Jackie Krawczak

It’s not a secret that fishing is one of my favorite outdoor activities. A few summers ago, I was offered the opportunity to assist as a first mate on a charter boat a few different times. At first, I wasn’t sure if I would like it because of how much I like to reel in the fish. Helping others to fish might not give me the same enjoyment. That sounds selfish, doesn’t it?

That did not end up being the case at all. I very much enjoyed helping people on the charters. Some had never fished before, never fished on the Great Lakes before, or had fishing excursions that were few and far between.

Interacting with visitors to the area, helping them with netting fish, setting lines, taking photos, answering questions, and engaging in conversations with the customers of the charter boat was a very enjoyable experience every time I was able to go.

I’ve also had a friend who had never caught a fish before. I’ve known her for many years, and we periodically talked about getting her out fishing. My experience on the charter boat lit a fire in me to make sure she got to experience the hobby I enjoyed so much and for so long.

I had seen how rewarding and exciting it was for people to experience fishing for the first time both on charter trips and when watching my nephews catch fish from the creek behind their house.

We tried to schedule a trip on a boat together but between finding a day that worked for everyone and had decent weather, and a day the boat wasn’t in for repairs, we had to cancel both of the dates we had managed to schedule for the day-trip.

It started to feel like maybe I wasn’t meant to be there when she caught her first fish.

Then, just recently, I made plans to go ice fishing with a friend. I thought about this woman who had never caught a fish before and asked if she would like to join us. She wouldn’t have to be out on the ice all day – we would pick her up from the launch when she was ready and take her back when she decided she wanted to leave.

She said yes. We finalized plans, and one recent Saturday we were off!

Thankfully something was biting that day. The Perch were hungry. Although plenty of smaller Perch were destroying our bait, we managed to catch a few nice sized Perch. My friend, who turned 60 the very next day, caught her first (and subsequent) fish that day on the ice.

We were in shallow water so all day in the shanty we were able to watch the Perch check out our bait, observe them nibble and bite, watch the minnows as they attempted to swim away from the fish, and then watch as the Perch nabbed a minnow and we pulled it in.

She jumped right in with baiting hooks, figuring out how to jig, learning how to check bait on tip ups, and even brought in our largest catch of the day on a tip up. She was, brace yourself for a bad pun, hooked.

Sharing our hobbies with others can be such a joy. When we are passionate about something and get to share that passion with others, it brings joy to them and us. What are you passionate about? What might you be willing to share with others?

On the flip side, there is also great reward in allowing others to share their passions with us and teach us something new. Key to the experience though, is to approach it exactly how my friend approached it. With a willingness to learn. A willingness to make errors and adjust. A willingness to laugh about mistakes. A willingness to ask questions.

Sharing interests with others and being the one someone is sharing with are both wonderful ways for us to increase our self-awareness, grow relationships, and share knowledge with others.

I’ll continue to share my love of fishing with others, but I still won’t share my hottest fishing spots!