Fancy boats, gaudy lures and exotic destinations beckon from the magazines, catalogs and websites of the major players in the fishing industry. Some pretty cool stuff, no doubt, enough to break the bank if you so choose. Yep, our hobby gets as intense and expensive as one wishes to make it.

And that’s what is part of the fun in this picture. A 2013 father-son outing on a farm pond in a borrowed johnboat to chase some panfish on waxworms hung from a bobber or twister tails on a jighead, perhaps adding a spinner if you want to get real high-tech. Basic stuff, a throwback to the days when things were much simpler with fewer choices and less temptations to empty the piggybank.

And here’s a little secret…that old, basic, inexpensive route is still just as fun and still gets the job done.

Okay, so had to take a shot at one of these along the way, figured that since I was fishing…

Another cool aspect is the inclusion of my youngest boy, Zac, the third generation in this picture. While he did not accompany us on this outing, his smile says that he thinks it’s a pretty cool scene.

And I do too.

You see, with a dose of imagination and a tinge of photoshopping to add a black and white filter, this shot could have been taken in 1970 instead of 2013. And that kid in the middle would be yours truly flanked by his Dad and his Papa instead. Not much of a stretch really.

You can’t stop time from marching on, but as it does, it’s important that you take time to pass it on when it comes to family traditions. Talk to you later. Troy