I began fishing like so many do, by having a dad who took the time to teach my brother and I the virtues of the outdoors. I started at the inquisitive age of 3 years old and quickly graduated from a cane pole to fly rods and casting rods. Although we moved around the Country due to my dad’s occupation, he made sure we continued to camp, fish and hunt. We camped most every weekend and this was our form of R & R. From fishing the mountain streams of Colorado and Montana, to now guiding on the Tennessee River, fishing for me has come a long way.

When I was younger I had the rare opportunity to be a part of nature that was for the most part, unspoiled by human invasion. The remote lakes and rivers where we came and went are now places that people went and stayed. Places where I once learned to take only what I needed are now places people have gone and taken it all. Many of the long standing traditions, respect for fish and wildlife and, places where I learned to share with nature have been paved over. Big private homes stand on lake shores where once only myself and trees stood. The places a dad can take his kid fishing are getting fewer and fewer. Lakes are silting in faster than they are being built. Once pristine rivers now carry more and more industrial waste to the ocean and, the battle to save wetlands and fisheries is getting harder to win.

We’ve long since passed the industrial revolution. The time when our rivers and man made lakes were needed to carry or dispose of waste to build the Nation has expired. It’s time to recognize the ecological value of the waterways we’ve created and those we’ve altered. It’s not about putting a halt to industry or the use of our resources for the prosperity of our Nation. Rather it’s about using the intelligence we’ve acquired and remembering the lessons we’ve learned to use our resources in a responsible manner. It’s about individuals and responsible organizations prodding industry to continue making the changes that will help preserve what we have left. It’s about individual acts as small as picking up a piece of trash and as meaningful as releasing a caught fish. If we can fly to Mars, if we can live in space, if we can put in a new heart, then we can find ways to prosper with out polluting. We can find ways to control habitat without destroying it and we can enjoy our resources while respecting them. We’ve reached the age where we should no longer have to do things such as sending tons of waste down the rivers that flow through the heart of our Nation. We’ve reached the age where we will make the difference in whether or not future three-year old kids will be able to fish with their fathers.

It’s my opinion that radical environmentalists and radical animal rights groups will not help find a needed balance of industry, human population and nature. Rather, it will be done by a combined effort of industry, responsible conservation groups and the millions of responsible anglers and outdoorsmen who like to take their kids fishing. It’s amazing what we can save when we try.

I don’t believe like many people do. Many people believe we’ve already lost the battle to save and restore our fisheries and game resources. Many people simply don’t care. I believe there is still hope. With the increased awareness of the degradation of our resources, there are valiant efforts being made to reverse the trend. Many of these efforts by organizations and individuals who fish and hunt have made long strides on the way back to clean lakes, rivers and healthy wildlife populations. We can recreate what has been nearly destroyed because we know how important it is to us. When once anglers and hunters were the biggest part of the problem, they are now the biggest part of the solution. However, there will only continue to be hope for the next three-year old to go fishing with his dad when we all share in the responsibility to act. It’s not that hard to point out a pollution problem, to write to a congressman or to get involved in a responsible conservation program. There is room to build new lakes and rivers and technology to maintain old lakes and rivers. Each time we put the boat on the water or walk down the bank to make a cast we need to remind ourselves it is we the angler who carry the responsibility to preserve our cherished traditions. A person need not be a guide, a pro or outdoor writer to make a difference. A person simply has to love the outdoors and want to share it with future 3 year olds. Angling in the future will continue to depend on all of us who are angling right now.