Between my tenth and sixteenth birthdays, summer vacations meant fishing, which entailed getting up before sunrise, packing lunch, gathering fishing poles, tackle box, bait and trekking to the river. Back then, fishing was not all fun and games because my mother didn’t believe in catch and release. Catching fish meant dinner on the table. At times, I hated fishing because we had to blaze a trail through thick, thorny briers and bushes to find a good spot. We also had to protect our precious strings of fish from Water Moccasins that would eat them. Fortunately, my mother was not afraid of snakes, dam gates opening or the river rising. And, in her infinite wisdom, she always knew where the fish were biting and the right baits to use to catch them. There was also no discussion about big or little fish. Every fish we caught, no matter how small went on the string. Mother said, “If it didn’t want to get caught it shouldn’t have eaten the bait.” After a long day of catching as many fish we could carry we went home. As I grew up, I realized that through the process of fishing, my mother had taught me, not only the love of fishing, but lessons about courage and dealing with fear. Now, fishing has become my mania. To this day, I love to fish--from a boat, pier or riverbank, lake or deep sea. I have fishing rods and reels standing ready in my office and a ready fishing kit remains in the car. Therefore, I’m always ready and willing. All I need to pack is my laptop and stop at my favorite bait shop. Get YOUR Amazon.com fishing gear HERE and let’s go fishing!