FIRST CAST : JOEL SHANGLE
veins of brightness
It seems especially appropriate that the
December / January issue of Bass Fishing magazine that you ’ re holding in your hands straddles the fence between two years . Most of you will agree that every turn of the calendar year can be significant – who doesn ’ t appreciate the optimism of a fresh , new year ? But it ’ s pretty safe to say that you , me , and just about everybody else on God ’ s green Earth is looking forward to the start of 2021 .
For good reason : Beyond the obvious desire to separate from a cantankerous , challenging , COVIDaltered 2020 , there ’ s a lot to look forward to in the first month of the New Year . If you ’ re a Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine angler who competes in the Cowboy , Gator , Volunteer or Bama divisions , get your tackle in order ; your season will be under way almost as soon as you finish reading this magazine . If you ’ re a fan of the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit presented by Bad Boy Mowers , the professional bass-fishing “ hot stove league ” will start cooking on high as the offseason winds toward the February season opener .
But let ’ s not be so fast to forget all of 2020 . Amid the anxiety and fear and sorrow of a global pandemic that severely affected most of us , the previous 11 months struck a few veins of brightness in the fishing and outdoor worlds .
Many of you rediscovered or amplified your love for the outdoors – more importantly , you rediscovered that love with your children , parents , cousins and friends as the simple acts of fishing , driving a boat and interacting with Mother Nature became among the limited outlets for recreation and stress release during the COVID quarantine months . While your tournaments were postponed and your days of organized competition were limited during those months , most of you simply backed the boat in the water with your families when it was safe to do so and started casting – you partook in as much “ fun fishing ” as you had in years .
Yes , some of you ( myself included ) were taken off the water during state-mandated , COVID-driven fishing restrictions , but in totality , Americans fished and recreated outdoors in 2020 more than any of us can remember .
You bought tackle and supported one another . And when the time came to restart your tournament schedules , you were respectful of each other ’ s space , and of the requests made by tournament directors and league managers to social distance and follow safety protocols ( even if you didn ’ t 100 percent agree with them ). You demonstrated that this crowd of bass-loving fish heads is made up of good , simple , genuine people .
You bet , 2020 was uncomfortable and unnerving , and I ’ m as hopeful and anxious to kick off 2021 as the rest of you who already have your tournament calendars filled . Before we do that , though , let ’ s remember briefly that there were some exemplary performances and performers in 2020 , and a few good reasons to be proud that you ’ re a member of this bass-fishing family .
Here ’ s to a healthy and happy 2021 .
joel shangle , executive editor
6 FLWFISHING . COM | MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM | DECEMBER-JANUARY 2021