Imagine, if you will, growing up in Mexico and never having the chance to fish for bass or bream. I just can’t imagine a life without the Mississippi outdoors and experiencing the land teaming with fish and game.

When Taylor Hodgins told me that a friend of his was visiting our area last week and wanted to go fishing, we quickly made plans to go. The young man had never caught a bass or bream before his arrival here in the “The Southern Promised Land” as I like to call it.

I had a few Bass Pro and B-n-M rod and reel combos rigged up for bream, so we picked up a few crickets and worms at Duett Outdoors on the way to the lake. As we drove up to a small lake the tell-tale signs of bream swirling and popping drew my attention and signaled their bream beds. The bluegill were feeding and ready for our offerings.

After showing Zach Basile how to cast a rod and reel combo it didn’t take long before he was casting pretty good. The young angler cast near a grass patch and his cork disappeared in a flash.

Wham! A big bream slammed his cricket and Basile quickly set the hook and caught his first bream of the day. Basile followed that up with another bream and he continued catching the feisty fish.

Taylor and Nathan Hodgins had met Basile while living in Mexico as their parents were missionaries and the missionary kids, as they were called, met, and became friends. Basile, who’s family is from Pennsylvania, lived in Mexico from the age one year old to 18-years, but now he’s moved to Pennsylvania for his college education.

Both of the Hodgins boys spent their formative years out of the country, returning to the states and Mississippi just four years ago. They, too, didn’t have many opportunities to fish but they have both become good anglers and know how to catch bass and bream since their return “home.”

Nathan Hodgins was a mere 10 years old and 5-foot tall when he arrived in Meridian. Since then he has become an angler and hunter who has grown to 6-6 at the age of 14 years and has become quite a talented angler as well.

Though Taylor had some fishing experience, he has also become a gifted angler and loves the Mississippi outdoors.

All three young men took turns catching bream, with some doubles and triples being caught. There’s nothing like experiencing an afternoon of catching bream after bream on light tackle and these young men caught and released a bunch, while keeping a few to eat.

Explosive bass action, too

After we’d experienced fast paced bream action we moved to another lake and switched to Bass Pro Shops spinning rod and reel combos with Texas rigged worms and lizards.

Taylor quickly caught a couple of small bass on a Zoom worm and Nathan quickly landed one as well.

Nathan cast his worm near a grass patch and a lunker bass slammed it as he worked it toward open water.

Wham! Hodgins set the hook and the bass exploded through the surface and wallowed on the surfaces as it fought wildly. Alas, he was no match for the gentle giant as Hodgins finally landed the lunker of the day. After a few quick pictures he released the bass and kept fishing.

Taylor also got in on the action and caught a couple more, too.

Suddenly, Basile set the hook and nailed a bigger bass, while Taylor fought one too. The young men landed a double at the same time. This time Basile’s bass was the bigger of the two and it was the biggest of his young bass fishing career.

Basile was so happy that he even kissed the fish!

Though the weather had been blazing, recent showers had cooled the area earlier in the day and the bass and bream were ready, willing, and able to strike the young men’s lures.

Before Basile’s vacation was over he joined the Hodgins family at our house and sampled some of the best southern fried fish on the planet, compliments of my bride, Kathy Giles. There wasn’t a scrap or crumb left after those young men cleaned up the succulent bream, bass and crappie fillets! Take a kid fishing today. They will be glad you did!

Call Mike Giles at 601-917-3898 or email mikegiles18@comast.net.