Father's Day 2023
There is no denying that dads have an immeasurable impact on their kids and families. Advice and experiences shared with youngsters are recalled all the way into adulthood, and often become the life lessons that are passed on to the next generation. These moments frequently start as simple interactions – like fishing - but grow to have unexpected significance over time. This Father's Day also so happens to fall on National Go-Fishing Day.
Professional angler Brock Mosley can still recall his introduction to fishing. “My dad used to take me to a family friend’s pond when I was a kid… and for a seven-eight-year-old boy, that was the coolest thing in the world.”
For Mosley, the actions of baiting hooks, casting lines, and landing bass represented simple fun. But the experiences would ultimately open communications and become more meaningful than his younger self would realize. Fishing lowered his guard and allowed for real meaningful father-son conversations to take place.
“The best advice my dad has ever given me, is to give everything I have, work as hard as you can, and don’t have any excuses,” says Mosley. This life advice was not-so-coincidentally delivered over time spent fishing.
Mosely is now very cognizant of the lessons he learned and is incorporating time fishing from the banks with his own children.
Remembering his first fishing outing with his two daughters, Mosely tells of keeping expectations manageable. “When my girls got out of daycare, I took them fishing for the first time… we’re going to see if we could catch… anything that bites.” Knowing the real possibility of coming up empty, Mosely kept one consolation, “If nothing else, they’ll have a whole lot of fun playing in the bucket of minnows.”
What he discovered, like a generation before, were smiles, thrills and opportunity. Opportunity not only to coach techniques or sharpen angling skills, but also to establish a connection that will pave the way for more meaningful talks in the future.
“Being a dad is the greatest responsibility I have in my life,” Mosely adds. And like his father, he sees fishing as a way to uniquely connect and build into his kids. Whether it’s being outdoors without screen distractions or embracing the unique challenge of a sport that happens below the surface, for Brock Mosely, fishing is a tool to help him focus on what really matters most.
“I’ve spent a lot of time fishing, and now I appreciate Father’s Day even more. I understand the importance of being a father and being a role model for my two girls.”
And as we’ve seen on the tour, Brock Mosley, has no quit in him. It is very hard to imagine that instructional opportunities will ever get away from him.
ABOUT BROCK
Growing up in the small town of Collinsville, MS, Brock had a love for baseball and fishing. After high school he headed to Delta State University to pursue a collegiate career in baseball, but quickly realized the draw to fishing was stronger. By his Junior year, he transferred to Ole Miss to finish his education and started fishing BFL’s and Everstarts. By his second year, he was asked to join the Ole Miss Fishing Team where he was able to win the 2011 Southeast BASS Regional on the Alabama River. At that moment, he realized he had a shot at turning his passion for fishing into a career.
Since then, Brock has earned a long list of accolades: 5 Time BFL Regional Qualifier / 8th BFL Regional 2012 - Red River / 1 Forest Wood Cup Qualifier -2nd Place Co-Angler / 2 Time Bass Fest Qualifier / 11th in Points in 2013 Bassmaster Central Opens / 14th in Points in 2013 FLW Tour Co-Angler
Notably, he's qualified for 4 Bassmaster Classics 3 of which he's finished in the top 20. We're celebrating his most recent win of the Bassmaster Elite Series Champion 2023.
