It’s About Presentation
Debbie Hanson was five years old. What does a kid know about passion at that age? Her parents allowed her to leave the western suburbs of Chicago to travel north to the upper peninsula of Michigan for several weeks. There life with her grandparents was totally different.
“Grandpa, you promised to take me fishing!” Fast forward to today and how do you go from a preschooler to a charter boat captain in such a short time? It happened with a patient grandfather, excitement, and a shared passion that quickly developed in our heroine.
Fresh water bass, walleyes, and lake trout gave way to the education years till “little Debbie” (not the Hostess snack) developed into a passionate advertising executive. Now as an adult, Debbie presented her products before her clients. Their success depended on her expertise and ability to make them happy. It took time to hone those skills and her performance followed quickly.
Speaking to The Landings Fishing Club, Captain Debbie is an accomplished female angler. She is part of the 43 percent of female anglers who share the passion for the sport. She is also a published author, and a world record holder for catching several species of fish. Debbie presented herself and the sport of fishing the fresh waters of Florida in an outstanding speech. Enthusiastic, persuasive, and patient, she handled the non-stop questions throughout the evening. Debbie is a licensed charter boat captain with all the safety certificates plus what sounded like a Marine Biologist explaining the ins and outs of Florida’s sport fish. Passion, patience, perseverance on how, where, and when to catch these species echoed throughout the evening.
Large mouth bass, crappie, bluegills, and snook were all on her list. However her main attraction was the peacock bass. A non-native fish that comes from the Amazon basin of South America, this species was introduced to the Miami-Broward area in the 1980s. Peacock bass are a predatory fish and it was hoped they would help solve an aquatic problem. This bass is non-invasive, meaning it is not destructive to our native ecosystem. Being a tropical fish, it prefers hotter waters. Above 75 degrees, life is good. Dropping to 60 degrees is lethal. In this species the male is the larger fish with a Florida record of 12 pounds recorded years ago. The average today is six to eight pounds.
Debbie is on the Internet and Facebook. To catch a peacock bass, pick a hot day with high humidity, and high water temperature, which the bass love, and Debbie will put you there. “I love tossing a three-inch top water popping plug and presenting it to the fish. The thrill is watching exploding water, shower and spray going everywhere as the bass takes your presentation: he’s hooked.” Fear not for the fish, for Captain Debbie is a catch and release angler.
Passion, perseverance, patience, and presentation not only catch fish but had The Landings Fishing Club hooked as well. Our bright eyed, infectious laughing, extremely competent female angler gets the Top Catch of the Year honor!
Tradition
The Broadway play and movie musical “Fiddler on the Roof” was about tradition. The 4th of July parades, Cinco de Mayo, and St. Patrick’s Day are also celebrated traditions. Around the world people choose to celebrate just about anything.
The Landings Fishing Club joins the throngs with the annual kids’ fishing tournament on Easter Monday. It’s a family affair with kids, parents, and grandparents assaulting the Helm Club Lake. Club members provide the bait and assistance when needed. The attack begins at 8 a.m. and ends at 11 a.m. Prizes are awarded to the angler, male or female, who catches the longest fish as well as the most fish.
The participants range in age from three to sixteen years old. Every conceivable type of rod and reel are used. Bait can be artificial or live worms. Eager family members take pictures of the catches and then release the fish. Photo proof of size is presented, and awards are made, ending another successful tradition.
Monday April 21, 2025, began with the registration of anglers. Appropriate Easter gifts were offered to each participant. Circling the lake searching for the choice spots, the kids ran forth eager with excitement. Soon you could hear the laughter and squeals of success or failure to land that potential winner.
This year the scales were tipped from the experienced angler to the complete novice. Four-year-old Finley Reardon caught a 17.5-inch large mouth bass to take first prize. She used a three-foot purple rod with matching reel with a wriggling night crawler to catch the big one! With blonde hair hanging in twin pigtails, blue eyes, and a heart-melting smile, she accepted a small trophy along with $25. It was a dead heat as to who was the happiest, Finley or grandpa Mike Reardon.
Experience paid off for Garrett Easton, age 14. Coming from Seattle, Washington, Garrett took the prize for the most fish caught.
As long as there are parents teaching kids the important things in life, the traditions will live on.
