For teen fisherman, taking out 16-foot boat was a rite of passage. What was yours?

Adventure! That was the word that came to mind when my dad told me that I could use my Grandpa Louie’s 16-foot aluminum Valco boat paired with a 25-horsepower Mercury outboard. It meant a step up to new horizons and unlimited fishing opportunities for me as a teenager. This changed the world!

The boat had a neat console with a steering wheel as well as a throttle lever placed right in front of the second-row seat. I didn’t have to sit in the back and move the throttle arm manually to steer the boat anymore. The Mercury outboard was over twice as powerful as the outboard I used on my regular “throw it in the back of the truck” 12-foot rig. It even had a speedometer!

The maiden voyage at Millerton with a fishing buddy was spectacular.

Taking off from the dock, I gingerly turned the key, engaging the electric start, and it roared to life. No more pulling the starter cord for me! I put it in gear and slowly moved out into the main lake. I can still feel the acceleration from the little engine that took us up into the low 20s, a light-speed experience for me compared to my regular rig.

We quickly found out that if the second guy moved a little more forward in the boat that it would plane out even better and give us nearly 26 mph! That meant we could go all the way up Millerton in 40 minutes, or fish New Melones or Don Pedro and head to wherever we wanted. Freedom! It ushered in a new era of exploration for me; I wasn’t stuck in the backwaters anymore.

When new horizons present themselves, your world and how you see it can radically change. The shackles were off and my imagination and what I planned to do knew no bounds. I suddenly had all kinds of plans and fishing trips that I could envision. My dreams had become possible. No more barriers, I was ready to fly.

Getting the boat was the special catalyst that fueled and made possible new visions and excitement. Later in my life I realized that my father had known what I needed and had made it possible.

It’s a time in my life that will always mean something special in my fishing and life journey. All of us need these defining moments that stick with us forever. A kid, a boat, a dream — all part of a rite of passage. Never give up!