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Throughout the week at Bass Pro Shops World’s Fishing Fair, it’s been filled with celebrities, seminars, and concerts, but at the core of it all is the shared love for the sport of fishing.
“Pick a spot anywhere between 1850-2022 I’ve been there,” Professional Angler Jimmy Houston said.
Most anglers have memories of their first cast.
“I was 10-years-old; my grandpa took me on a rowing boat, and we went fishing,” said Ashley Espayos, who’s now getting back into the sport.
“I’ve been fishing ever since I was a kid,” Steffanie Flippin of Springfield said.
“When I started fishing when I was a kid, we would go to the creek and take a tree limb that I cut down, tie some string on it and we’d steal bacon from our mom and dad’s ice box. We’d go out there and tie that bacon on that string, didn’t even use a hook and catch crawfish,” Houston added.
From tying bacon to today, the sport has come a long way.
“Fishing has changed so much, obviously our equipment has gotten much better,” said Houston.
“Being able to see that actual fish inside the water instead of a little blips on a black and white screen and say, ‘yeah that might be a fish,” said Derek Johnson of Independence.
However, technology doesn’t change the game.
“Even if you find them doesn’t necessarily mean they’re going to bite, so the technology might make it a little bit more fun to get there but it’s called fishing not catching,” Kimberling City’s Jason Hulliung said.
“Because it’s still fishing. You’re still hooking that fish and still bringing it in, you still get the chance of losing it,” Johnson added.
And the love for the sport is as strong as ever.
“The thrill of it being able to fight the fish and the challenge of getting that fish in and getting that fish to bite,” said Andrew Hulliung of Kimberling City.
“I really like catching fish and it’s really fun to roll it out and put it back,” Steffanie Flippin’s daughter McKinley said.
