"Back Seat Blues"
~ Introduction ~

     This is a continuing story about the pros and cons of the famous "back seat."

     When you were an adolescent, you were placed in the back seat of your parent’s car, for safety reasons. In school, when you were disruptive, you were told to take a “back-seat.”

     Later, when you started driving, you only visited the back seat, for “special events,” which was your choice, if you know what I mean !

     Later, in life, you put your loved ones in the back seat for their own safety. And this act was passed on through generations.

     Now, we start a new adventure known as tournament “Bass Fishing.” The first thing we are told is we have to sit in the “back seat”. Ok, that’s cool !

     You’re sure the guy you just met in front has all the experience it takes to run 70 miles an hour down a new lake, and get us to that prime spot before anyone else can, because he is a “boater.”

     Sure, you were a little nervous at blastoff, because you weren’t used to being thrown from side to side by the other boaters wakes, and the bugs in your teeth would disappear down your throat once you drank something.

     And, starting at safe-light seemed like a good plan until you realized that the “boater” never saw that other boat coming at you from the opposite direction.

     You try to remember that you do this fishing for “fun.” But, being scared is not fun. There are good boaters and some bad boaters; you always hope you get the first.

     Month after month, you are paired up with a different boater, different styles. You grow tired of fishing “used water” and being pulled off that “big” fish by a flick of the trolling motor and not going where the fish are. Because you know that you can do much better, you decide to make a change.

     Well, the only way off the back seat is to go out and spend unlimited amounts of money, and set up your own boat. This is almost a guaranteed way to become a “master” at this game.

     So now, with this all said and done, we now have a new rig capable of running 70 mph. Along with all the gear and technology that money can buy, and we also have a “newbie” to sit in the back seat, to watch YOU catch all the big fish, go where YOU want to go, and YOU win tournament after tournament. Sounds like a dream come true, doesn’t it ? Well, that’s not how it always works out.

     Sometimes, the “non-boater” is not the most caring person you hoped he would be. You can tell by the big scratch in your new boat, made by an errand cast that didn’t make it off the boat, or the rip in your new seat, made by a wayward rattletrap, or the load of rotting weeds on your new carpet, drying in the sun all day, or the everlasting smell of garlic that has been dripped in the carpet “forever.”

     Or, the constant shifting from side to side, that makes it impossible to maintain a straight course with the trolling motor. Or, the constant standing on the painted surfaces on the side of the boat, grinding dirt into the paint to make scratches.

     I know this to be true, because it has happened to me, and if you’re a boater, it’s happened to you. We are not talking about fishing skills, we are talking about human behavior and respect for others.

     A boater is expected to help the back-seat get unhooked from various docks, weeds and sometimes even fish. That’s all part of the game. He doesn’t expect to get hit in the back with a lure, or have to untangle his and the back-seat line, time after time. He does expect the non- boater to assist with un-loading and loading the boat with him.

     Now, you’ve heard some of the pros and cons of both being a boater and being a non-boater.

     I’m going to write an article every few months for the bass club, to capture the excitement of going from a 20 year boater, to the “back-seat.” Yes, my boater days are behind, and I’m going to try to be the ultimate in “back-seat” anglers. I’m going to have a great time, and hope you do, too.

     It should be fun and I WILL name names and places. Next month’s article will cover the last four months, and ...