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When I first started bass fishing, I bought all my stuff at a small tackle shop called Clock Bait Shop. A husband and wife owned this shop, and had run it since the mid 1960s. They were both good at fishing. I used to love this shop. It was in an old house, and they had converted the front two rooms into the tackle shop. In the winter months, I'd stop in and have a cup of coffee. There was always at least one guy in there talking fishing. They carried Fenwick, All Star, and Diawa rods. Reels were ABU, Shimano, and Diawa. If you were looking at a new rod, they would say come back and bring your reel. He'd rig up your reel and let you take it out in a lot next door, to cast and see if you really liked it. He sold scores of rods and reels this way. They also did rod and reel repair, and usually had some nice used rods and reels for sale, at very good prices. Eventually Carl, the owner passed away, and his wife ran it for a couple of years, before she retired. Now, the building is gone. It's a vacant lot, and the house is no longer there. There's only one shop about an hr drive from my house, but it's nothing like Clock Bait Shop. These days, ordering on line seems to dominate tackle sales. I really wish we had a good small tackle shop near home, and if you've got one in your area, I'd say your lucky. Do you have a shop like this near you? There's not many around anymore.

My dad and grandpa were big believers in leaving the area cleaner than you found it after every fishing or camping trip. The popular term these days is " leave no trace", meaning, leave the area looking like no one was ever there. When my grandson first started fishing with me, we took a couple of trash bags with us. We made it a point to make a quick sweep of the lot and pick up some trash, throwing it in the dumpster. Ive seen trash of every type, and there's too much of it to list here. It aggravating to clean up after other guys. They should be cleaning up after themselves.But,If your a serious fisherman, it only makes sense to want your area to be cleaned up. You'll want your lake looking good, not looking like a trash dump. What people don't realize is that trash company's are working against time. They're running a route, and don't have time to pick up loose trash laying around. This trash will blow around, and some will eventually end up in the lake. Look at it like this: if every member of BR would have a " leave no trace" attitude, imagine how much better our lakes would look. Would you rather cast your lure into clean water, or, onto a pile of floating trash? It takes only minutes to clean up after your fishing trip. At some point down the road, someone will appreciate you doing this. I've wondered how the lakes will look for my grandkids, after I'm long gone. I hope they can enjoy fishing in a clean, nice looking area. Leave no trace starts with all of us, and should start now.