Someone who's reliable. Having a dependable buddy is crucial. Reliability may mean someone willing and capable of being your netter, or able to get a rogue hook unstuck from your neck. Pick someone who will have your back, even in the worst situations.
Someone who shares your preferences. If you fish with someone often, you'll want to make sure your styles are compatible. This isn't to say you have to fish the exact same way, as most people will have individual favorites.
Someone who doesn't whine. Regardless of what the whining is about, it gets old fast. Therefore, you're better off finding a buddy who, even if the going is tough, will look on the bright side.
Someone who lifts you both up. A buddy whose goal is to make you both have the best day possible is always desirable. While a little friendly competition is great, someone who's constantly trying to one-up you gets old. It's natural to get frustrated if someone else is having all the luck, but that doesn't mean you should take it out on them or hold out on info just to bring them down. Find someone who wants to help you and shares in your success. A good buddy high fives you when you land a monster and reassures you when you lose the fish of a lifetime. A little friendly teasing can be fun for both, but legitimate insults can quickly turn a friendship sour. Along the same lines, a good buddy will help you out when they can.
Someone who's trustworthy. First of all, trustworthiness means following all the laws. You also might be well advised to wait until you get to know a fishing buddy well before you start sharing secret spots with him/her. The same goes for loaning money to someone who regularly forgets their wallet. In short, you want to find an honest buddy.
Someone who complements you. A guy or gal can be a perfectly nice person and also be a pretty bad fishing buddy. This doesn't means something is wrong with them, but it should affect whether you want to hook up (pun intended) with them as a fishing buddy.
In short, a good buddy can make or break your fishing experiences. He/she can spell the difference between a lifetime of good memories or bad ones. Here are some types of anglers you should avoid at all costs:
"Decked Out Dan" -- He pulls up to the ramp with a glitter-laden bass boat perfectly matching his red Chevy truck that he can't back up to save his life, which lends to his other nickname: Jackknife Joe. He comes donned from head to toe in full pro-circuit attire, yet never has fished a tournament.
"Lurker Larry" -- He constantly fiddles in his tacklebox, nibbles on snacks, and plays on his cellphone. Meanwhile, you've gone through every type of lure, cast until the onset of carpal tunnel syndrome, and looked at your electronics so much you're seeing double. You finally snag a nice one, and instead of him reaching for the net, he grabs his rod and nonchalantly casts within inches of your lucky spot. Also known as the "Honey Hole Bandit," he is completely convinced that no one is privy to his dawdling charade.
"Delusional Duke" -- He can get your heart pumping like no other. You see a small school of baitfish jumping. With his super polarized Costas, he catches a glimpse of the colossal mammoth hot on their trail. He commences an Emmy-ranking performance after setting the hook...grunting, arching his back, and exhaustively reeling, while simultaneously yelling for you to get the net ready. Ultimately, however, he only pulls up a dink.
"Ace the Master Angler" -- He has not had a nibble all day, yet feels obliged to give a lengthy dissertation of every rookie mistake you've made, along with the exact reasons why you aren't catching any keepers. If you have the audacity to bring the irony of the situation to his attention, you immediately will be met with seemingly well-practiced rhetoric insisting that you are in fact his bad-luck charm, but out of sheer nobility, he hasn't mentioned it until now. At the weigh-in, he proceeds to proclaim that your team would have won the tournament, if not for the lunker you let get away.
In closing, let me share this true story about a couple of good fishing buddies who each regularly bought lottery tickets. They made a pact (and shook on it) that if either of them ever won the lottery, they'd split the winnings. Twenty-eight years later, one of those anglers got lucky and won $22 million playing Powerball and, true to their pact, shared the money.
"Are you jerking my bobber?" the one fella asked his buddy, when he received the phone call. The pair chose the cash option of $16.7 million, which meant they each took home about $5.7 million after taxes.
Both friends subsequently retired, so they could spend more time traveling with their families and...yes...fishing together, too.
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