What makes classic fishing classic?

It took two outings for Hannah Washburn 15 to catch her first northern pike but she proved that success comes to those who fish.  A long morning of casting with red and white spoons topped with long steel leaders yielded exactly zero bites.  Those results left her feeling discouraged.  A switch to spinners and nylon leaders convinced her to give the afternoon another try.  We’ve all been there, right?

The pole she used was rigged with a refurbished reel circa 1960-ish that I dug out of the garage and the spinner chosen, although new, was a model anglers would have been familiar with around that time as well. Classic.

Shortly after the switch her first pike smashed the spinner and my camera was flashing.  Hannah loves to catch fish but she would rather let the fish go than keep it.  It’s the anglers decision and that is always hers.

So, as the voracious trout eating monster (authors descriptive may differ from the anglers) returned to the water Hannah smiled and said, “Classics are classic for a reason.”  And she’s right; a spinner pulled through the water by a rod and reel in the hands of a young lady on an August afternoon is truly classic.   An uncle blessed with the opportunity to take his niece and nephews fishing is timeless.

Perhaps its more about the time spent fishing with family and friends that make fishing classic than the equipment in our hands.  Maybe it’s the memories we make while remembering the memories we’ve made.  Could it be the excitement of pushing the boat off the shore on a misty morning?  Or returning to camp with stories and teaching new anglers how to fillet fish on a picnic table?  Maybe it’s all of those things.  Those things are the things we remember and the reasons we want to do them again next year, every year.

One thing is for sure, classics are classic for a reason.  Good job Hannah.  Classic.