to catch alone, so he and his Grandfather teamed up and they successfully landed a trophy black drum.  I know as long as I live I will never forget the excitement I witnessed as William and Jim battled this fish, and I know both William and his Granddad will cherish this memory as well.

William’s Mosquito Lagoon Black Drum

As always, if you need information or have any questions, please contact me.

Good luck and good fishing,

Captain Tom Van Horn