Bud reminisces about opportunities he had to spread his love of the outdoors
For several years, I made public appearances at schools, churches, youth correction facilities, radio and television programs. assisted living facilities, sporting goods stores, and many different organizations. I was honored to have been invited, and I certainly met many new friends.
I was simply trying to pass the tradition of fishing, hunting, camping, trapping and all sorts of information about outdoor activities, especially to the younger generation. I have always believed the future of outdoor activities was in the hands of today's youth.
After my father passed away at the young age of 42, I felt somewhat cheated out of learning things from him. He did teach me admiration and respect for the outdoors. I was able to do some fishing with him since we had a cottage on the river. We were there on weekends and vacations, but he was always busy doing yard work and projects to the cabin.
We did fish as much as possible. I only got the chance to rabbit hunt with him one time. After losing him, I vowed that when I became a father, I was going to teach my children as much as I could about the outdoors lifestyle.
As the years progressed, I got married and became a father. I couldn't wait to have a family, and my wife and I started taking our daughter and son camping and fishing. They really enjoyed it. I also taught them as much as I could about respecting the outdoors, and as time passed, I started teaching some of the neighbor kids about fishing. When I started my career as an outdoor columnist, the offers and requests started coming in for me to help get younger students involved.
I really have been honored to have visited such places as the Kinsey Youth Correctional Facility. I took my bass boat and stood in the boat in the parking lot while demonstrating lure presentation and how to fish certain lures for catching fish.
I visited the folks at Bona Vista several times a year, and we shared fishing memories. I visited several conservation clubs discussing hunting and fishing techniques. I was invited to several Kiwanis, Lion's Clubs, coffee clubs, and several elementary, middle and high schools. I visited several churches, and I enjoyed every minute and opportunity.
One particular invitation was from the Eastern Elementary School for their Summer Vacation classes. Several of the youngsters got their picture taken with me and my bass boat. Not only was there a huge crowd in the classroom, I had a large number of parents decide to stay for the event, and they asked me a lot of questions.
One somewhat embarrassing situation occurred when I walked in the house from attending a bass club meeting. I poured a cup of coffee, and the telephone rang. It was a lady who asked me, "Is this Bud Fields?" I said, “Yes, it is."
She said she was Mrs. Adams from IUK in Kokomo and she was wondering if I would be interested in conducting a fishing class during the early springtime. To be honest, I am a practical joker, and I am always pulling jokes on my friends. I thought this had to be a payback from one of the guys in the bass club.
I decided to play along. She told me they had been asking around for suggestions of who would be a good choice for instructing the class, and they had asked several sporting goods stores for recommendations. My name kept being mentioned.
I laughed and told her, "That is probably because I owe all those places money, and they figure if I get paid, they get paid!" The lady asked me if I could bring several copies of my fishing articles and come to the office the next day for an interview. Like I say, I thought it was a joke, but I agreed to visit the office the next morning.
At 10 o'clock the next morning, I walked into the office with everything the lady asked for, and when I was greeted, I figured I would be informed “No one called you.” I asked for Mrs. Adams, and the lady told me to have a seat.
When Mrs. Adams entered the room, I was so embarrassed. She shook my hand and introduced me to several of the members of the administration. I had to start my interview by explaining to them I thought I was the subject of a practical joke, and they got a big laugh out of it.
I used to skip school to go fishing. They never had a fishing class when I went to school, or I might have received better grades. On a positive note, I was asked if I could conduct a basic fishing class because several ladies wanted to learn how to bait hooks and tie fishing knots, and their boyfriends and husbands would not take them fishing.
I ended up having a pretty good sign up and had to schedule two classes. When the classes ended, I had been requested to offer an advanced fishing class for using artificial lures. That class was very well accepted, and I met more new friends.
I was associated with the Jim “Moose” Carden Kids’ Fishing Clinic for 30 years as a classroom instructor and boat captain, and even today I am greeted by kids who attended the earlier clinics and later enrolled their kids in the classes. When those young kids come up to you with their children and say, "You took me fishing in your boat," it sure makes you have a tender heart and proud of your efforts.
I regret nothing, and whatever years I have left, I plan to continue passing the tradition!