Something I used to care a lot about, that I don’t as much anymore, is my first favorite hobby; fishing. I used to fish all the time but now I have other hobbies and life is moving on. Hobbies and objects you have lose their sentimental value over time.
As a kid my hand was attached to my fishing pole from the time I was 3 to 15. When people used to ask me as a child what I wanted to do when I grew up I said “I will become a professional fisherman and start my own fishing charter boat company.” I always pictured myself like Jeremy Wade, the man on River Monsters,  I thought to myself I will fish for a living and end up on TV. Fishing was my life as a kid.
During the Summer I would look under the surface of the water almost every day at a local park with my tackle box and pole in hand. I saw the shadows of fish big and small darting across the lake. I would strategically cast my line at the larger fish so the bait was only a couple feet from the fishes mouth, hoping that it would go for my bait and wouldn't swim away. I spent years and years trying to perfect techniques and the best bait to use for different kinds of fish.
I had some great times fishing like when I was fishing in the Upper Peninsula with my Grandpa, Dad, Uncle and younger Brother. We fished during the night. It was very cold outside and I had on 2 cotton sweatshirts on top of each other. The light from the stars reflected over the waves, the pontoon boat rocked back and forth for hours from the big waves while we were trolling. I stared into the starry sky wondering how many stars there were. Suddenly my pole bent like a twig and looked like it was going to snap. I picked it up out of the rod holder and started reeling. The pole felt like it was alive bending up and down. After about a minute of reeling, the fish started to give up. In a last ditch effort the fish flew out of the water and splashed back in, a couple of feet next to the boat. I got the fish close enough to the side of the boat and I could see the fish was an enormous small mouth bass. The basses dark black eyes peered into my eyes, and I knew he was mine. My Grandpa grabbed his net and swooped up the fish. “Grandpa, Grandpa, can we keep the bass?” was the first thing I shouted. “Well  Jamie looks like we got something to add to dinner tonight,” he chuckled. “Can you help me fillet the bass?” “You bet ya kiddo,” Grandpa exclaimed.We wrestled with the beast for about 2 minutes. My grandpa untangled the hooks from the net. I got my purple Hot N’ Tot lure back and plopped it in the tackle box. We got out the measuring tape and saw the bass was 18” long; the biggest bass I ever caught! We threw the fish in the live well and headed straight back to the cabin we were staying at. My Aunts, Uncle, Grandma,Mom and Cousins were all waiting at the dock with flashlights waiting to see what we caught. We took pictures and fillet the bass the next day to eat. It was my 12th birthday and it couldn't have been any better.
Four years later I went fishing on the ocean in Florida. When we got on the charter boat it seemed very old fashioned with wood floors and a steel body. I didn't expect to catch much at all, the boat was packed with people of all different kinds, you had the locals; men with tattoos,leather jackets, and pony tails, women wearing cargo shorts and thick tee shirts, kids who looked liked they have never been fishing before, then the tourist like Me, my Dad, Brother, and Grandpa. There were people from Michigan all the way to California and everywhere in between. We traveled for about an hour to get to the actual spot. On the way dolphins poked their heads out of the water and dove around us, we saw a sea turtle swimming through the water along with a jellyfish. When we finally got to the spot the captain instructed us to get to the main deck. We were on the top of the charter boat and walked down the stairs to begin fishing. My dad hooked on a slimy piece of squid onto his razor sharp hook and casted to the abyss. I casted along with my Brother who was to my right and my Grandpa who was on the corner of the boat. My Dad was to the right of me and noticed a huge shark swimming around his bait. “I think it’s hungry,” Pops said. The shark attacked and swallowed the bait. My dads line was being released faster than he could reel as the fish went the opposite direction to the boat. He struggled with all his might to get the fish up to the boat. “Wow this is a biggins,” Dad shouted. When the fish got close to the boat it spun around the other fishing lines causing a massive tangle. A crew member had to cut everybodies line who got in the tangle. After a few minutes of battle the shark gave up and my dad got him up to the edge of the boat. One of the crewmen with long blonde hair, ocean blue eyes, and huge muscles  came to the edge of the boat to retrieve the fish. “Man, I love my job,” the dude joked. The man threw the fish to the deck and  put his foot on the fish to try to stop it from flopping around as he picked the beast up. He grasped “jaws” by the tail and I thought he was going to throw it back. Nope. The guy bashed the sharks head on the guard rail killing it instantly. Blood splattered all over the crewman and the deck of the boat. The sharks head was soaked with blood. The creature was obviously dead but its nerves made it move as my Dad tried to take a picture. Everybody looked disgusted after the crewman walked off with the corpse, some little kids by us looked like they were going to puke from the excess gore they saw. “Just my luck, Dad once again outdid me, I thought to myself.” I didn’t catch too many fish but I had fun watching my dad catch a shark.
I had some of my best memories fishing but now that am in my late  teenage years (17) I don’t enjoy fishing as much. I am busy with school and sports. I have found other hobbies I prefer over fishing. I fished for years, and like anything, got a little burnt out. I wish I could fish for free too but now I have to pay for a fishing license which I am not interested in.
      I am the type of person who always has had a hobby. When I was young I fished constantly. On occasion I liked hunting, rock collecting, and practicing archery. Now my hobbies include metal detecting, coin/antique collecting, and wood burning. The similarity is I have always been an active person who wants to be doing something productive at all times. I see the world differently after quitting fishing. Life moves on and I have other hobbies and interest now. When I was little fishing was my favorite hobby and my life. I learned to appreciate new things.