There comes a time in every angler's life when you realize your fishing gear has taken over your living space. My moment of truth arrived when I found myself trying to explain to my cat why I needed both a backpack tackle box with cooler and a regular backpack tackle box cabelas.
The cat, being a cat, was unimpressed. The whales that showed up later, however, were downright curious. It all started when I decided I needed proper basic equipment for fly fishing. What began as an innocent search for an angler rod and reel quickly spiraled into a full-blown fishing gear obsession. I found myself browsing bass fishing tackle websites at 2 AM, convincing myself that yes, I absolutely needed those specialized bass fishing rods for different techniques. My collection grew at an alarming rate. I became the proud owner of a backpacking fishing pole rei that's so lightweight I almost forgot I was carrying it (until I tripped over it). I stocked up on gear from the local b fishing tackle shop, where the owner now greets me by name and asks if I've actually caught anything yet (I haven't). The real treasures came from my online adventures.
I discovered bass fishing tackle shop websites that offered everything from bass rod and reel combos to lures that promise to "drive bass crazy!" (They mostly drive my wallet crazy). My backpack tackle box with cooler became my constant companion, though I must admit the cooler section contains more snacks than fish. The day of the big fishing drone experiment arrived. I packed my backpack tackle box cabelas with every possible fishing necessity, including three different bass rod and reel combos because you never know what the fish might be in the mood for. I looked like a cross between a serious angler and someone who might be lost on the way to a hiking trail. I started with my angler rod and reel, casting with the grace of a startled moose. Nothing. I switched to one of my bass rod and reel combos, hoping for better results. Still nothing. Just as I was considering trying out my backpacking fishing pole rei, something extraordinary happened. My drone's camera captured movement below the surface. Not just any movement—whales. A whole pod of them, and they seemed fascinated by my basic equipment for fly fishing. One particularly curious whale kept surfacing near my b fishing tackle, as if to say "Nice gear, but have you considered actually catching something?" For the next forty minutes, I was treated to what can only be described as a marine mammal masterclass in fishing. The whales seemed particularly interested in my bass fishing rods for different techniques, circling them with what I choose to believe was professional curiosity rather than outright mockery. I tried everything—switching between my different bass rod and reel combos, digging through my backpack tackle box with cooler for the perfect lure, even attempting some fancy moves with my backpacking fishing pole rei. But the only thing interested in my gear was these whales, who seemed to think my basic equipment for fly fishing was some kind of underwater toy collection. My backpack tackle box cabelas suddenly felt very inadequate as whale entertainment. Even the snacks in my cooler failed to impress my new aquatic audience. The whales eventually swam away, probably to find someone with better fishing stories, leaving me with incredible drone footage and exactly zero caught fish. But you know what? I'm calling it a win. How many people can say they've had their bass fishing tackle shop purchases reviewed by a panel of whale experts? So if you're ever feeling discouraged about your fishing skills, just remember: somewhere out there, a person with all the basic equipment for fly fishing is being judged by marine life for their choice of bass rod and reel combos. And that person is definitely me. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go edit this drone footage into something that doesn't look like a "how not to fish" tutorial featuring disappointed whales.