Playing the numbers game with fishing

If there are 50 ways to leave your lover, and David Letterman can have a Top Ten list every day, then there has to be a similar list for us anglers, too.

I put a lot of thought into this and decided without a doubt that every fisherman out there could put together his own list and be totally different from the next guy. So I focused on things that every angler should do, or have happen, in order to call themselves true purists of the sport. Here are my 40 things that every angler should experience:

1. Have an honest-to-goodness fish story that no one believes. But you know it happened!

2. Stay out on Strawberry too long and have to fight the whitecaps in order to pull your boat out.

3. Shake hands with Bill Dance, Roland Martin or any other famous pro fisherman.

4. Learn to practice catch-and-release with really nice fish that other folks would kill and take home.

5. Have a special fishing jacket, complete with lure manufacturers' patches on it.

6. Accidentally sink a hook into your hand past the barb.

7. Perform your own surgery at least once to remove that hook.

8. Walk into a doctor's office with a lure hanging from some part of your body.

9. Don't become as familiar as Tim "The Tool Man" Taylor with the emergency room staff.

10. Modify lures that you buy in order to make them better than they were right out of the package.

11. Be on a first-name basis with the employees at Cabela's.

12. Exchange Christmas cards with Sportsman's Warehouse.

13. Become a moderator on the BFT Web site.

14. Fish alone once in a while. It's good for the soul.

15. Share your knowledge. Teach someone what you know.

16. Take kids fishing.

17. Create your own flavor of attractor scent. (Stink)

18. Go to Alaska on that once-in-a-lifetime fishing trip.

19. Go again.

20. Make it a goal to catch as many different species of fish as possible.

21. Cook your own fish. Don't allow anyone else to know your secret recipes.

22. Collect more gear than you could possibly ever know what to do with.

23. Don't be too hard on yourself when you get skunked.

24. Don't feel too good about yourself after a great day.

25. A bit of humility goes a long way in making you a better angler.

26. Fish as many different waters as you can. Lakes and streams alike.

27. Learn to call, "Last cast," but don't always let it be so.

28. Have a replica fish made for a memorable catch.

29. Memorable catches don't have to be huge fish.

30. Remember that even the lowly carp is a noble fish in some Asian countries.

31. Earn your "kitchen passes" so you can enjoy your day without guilt.

32. But sneak away once in a while too.

33. Have a lucky fishing hat, and wear it completely out.

34. Be a real angler, not just someone who fishes.

35. Learn to tie your own flies, and use them. There's something to be said about catching on your own creations.

36. Remember to have some fun, even if you do most of the work when taking guests.

37. Being a guide can be enjoyable, especially when you put folks on some fish.

38. Learn to fillet your fish. It's easy, then, to get your family to eat it more often.

39. Have a float tube and a boat, for all your fishing needs.

40. Join a local fishing organization, and be active in their conservation efforts.

There you have it -- my top things that I feel every angler should experience. I'm sure you have your own, and hope that reading this list made you think about them. If you have some especially good ones, or humorous items on your list, forward them to me and we'll share those with readers another time. Good fishing!

Brad Kerr is an avid angler, and can be reached at bradkfisherman@msn.com.